“Installing software on any device is a right”: the letter from the FSFE

Online is shooting an open letter for the free use of any software on any device.

Each user must be free to install the software they prefer

As can be read on the following site, the letter is addressed to legislators of the European Union and in copy to EU citizens.

The intent of the letter is to bring to the attention of the European Union a problem that is too often underestimated: that of the freedom to be able to dispose of one’s own device as one pleases.

We must not forget that a hyper-digital world like ours implies the presence of an increasing number of devices connected to the internet. The production of these devices is recognized by all as extremely harmful to the environmentas they require a expenditure of energy and natural resources thatcompared to their actual use, they represent a real waste.

Furthermore, after a certain period of time, the device software is no longer updatedcompromising the use of the devices themselves.

So the signatories are formally asking EU lawmakers to allow a more eco-friendly use of devices electronic through a “universal right to install and run any software on any device“, not only for a greater longevity of the latter, but also because “if you can’t install the software you want on your device, that means you don’t owns”.

What is specifically requested in the letter

Wanting to propose a 360 degree panoramic of communication addressed to the upper echelons of the European Union, the promoters of the initiative ask:

• that users have the right to freely choose the operating system and the programs to run on their devices and thus extend the life especially of tablets and smartphones;
• that users have the right to freely choose between service providers for the connection of their devices: “in order for users to exercise a free choice of services, they must be able to use a manufacturer’s device with any online service, which could be provided by any other third party or by themselves“;
• that the devices are interoperable and compliant with Open Standards. To allow this interoperability, manufacturers must “ensure that all data necessary to perform the primary functions of a device are compatible and can be imported/exported in Open Standards”;
• that the source code of drivers, tools and interfaces is published under a free license and it is precisely this last point that is the key to full access to one’s devices and exercising the universal right to repair.

They are different organizations who have already adhered to this letter, including Libre Officefree cross-platform personal productivity software produced by The Document Foundation.

If you too are interested in supporting the initiative for a universal right to install any software on devices, we just have to refer you to the following link, where you can view the letter in its entirety.