Upcycling Android ++ Étape majeure pour la Neutralité des appareils ++ Nico Rikken + Ada + Job

Dans l'infolettre de décembre, nous parlons d'Upcycling Android, une initiative pour vaincre l'obsolescence des logiciels avec les Logiciels Libres. L'Union européenne traite la Législation sur les marchés numériques, une étape majeure pour la neutralité des appareils. L'Allemagne cherche à adopter la devise « Argent public, code public » ! Nous nous entretenons avec Nico Rikken pour les 20 ans de la FSFE. Rencontrez Ada, personnage dans un livre pour enfants. Trouvez une opportunité d'emploi.

Upcycling Android : Continuez d'utiliser votre téléphone grâce aux Logiciels Libres

Durant la semaine européenne pour la Réduction du gaspillage, la FSFE a lancé sa nouvelle initiative « Upcycling Android » : chaque fois que nous continuons d'utiliser notre téléphone au lieu d'en acheter un nouveau, nous soutenons une utilisation plus durable de nos ressources. Upcycling Android (« Recyclage d'Android ») aide les gens à éliminer l'obsolescence des logiciels et à continuer d'utiliser leurs téléphones avec des Logiciels Libres.

Sur le site web de l'initiative, vous trouverez des informations d'arrière-plan et notre vidéo multilingue qui explique en bref les bénéfices environnementaux qui découlent de l'extension de la durée de vie du matériel grâce à l'utilisation de Logiciels Libres. En plus de cela, vous trouverez des informations professionnelles allant d'infographies à des discours d'experts en passant par notre étude sur la durabilité des Logiciels Libres.

Le vote de la Législation sur les marchés numériques pourrait bien être une victoire majeure pour la neutralité des appareils

Un premier succès potentiel pour la Neutralité des appareils est sur le point d'être déterminé. La Législation sur les marchés numériques (DMA) de l'Union europenne a pour objectif de réguler les entreprises d'Internet qui tiennent le rôle de gardiens dans les marchés numériques. Parmi ces gardiens se trouvent des plateformes web, des fournisseurs de service, des fabricants et des vendeurs satisfaisant des critères définis par la loi. La DMA est une opportunité de créer des marchés plus justes et plus compétitifs pour les plateformes en ligne dans l'Union européenne. Les Standards Ouverts et l'interopérabilité sécuriseront les intérêts des consommateurs européens et faciliteront l'utilisation de Logiciels Libres et leur adoption dans les marchés.

Un bon point majeur est que les quatre principes auxquels nous avons appelé ont été inclus dans la DMA après que le Comité sur le marché interne et la protection du consommateur a voté durant sa réunion le 22 novembre. Tous les regards se tournent maintenant sur le vote plénier pour la position finale du Parlement européen à sa première lecture le 15 décembre 2021. Continuez de suivre !

Le nouveau gouvernement allemand présente « Argent public ? Code public ! »

Les actualités prometteuses ne s'arrêtent pas là. Le gouvernement allemand nouvellement formé est d'accord avec la demande de la FSFE « Argent public ? Code public ! » et la déclare comme l'un des objectifs de la coalition. Il doit être noté que ce développement n'est pas paru dans le bleu et découle plutôt des actions persistantes de la FSFE : ateliers, travail avec des groupes allemands locaux, création d'un paquetage d'activités (allemand) pour les volontaires, conduite de 5 entretiens (allemand) avec des représentants des partis politiques allemands, formation d'une vision pour les décennies à venir et de demandes concrètes pour le prochain gouvernement et analyse des programmes d'élection des partis.

La décision est un développement important pour le mouvement des Logiciels Libres en Allemagne. Nous remercions toutes les personnes qui ont agi avec nous ces dernières années et nous ont aidés à parvenir à cette situation. La FSFE va maintenant se concentrer sur l'implantation de la décision.

Le personnage de livre pour enfants Ada apprend le pouvoir des logiciels

Ada découvre les mystères des logiciels dans une aventure avec ses amis, après une réunion malencontreuse avec le riche et célèbre inventeur Zangemann. Un livre pour enfants pour lecteurs jeunes ou âgés, « Ada & Zangemann » est un conte amusant et éducatif. Matthias Kirschner, auteur et président de la FSFE, communique aux jeunes lecteurs l'importance des logiciels, et même les bases de sujets plus complexes qui les concernent. Le livre est publié sous une licence Creative Commons.

