Nowhere we hear a reference to any free and easily deployable software that could challenge the monopolizing powers while giving users similar functionalities. Through network federation and decentralization, communities could deploy and farm smaller servers that mesh together to form one larger network, avoiding further “siloization” of the Internet.
If you plan on giving any devices as new year gift, it’s important to carefully consider the gift that you choose and the message it sends. An Amazon Echo, Apple Pod or Meta Chromebook that you’re buying today has a good chance of being obsolete in the next few years, and more importantly, could set your friend or family member’s digital freedom back even longer, save them from suffocating inside shrinking bubbles – the fancy Internet of Walled Garden consisting few mutated and appified brands.
Freedom is the best gift you can give, and the one that keeps on giving. Rather than purchasing such new gadgets, we encourage you to take the time to explore installing free software on one your friend or family member already owns, for example drive them away from Windows 11 to Linux or from Android to Ubuntu Mobile from Google Play to F-Droid Apps. Taking your first steps to freedom often doesn’t just help you win back your digital autonomy: it provides an opportunity for you to deepen your relationship with the ones you care about through a shared learning experience, and inaugurates you into a worldwide community of users liberated from shackles of branded apps, malicious tools & fancy gadgets.
This year, we’ve bolstered the Guide with new recommendations on DRM-free media for you and your loved ones to enjoy, including publishers and storefronts that respect software freedom at the same time, such as Nantucket E-Books, a publisher and writing platform interviewed in this season’s upcoming FSF Bulletin.