Thanks to the huge effort we all have put in to help the @EUCommission understand the value of open source and the role it plays in cyber security they are taking care to include it in all their thinking around the #cra. For example, this page explains why they created a new legal category of […]

Are you going to OggCamp this year? April 25-26 in Manchester (the original one in the UK). https://www.oggcamp.org/ #events #OpenSource #freeculture

So let me get this straight, after launching another war in the middle east with absolutely no plan, to counter a threat that doesn't exist, the US is now strengthening the only country who actually does pose a threat, undermining European security. Absolutely shambolic, these people are not […]

Yes, i read your document. No, there are no comments because I can only correct something that's almost right.

"Tradition is not the worship of ashes but the preservation of fire" - Winter #olympics opening speech.

RE: https://social.opensource.org/@policy/116013627660498569 This is our most detailed response to a public consultation yet, coming in at 16 pages! I look forward to sharing more about it soon!

I'm not sure how much of this piece about how AI is about to kill Oracle I should believe, given its truthiness, but it certainly made me smile. https://www.wheresyoured.at/haters-guide-oracle/

Great expression that should be used more.

It's still before 10:00 on the Sunday after party night at #fosdem and the #EUPolicy room is on its second talk and very busy.

"You wouldn't take candy from a stranger so why would you run their code?" #fosdem Legal Devroom....

Air quality in my current location at #fosdem

It cannot be right to spend public money on systems that create permanent dependency on a proprietary vendor. Digital sovereignty does not happen automatically - Dirk Schrödter, head of the state chancellery, Schleswig-Holstein #OpenSource

When a government does not fully control its IT systems it is unable to govern effectively and this cannot be solved with legislation or contracts, only with #OpenSource - Dirk Schrödter, head of the state chancellery, Schleswig-Holstein and at #ofesummit

Roberto Di Cosmo & @zacchiro just received an #eosawards26 for @swheritage - congratulations to them, very proud to be part of their team!

Here's @bagder getting the #eosawards26 started at the magnificent Solvay Library in Brussels.

Today's digital #sovereignty data point, courtesy of #swh2026. This chart shows who is hosting French research projects but I've no doubt it is representative of other sectors.

If you are keeping a list of case studies showing why digital #sovereignty must be a priority for Europe in the age of Trump, here is another. https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/2026/01/22/microsoft-gave-fbi-keys-to-unlock-bitlocker-encrypted-data/ I hope someone at @EUCommission is […]

I just found a sack in the attic containing all my old coax #networking cables, connectors and terminators. Can anyone suggest a useful destination for it other than the local municipal #recycling centre here in the UK?

As ever in January, Element lit up like a Christmas tree on my phone as all the #matrix invites for #fosdem came in this evening. Feels vaguely festive.

If "generating unlawful images" is now a premium feature over at Twitter, presumably the police in the UK should consider a blue tick as probable cause for an investigation? […]

I see the folk working on Collabora Online are getting together for an #OpenSource hackfest the two days after #fosdem. https://forum.collaboraonline.com/t/collabora-office-fosdem-fringe-hackfest/4326

#OpenSource #regulation incoming! The @EUCommission is about to ask for feedback for: * a strategic approach to the open source sector in the EU that addresses the importance of open source as a crucial contribution to EU technological sovereignty, security and competitiveness * a strategic […]

RE: https://eupolicy.social/@jmaris/115788425247106542 Not that I expect many people following me to do so, but if you think the EU's DSA is about "Censorship" (at least in a bad way) you should read this thread...

The #cra #standards team at #ETSI has organised detailed interactive free webinars on each of the vertical #standards#etsithroughout January. In these webinars, the rapporteurs of each vertical will present their work and give you an opportunity to ask questions and provide feedback. Full details on […]

I am concerned about Russian interference in UK domestic politics and have signed this #petition asking for a public enquiry. https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/744215

Looks like CloudFlare is down, but I can't even check at DownDetector as it uses CloudFlare too. Roll on the #federated future.

Hello weekend #OpenSource #Policy people! This is a reminder that we have posted the Call for Participation for the #fosdem 2026 EU-Policy Devroom and your submissions are invited. https://softwarefreedom.net/fosdem-2026-cfp

At the last two #fosdem events, the community of #OpenSource #Policy specialists has organised a well-attended and influential #devroom aimed at bringing developers and legislators together to understand and respect each other. I'm pleased to say that we have been invited back for 2026 and will […]

Belkin has decided to brick a bunch of smart devices their customers thought they owned.