« Ada & Zangemann » est en allemand, et vient d'être livré en Allemagne. Il est déjà vendu à l'éditeur O'Reilly, mais vous pouvez toujours obtenir des copies venant d'autres vendeurs de livres. La FSFE cherche un éditeur qui pourrait produire une édition en anglais. Si vous voulez voir l'histoire d'Ada en anglais et en d'autres langues, nous accueillons les dons. « Après que mon fils a lu le livre la nuit dernière, il m'a raconté l'histoire complète ce matin… Il veut faire quelque chose avec de vieilles palettes après l'école aujourd'hui. Et ensuite, il veut apprendre à programmer », a dit Ingo Wichmann, directeur général de Linuxhotel GmbH.

Vue d'ensemble de l'année passée : la liberté des logiciels en 2021

Annulation de grands évènements, limitations dans les réunions, et restrictions de voyages : rien de tout cela n'a arrêté la FSFE dans son travail pour le progrès de la liberté des logiciels en 2021. De la Liberté des Routeurs à des nouveaux épisodes de podcast en passant par la coorganisation de la salle de développement juridique et politique pour l'évènement FOSDEM, nous continuons de permettre aux gens de contrôler la technologie. Les ateliers en ligne « Argent public ? Code public ! » ont été offerts par des volontaires, et un atelier juridique et de licences pour les experts juridiques a été organisé. La FSFE a assisté des projets de logiciels afin qu'ils deviennent conformes à notre nouvelle initiative, REUSE Booster.

Le personnel de la FSFE après une participation de deux jours à l'évènement SFSCon. Bolzano, Italie, novembre 2021.

Dans le même temps, une affaire judiciaire de deux ans initiée par le partisan de la FSFE Luca Bonissi est parvenue à une fin, reconnaissant de façon non équivoque le droit au remboursement d'une licence Windows. Notre rapport annuel correspond à notre travail durant la période novembre 2020 – octobre 2021. Dans l'ensemble, des accomplissements significatifs pour la liberté des logiciels ont marqué 2021, l'année durant laquelle la FSFE a célébré son 20e anniversaire.

Grâce à la confiance de nos partisans, la FSFE a 20 ans. Notre présence stable nous permet de réussir de longues entreprises pour la liberté des logiciels, et d'être prêt à chaque fois pour répondre aux développements liés. Nous sommes reconnaissants à nos partisans pour leur confiance, et nous continuerons de permettre aux gens de contrôler la technologie. Pour nous aider, envisagez de donner à la FSFE afin de stimuler notre travail caritatif pour la liberté dans la société de l'information pour les 20 prochaines années.

20 ans de la FSFE : Entretien avec Nico Rikken sur les activités des équipes de pays

Les 20 ans de la FSFE sont une célébration pour toutes les personnes qui nous ont accompagnés par le passé ou encore aujourd'hui. Dans notre cinquième publication anniversaire, nous avions eu un entretien avec Nico Rikken, qui a aidé la FSFE avec ses compétences techniques tout en contribuant grandement à la construction de la communauté depuis 2014. Avec cet entretien, non seulement vous ferez la connaissance de Nico Rikken, mais aussi de l'équipe FSFE des Pays-Bas, puisqu'il est l'un des coordinateurs. Comment les personnes se retrouvent à rejoindre une équipe de pays ? C'est l'une des questions que nous avons posées à Nico, et nous citons un aperçu de son point de vue.

Stand de la FSFE dans l'espace NLLGG à Utrecht. Pays-Bas, 2019.

« Les gens ont en quelque sorte gagné en intérêt pour les Logiciels Libres et ont trouvé la FSFE comme le parti désigné pour soutenir ces valeurs en Europe. Ensuite, ils ont trouvé des choses sur l'équipe des Pays-Bas, ont rejoint la liste de diffusion et ont participé à une réunion physique. […] Cela montre comme il est important de laisser les gens savoir que vous existez comme équipe locale, ouverte aux nouveaux arrivants, et de rendre les réunions communautaires faciles à rejoindre. […] Puisque nous sommes tous volontaires, il est important que nos partisans fassent ce qu'ils aiment faire. La plupart d'entre nous ont leurs propres sujets et projets sur lesquels travailler, et l'équipe du pays est un moyen de s'aligner et d'obtenir du soutien. »

Évènements à venir

• Le 15 décembre, l'équipe de pays FSFE des Pays-Bas fera son rassemblement en ligne mensuel.

