FSFE Main Channel

Original: https://media.ccc.de/v/39c3-lightning-talks-tag-2

Webpage: https://fsfe.org/activities/deviceneutrality/interop-survey

The Digital Markets Act promises a new right to interoperability, but its real value depends on whether developers and communities can actually use it. For Free Software projects, interoperability is not only a market issue but a precondition for community-led innovation and user autonomy. This lightning talk introduces the FSFE’s DMA Interoperability Survey, a community-driven effort to collect developers’ shared experiences of requesting interoperability under Article 6(7) of the DMA. By amplifying these voices, the survey helps turn individual struggles into collective evidence that can support effective enforcement and fairer digital ecosystems.

Free Software communities rely on interoperability to collaborate, innovate, and offer users meaningful alternatives to dominant platforms. While the DMA establishes a legal right to request interoperability from gatekeepers, early experiences show that exercising this right can be complex, resource-intensive, and discouraging, especially for volunteer-driven and not-for-profit projects.

This lightning talk presents the FSFE’s DMA Interoperability Survey as a tool for community participation and mutual support. The survey enables developers to document their experiences, share common obstacles, and make visible patterns of behaviour that no single project could demonstrate alone. It turns scattered, individual interactions with gatekeepers into a collective picture of how interoperability works in practice.

By centring community knowledge and lived experience, the talk argues that effective DMA enforcement depends on active engagement from developers and Free Software communities themselves. Interoperability is not enforced only in courtrooms or regulatory offices, but also through shared documentation, solidarity, and sustained community input that helps ensure the DMA delivers real freedom to build, modify, and share software across platforms.

Original: https://media.ccc.de/v/39c3-lightning-talks-tag-2

You like coding and tinkering with software or hardware? And you are up for a challenge? Then the “Youth Hacking 4 Freedom” is the perfect competition to test your skills.

Original video: https://media.ccc.de/v/39c3-c-t-uplink-digitale-souvernitt-sind-hcker-innen-jetzt-frs-staatswohl-verantwortlich

Spätestens seitdem Donald Trump wieder im Weißen Haus sitzt, geistert die „Digitale Souveränität“ verstärkt durch die politischen Diskussionen. Wir haben mittlerweile ein Zentrum dafür (ZenDiS) und einen Fonds, der sich zur Agentur gemausert hat (Sovereign Tech Fund/Agency). Aber ist jetzt das Schlagwort Digitale Souveränität der Türöffner für mehr Open-Source-Software in Behörden, Verwaltungen, Schulen und anderen öffentlichen Einrichtungen, oder erweist sich das als Bumerang? Sind Big Tech, die doch viel in Linux und Open Source investieren, wirklich das Problem?

In dieser Sonderfolge des c’t uplink blicken wir kritisch auf den Begriff Digitale Souveränität und diskutieren, welche Konzepte sich dahinter verbergen. Wir sprechen darüber, ob und warum gerade die Community den Karren aus dem Dreck ziehen soll. Außerdem schauen wir, warum es nur so langsam vorwärts geht mit freier Software in öffentlicher Hand und welche Lösungswege es gibt oder geben könnte.

Gäste (u.a.):

Licensed to the public under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

Join us for the annual gathering, our moment to celebrate the people who make our community alive — all of us who give our free time to carry forward the culture of Free Software. We’ll gather to share our stories, cheer for our achievements, and enjoy the joy of being together.

There will be surprises, laughter, and plenty of inspiration. More than just a meeting, it’s a party for our community — a chance to connect, strengthen friendships, and talk about what we can build next. Let’s celebrate us!

Find out the second part here: https://media.fsfe.org/w/dgEDXFWBxW7arHF4JuT9Xy

Part 1 here: https://media.fsfe.org/w/aodgWaKicpci6bRFp6ULD4

Join us for the annual gathering, our moment to celebrate the people who make our community alive — all of us who give our free time to carry forward the culture of Free Software. We’ll gather to share our stories, cheer for our achievements, and enjoy the joy of being together.

