<div class="gmail_quote">---------- Forwarded message ----------<br>From: <<a href="mailto:press@fsfeurope.org">press@fsfeurope.org</a>><br>Date: May 6, 2015 8:05 AM<br>Subject: [FSFE PR][EN] A restriction on technological restrictions<br>To: <<a href="mailto:press-release@fsfeurope.org">press-release@fsfeurope.org</a>><br>Cc: <br><br type="attribution"> = A restriction on technological restrictions =<br>
<br>
[ Read online: <a href="https://fsfe.org/news/2015/news-20150506-01.en.html" target="_blank">https://fsfe.org/news/2015/news-20150506-01.en.html</a> ]<br>
<br>
== The right to install other software on your computing devices ==<br>
<br>
Safecast is a global project to map radiation data from around the world<br>
and release this information openly. When the project just started out,<br>
they used modified hardware, together with their own custom software and<br>
a few clever tweaks, to allow anyone to participate in the project. This<br>
kind of ingenuity, the ability to re-purpose or adapt existing<br>
technology by replacing or supplementing its software, should be<br>
permitted and encouraged by the law. In the example of Safecast,<br>
fortunately nobody prevented them from being innovative.<br>
<br>
But all of us depend on the possibility to install or replace programs<br>
that we use every day, to increase our security, privacy or convenience<br>
-- or just because we happen to like using a different program on our<br>
laptop, tablet, phone, router, television, car, or on other devices.<br>
<br>
<br>
Today, on the International Day Against DRM, the undersigned<br>
organisations are calling on lawmakers to safeguard the right to tinker<br>
for everyone. To make sure that the owner of every device is allowed to<br>
replace or supplement the software in that device if they so choose,<br>
thereby empowering owners to control their own property. Many<br>
manufacturers today add technological restrictions that prevent device<br>
owners from changing their devices, or having someone do so for them.<br>
This can be in breach of the licences on the devices (as with Free<br>
Software/Open Source Software licences, which grant the rights to use,<br>
study, share, and improve the software for any purpose). It is clear<br>
that any right to tinker must also be coupled with a legal provision<br>
that prevents technological restrictions of the same right.<br>
<br>
To successfully guarantee that device owners are in control of their own<br>
technology, the following organisations ask that the right to tinker be<br>
guaranteed for everyone, and that technological restrictions that<br>
interfere with this right be limited by law.<br>
<br>
- L'Association Francophone des Utilisateurs de logiciels libres (AFUL) <<a href="https://www.aful.org" target="_blank">https://www.aful.org</a>><br>
- Chaos Computer Club <<a href="https://www.ccc.de" target="_blank">https://www.ccc.de</a>><br>
- Deutscher Konsumentenbund <<a href="https://www.konsumentenbund.de" target="_blank">https://www.konsumentenbund.de</a>><br>
- Digitalcourage <<a href="https://digitalcourage.de" target="_blank">https://digitalcourage.de</a>><br>
- Digitale Gesellschaft <<a href="https://digitalegesellschaft.de" target="_blank">https://digitalegesellschaft.de</a>><br>
- European Digital Rights <<a href="https://edri.org" target="_blank">https://edri.org</a>><br>
- Free Software Foundation Europe <<a href="https://fsfe.org" target="_blank">https://fsfe.org</a>><br>
- KDE e.V. <<a href="https://ev.kde.org" target="_blank">https://ev.kde.org</a>><br>
- Associazione LibreItalia ONLUS <<a href="https://www.libreitalia.it" target="_blank">https://www.libreitalia.it</a>><br>
- Open Rights Group <<a href="https://www.openrightsgroup.org" target="_blank">https://www.openrightsgroup.org</a>><br>
- Open Source Business Alliance <<a href="https://www.osb-alliance.de" target="_blank">https://www.osb-alliance.de</a>><br>
- Open Source Initiative <<a href="https://opensource.org" target="_blank">https://opensource.org</a>><br>
- The Document Foundation <<a href="https://www.documentfoundation.org" target="_blank">https://www.documentfoundation.org</a>><br>
- UFC-Que Choisir <<a href="https://www.quechoisir.org" target="_blank">https://www.quechoisir.org</a>><br>
- VideoLAN <<a href="https://www.videolan.org" target="_blank">https://www.videolan.org</a>><br>
- Vrijschrift <<a href="https://www.vrijschrift.org" target="_blank">https://www.vrijschrift.org</a>><br>
<br>
<br>
== Press contact ==<br>
<br>
Matthias Kirschner <<a href="mailto:press@fsfeurope.org">press@fsfeurope.org</a>><br>
Vice President, Free Software Foundation Europe<br>
Schönhauser Allee 6/7, Berlin, Germany<br>
Phone: <a href="tel:%2B49-1577-1780003" value="+4915771780003">+49-1577-1780003</a><br>
<br>
== About the Free Software Foundation Europe ==<br>
<br>
The Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) is a non-profit<br>
non-governmental organisation active in many European countries and<br>
involved in many global activities. Access to software determines<br>
participation in a digital society. To secure equal participation in<br>
the information age, as well as freedom of competition, the Free<br>
Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) pursues and is dedicated to the<br>
furthering of Free Software, defined by the freedoms to use, study,<br>
modify and copy. Founded in 2001, creating awareness for these issues,<br>
securing Free Software politically and legally, and giving people<br>
Freedom by supporting development of Free Software are central issues<br>
of the FSFE.<br>
<br>
<a href="http://fsfe.org/" target="_blank">http://fsfe.org/</a><br>
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