Back from our FSFE25 celebrations with news about EIF and the DMA
August is here and after our FSFE 25 years celebration, we are already
working on our next projects! While we are still enjoying the wonderful
"hangover" of our days in Kraków, in the last weeks we have also got
positive news on the DMA and the Apple litigation, we submitted our
proposal to the new EIF, and more!
25 years ago, our founders declared:
"Software already transcends daily life in an increasing manner and
becomes a deciding factor. Just as other developments in the past of
mankind, software developed from being an economic to a cultural
property with increasing presence in everyday life. […] It is essential
for the future of mankind that software as a cultural property will
remain accessible for everyone and is preserved in libraries like other
knowledge."
Two and a half decades later, standing among staff, volunteers, and
supporters who have built this movement, that message is more urgent
than ever. Turning 25
was a moment to reflect on major milestones while casting an eye toward
our vision for 2048.
That vision was put into practice in a major way this July when the
Court of Justice of the European Union delivered a decisive victory for
software freedom. In Apple v. European Commission, a case in
which the FSFE intervened as the only charitable organisation defending
developer rights, the Court dismissed Apple’s challenge to its
gatekeeper status under the Digital Markets Act. The ruling
confirmed that gatekeepers cannot bypass interoperability requirements
or fragment their platforms to evade accountability. This milestone
brings us one step closer to true device neutrality, ensuring that both
developers and users have the freedom to build, install, and run
software on their own terms. If you want to learn more, we dedicated
our latest Legal Corner article to it.
On a related matter, in July we published an
analysis for Tech Policy Press on the landmark Google Android
antitrust ruling of the European Union Court of Justice. We argue that
the real battle ahead isn't over contracts, but over who controls trust
in the Android ecosystem, as Google's incoming Android Developer Verification
scheme will make it much harder to distribute apps outside Google's own
approval system. And one more reading recommendation! Our colleague Dr.
Lucas Lasota, who also works at the Martin-Luther University of
Halle-Wittenberg, has just published a paper examining how
interoperability regulation in the EU, Japan, the UK and Brazil can give
Free Software access to features controlled by dominant proprietary
platforms and help level the playing field for smaller developers and
communities.
At the same time, we are
looking at how the European Commission updates
the European Interoperability Framework. We are
actively urging European decision-makers to adopt a "Free Software by
default" model for all digital public services. Public
administrations across Europe are more concerned than ever about digital
sovereignty, and we are advocating for mandatory Open Standards, clearer
procurement guidelines to prevent openwashing, and sustained funding for
the digital commons.
From the stages
August is also the moment to talk about Free Software with our German
community. As usual, we will attend FrOSCon! We will be there on 15 and
16 August with a booth and several talks: about CRA; Openwashing, and
what the United Federation of Planets and the Free Software Foundation
Europe have in common.
Youth Hacking 4 Freedom
Our programming competition for young European is into its next
phase! The programming period for the current edition of YH4F wrapped up
at the end of June. During July our jury of experts has reviewed all
submitted projects and compiled a shortlist for interviews. From this
list the jury members will select this year's six winning projects.
If you or a young person you know missed out on this edition, don't
worry: registration for the next edition of YH4F is open! Stay tuned for
more announcements.
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Your editor,Ana
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