Would you like to take a look at the horizontal #standards being written at CEN/CENELEC for the #cra? If you live in a member country you can even comment! https://pad.softwarefreedom.net/pad/#/2/pad/view/rnmTsKqw555zO0ukEvWWhgdthlI7b5mxGUqZE3pTSYg/embed/

Would you like to review the drafts of the #standards being created for compliance with the CRA (Cyber Resilience Act)? They have started to appear here: https://labs.etsi.org/rep/stan4cra/ Yes, mostly in Gitlab and Markdown,

Parking on pavements is sociopathic. Parking in cycle lanes is sociopathic. Parking in front of traffic lights is sociopathic. Obstructing a bus route is sociopathic. So this Comax driver in #southampton can be proud to be top of the high-score table.

The #european #standards being developed to allow compliance with the Cyber Resilience Act have unusually high participation from #OpenSource community members. As a result many of the draft standards are being developed in markdown and are available for public review in ETSI's Gitlab instance […]

Who could possibly have foreseen that having random web apps collect copious personal information in order to check for user age could create a golden trove for hackers? https://www.theguardian.com/games/2025/oct/07/discord-data-breach-proof-of-age-id-leaked

The @EUCommission would like to hear your views on the governance and sustainability of critical open source software. The survey closes October 5th. https://ec.europa.eu/eusurvey/runner/FOSSEPS_Governance_and_Sustainability_Survey #OpenSource #governance #sustainability

It's likely that if you know what the EU's Digital Markets Act is about that you have comments on it. There is a consultation open to which you can contribute your experiences and views […]

The EU has published guidance on the AU Act, https://ec.europa.eu/newsroom/dae/redirection/document/118340 Notable highlights for me: * Llama definitely fails to qualify as #OpenSource for exemption purposes, para 83 makes that clear. * Monetisation that does not affect the availability of […]

Observing more & more people with agendas talking about "AI Openness" instead of #OpenSource #ai so they can be vague and not have to commit to delivering actual freedoms. "Open" is an event leading to freedom, not a scale concealing monetisation. Watch out for phrases like "it's open enough" […]

Would you like to end the constant drumbeat of ill-informed legislative proposals that threaten to destroy end-to-end #encryption in #OpenSource #software? Are you from #europe? Can you demonstrate your expertise? Then why not apply to join the European Commission's Expert Group for a Technology […]

I've been an advocate for @swheritage ever since @zacchiro told me about the idea in 2015, and have contributed in various ways ever since. So I am honoured to have been invited to serve on its new Advisory Board and excited about the next steps this cultural cornerstone will take […]

Now is the start of the last day to apply for funding to support engagement in European #standards from StandICT, who have a fund allocated by the European Commission. https://www.standict.eu/index.php/standicteu-2026-9th-open-call

OSI has a new API! There has actually been an OSI license API for many years thanks to the efforts of some of the directors a decade ago. Since it was manually maintained, it kept getting out of date. I am delighted that OSI now has a new API integrated into its WordPress instance that uses the […]

There is something pleasingly symmetric about the ACT EU Citizen's Initiative (requiring the @EUCommission to bring forward legislation banning "conversion therapy" targeted against gender diversity) reaching its threshold to become binding on the day of the #eurovision final […]

Grazing on the #eurovision finalists and the most fascinating has to be the Latvian group Tautumeitas whose folk inspired entry is spellbinding. I found them on #bandcamp and their self-titled album is great! https://tautumeitas.bandcamp.com/album/tautumeitas

Looks like #firefox has moved to GitHub https://github.com/mozilla-firefox/firefox

Pleased to see #redis returning to an #OpenSource license. https://redis.io/blog/agplv3/

The Open Source Lab (OSL) at Oregon State University (OSU) hosts over 500 #OpenSource projects and is globally important. It faces a funding crisis that will see it shut down later this year if it can't secure $250k from sponsors. If your company depends on open source software, you probably […]

There's long been a view held by certain cynical entrepreneurs that they can go with #OpenSource to build a user base then bait-and-switch software freedom away once it is established. That's bad. What's worse is to donate to an open source Foundation then pretend you have the right to "take […]