FOSS-North & LLW +++ Device Neutrality +++ NGI Zero
In this issue, you can read about the EU project NGI Zero, LLW, the FOSS-North conference, and the struggle of Lithuanian students to avoid using proprietary 2FA. Don't miss our new SFP episode on Device Neutrality; deepen your knowledge with two interesting articles; enjoy the latest ‘Ada & Zangemann’ readings; and discover two YH4F projects.
Table of contents
- FOSS-North and LLW in Gothenburg
- The FSFE is helping to build an “Internet of Humans
- Lithuania: Students stop university from using only proprietary authentication
- SFP#20: All about Device Neutrality with Lucas Lasota
- Two reading proposals: REUSE specs for the scientific community & Free Software to control technology Keeping your gateway to the Internet free
- Listen or watch Ada and Zangemann book
- Youth Hacking 4 Freedom projects
FOSS-North and LLW in Gothenburg
The Swedish city of Gothenburg hosted the 2023 edition of the Free Software Legal & Licensing Workshop (LLW), the annual conference for the Legal Network community. A few days later, FOSS-North took place, the conference in Gothenburg that brings together the Nordic Free Software communities. The FSFE organised a track on political and legal aspects of Free Software and also participated in the community day that preceded the conference.
During FOSS-North, over 180 participants took the opportunity to learn about and discuss Free Software in more than 20 sessions. FSFE's Policy Project Manager Lina Ceballos gave a keynote speech about the Interoperable Europe Act and its possible impact on the Free Software community.
📺 The recordings of the sessions will be available on the FSFE Peertube channel soon, so stay tuned!
The FSFE is helping to build an “Internet of Humans”
The Free Software Foundation Europe is a partner of the Next Generation Internet Zero consortium, which aims to build a more resilient, trustworthy, and open Internet that empowers end users to control technology. The FSFE team provides support to NGI0 grantee projects on legal and licensing issues. In addition, the FSFE helps them become REUSE compliant.
📰 Find more about our work in this project
Lithuania: Students stop university from using only proprietary authentication
Vilnius Tech officials attempted to enforce the use of proprietary two factor identification (2FA) methods. Some students were concerned the methods would compromise privacy and could not be run in their devices, so they proposed an alternative authentication method. Eventually, the university reversed its decision.
SFP#20: All about Device Neutrality with Lucas Lasota
Although digital devices are all around us, the number of devices that cannot run Free Software is growing, with smartphones, PCs, and routers being particularly problematic. In this episode, Lucas Lasota joins Bonnie Mehring to discuss Device Neutrality and Router Freedom. Lucas explains how software freedom, the absence of vendor lock-in, and end-user control over data are crucial to breaking monopolies in digital markets, promoting an open Internet, and ensuring access to Free Software in devices.
Two reading proposals: REUSE specs for the scientific community & Free Software to control technology
Last year, the FSFE presented the REUSE initiative at the Weizenbaum Conference 2022 “Practicing Sovereignty – Interventions for Open Digital Futures”. The presentation resulted in an academic article (EN, page 66-71) explaining how REUSE specifications facilitate and improve management policies for the digital commons by improving data and metadata communication for individuals, communities, governments, and businesses.
Check out also our article on Free Software to control technology in the Publication "Access OpenTech" for the CrossCulture Programme (C*****) by ifa (EN, pages 11-12[18-21])
Listen or watch - Ada & Zangemann book
You can now get your copy of Ada & Zangemann in English or German. While you can simply order the German edition online or at your favourite book store, the English version is currently available in the US from the publisher and at the FSF online store and can be pre-ordered in the rest of the world. One more reason to pre-order it? It helps to support a book under a Creative Commons Share-alike license.
If you would also like to listen to it, we are giving you two options: the reading of the book at the last episode of the Linux Inlaws podcast and the video of the reading at LibrePlanet, the annual conference of the FSF, our sister organisation.
And do not forget the rest of the videos of LibrePlanet 2023, that took place in Boston last March.
'Youth Hacking 4 Freedom' projects
While we wait for the projects developed by the participants of the second edition of the Youth Hacking 4 Freedom contest, let's go back to last year's edition to learn about two of the projects submitted: StarVibeLab and OnionSproutsBot.
📰 Learn more about the projects
Don’t forget to check our Events page
Our team and our community participate in many Free Software events. Check our events page to be up to date about what is going on. Subscribe to our feeds to stay current about events and do not forget to sign up for our local group and country mailings to receive updates about what is going on in your region.
Get Involved! Contact your administrations
Code paid for by the people should be available to the people! Publicly financed software developed for the public sector should be available under a Free- and Open Source Software license. Therefore, we created the activity Contact your administrations under the initiative Public Money, Public Code. On this wiki page, you will find all the necessary information and arguments that you need when getting in touch with your public administrations. Do not forget to leave a comment about it in your favourite social network… and tag us!
Quote of the Month
"I'm a Free Software supporter for a long time, I fought against software patents in Brussels, co-organised the system theme at the Libre Software Meeting (RMLL) and run a Free Software company. Free Software is an essential part of our global freedom, so it was natural to become a supporter of the FSFE."
Benoit Mortier
Contribute to our Newsletter
We would love to hear from you. If you have any thoughts, pictures, or news to share, please send them to us at newsletter@fsfe.org. You can also support us, contribute to our work, and join our community. We would like to thank our community and all the volunteers, supporters, and donors who make our work possible, with a special mention to our translators who make it possible for you to read this newsletter in your mother tongue.