There will be surprises, laughter, and plenty of inspiration. More than just a meeting, it’s a party for our community — a chance to connect, strengthen friendships, and talk about what we can build next. Let’s celebrate us!

The award is given to a person who contributed to the introduction of the culture of Free Software.

The European SFS Award 2025 was delivered to Jean-Baptiste Kempf

Find out more: https://fsfe.org/news/2025/news-20251107-01.html

In last year’s SFSCON, the FSFE shared perspectives of the trends in Free Software legal and licensing that we’ve observed over the years while working with Free Software projects that were supported by the EU’s Next Generation Internet (NGI) initiatives.

Since then, much has happened that has affected how all parties working within these NGI initiatives view software and tech development in relation to rapidly changing international norms.

This talk will speak about shifts in perspectives among Free Software developers within the NGI framework that the FSFE has observed in the past year, and the impacts these shifts have on the Free Software ecosystem.

Public procurement is more than an administrative process: it can serve as a powerful lever for reducing vendor lock-in and strengthening technological sovereignty across Europe. For this, a Free Software First approach is needed. But how can Free Software be procured without rewarding freeloaders and openwashers? Introducing and applying award criteria beyond price is essential for this.

Simply prioritising Free Software in tenders can incentivise some vendors to openwash proprietary products or undercut providers who actually develop and maintain Free Software by selling code they did not create or support themselves, without contributing back to the original developers. Such destructive market behaviour will not lead to technological sovereignty and also harms the Free Software ecosystem, undermining the intended benefits of fair procurement.

In this talk, we will discuss how public administrations can detect and mitigate these practices by introducing effective and fair procurement criteria — a topic the Free Software Foundation Europe has been working on intensively in recent years. We will also explore how the upcoming EU procurement directive reform could support this shift and how it should be designed to advance Europe’s technological sovereignty through Free Software and the “Public Money? Public Code!” principle.

In the realm of Free Software, expressing gratitude towards Free Software contributors often goes unnoticed. The [“I Love Free Software Day”] (https://ilovefs.org) provides a platform for individuals and organisations to do exactly this, showing appreciation. But it is crucial to recognize that our appreciation for Free Software should extend far beyond this single day. This talk highlights the significance of the “I Love Free Software Day” as a platform for expressing support, love, and gratitude towards the developers and contributors who make Free Software possible.

Throughout the presentation, we will showcase memorable moments and successful initiatives from past celebrations, demonstrating the collective efforts to acknowledge and honor the impact of Free Software. We will discuss ideas and strategies for making the upcoming “I Love Free Software Day” even more remarkable.

However, it is essential to emphasize that our expressions of love and support for Free Software should not be limited to just one day. While the “I Love Free Software Day” serves as a catalyst for celebration, it should inspire us to continue demonstrating our gratitude throughout the year. We will explore ways to incorporate ongoing appreciation into our daily lives, such as contributing to Free Software projects, advocating for their importance, and recognizing the efforts of developers and contributors regularly also in a financial way.

By extending our appreciation beyond a single day, we can cultivate a culture of continuous support for Free Software. We invite everyone interested in Free Software to join us in this endeavor, as we strive to create an environment where gratitude and acknowledgment become integral parts of our interactions within the Free Software community.

Discussions about digital sovereignty, cybersecurity, interoperability, strategic procurement and budgets show that we need a dedicated, secured long-term funding programme for Free Software in Europe.

The EU has supported the Free Software ecosystem through funding schemes like NGI and several pilot projects in the last years. However, these funds can be easily removed, as we have seen in the NGI budget cut for Free Software in summer 2024. It is also piecework rather than a well thought-out long-term strategy to achieve clear goal. This exposes a larger issue: that software freedom in the EU needs more stable, secure long-term financial support.

The presentation will discuss clear objectives for such a budget as well as the necessary steps to achieve them. Also I will analyse the current situation and present proposals for upcoming legislation.