Ce que nous avons fait

• L'assemblée générale de la FSFE a réalisé des élections pour son Conseil durant sa réunion annuelle le 26 novembre. Matthias Kirschner, Heiki Lõhmus et Patrick Ohnewein ont été réélus aux positions de Président, Vice-président et Trésorier respectivement. Le Conseil est élu tous les deux ans.
• Le 13 décembre, la FSFE a organisé un évènement en ligne discutant de la modernisation de l'infrastructure numérique publique avec le code public en Espagne. Des experts tels que Luis Falcón, fondateur de GNUHealth ; Ricardo Muñoz de Lliurex ; Alexis Puente Montiel de Pica Pica HackLab ; Ana Albalat Martínez et Francesc Busquets représentant Linkat ; et Aleix Pol Gonzalez, président de KDE, ont partagé leurs points de vue.
• Le 13 décembre, le groupe local de FSFE Community Bonn a tenu sa réunion mensuelle régulière.
• Le 10 décembre, Lina Ceballos, une gestionnaire de projet de la FSFE, a participé à GnuHealthCon21. Dans son discours en ligne, elle montre le rôle que les Logiciels Libres ont joué dans le combat contre la pandémie et comment ils peuvent aider à vaincre d'autres crises.
• Le 7 décembre, l'équipe des femmes de la FSFE a tenu sa réunion mensuelle en ligne, et entre autres sujets, l'équipe a discuté de l'évènement Remote Chaos Experience à venir.
• Le 1er décembre, Matthias Kirschner a répondu à un entretien (allemand) sur le livre pour enfants « Ada & Zangemann » ; cela fait partie du podcast GNU/Linux.

Activez-vous

• Étudiez-vous dans une université allemande avec un arrière-plan technique ? Consultez notre nouvelle offre d'emploi ; il se pourrait qu'elle vous convienne. Nous cherchons un membre fiable et bien organisé de nos équipes techniques qui a envie d'apprendre d'anciennes et de nouvelles technologies.

• Nous recherchons également un assistant de bureau pour 20-25 heures par semaine dans notre bureau de Berlin. Notre candidat idéal a de l'expérience en tant qu'administrateur de bureau, secrétaire, organisateur d'organisateur d'événements, ou tout autre rôle administratif pertinent.

• Rejoignez notre mouvement Upcycling Android et aidez-nous à diffuser le message. Découvrez nos matériaux d'information. Nous vous offrons des autocollants et une brochure gratuitement afin que vous les partagiez avec des amis, les placiez dans un espace communautaire, ou les diffusiez sur le net. Bonnes vacances de la part de nous tous !

Contribuer à notre infolettre

Si vous voulez partager des pensées, images ou actualités, veuillez nous les envoyer. Comme toujours, l'adresse est newsletter@fsfe.org. Nous attendons de vous entendre ! Si vous voulez aussi nous soutenir et soutenir notre travail, rejoignez notre communautez et soutenez-nous avec un don ou une contribution mensuelle. Merci à notre communauté et à tous les volontaires, soutiens et donateurs qui rendent notre travail possible. Et merci à nos traducteurs, qui vous permettent de lire cette infolettre dans votre langue maternelle.

Votre éditeur, Fani Partsafyllidou

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Digital Markets Act - Device Neutrality must be consolidated in the legislation

On December 15, the Digital Markets Act, the EU's comprehensive regulatory package for internet platforms, will go through plenary voting at the European Parliament. The FSFE calls for consolidating Device Neutrality to enable fair and non-discriminatory use of Free Software in digital devices.

The European Union is about to introduce a major overhaul of Internet legislation with the Digital Markets Act (DMA). After successful committee voting on 22 November, the European Parliament will conduct plenary voting on 15 December. The FSFE advocates Device Neutrality as a fundamental step to achieve a contestable, open, and competitive digital market in the EU and urges the European Parliament to secure this principle in the final voting.

Device Neutrality - fostering Free Sofware in an end-user centric digital market

The DMA focuses on "gatekeepers", understood as very large tech companies that have control over large parts of digital services, such as search engines, social networking services, messaging services, operating systems, and online intermediation services. While digital devices are a ubiquitous reality in all aspects of life, our control over the hardware and software running on them is increasingly being limited. Device Neutrality is the policy concept that users should have the right of non-discrimination of the services and software they use, based on platform control by hardware vendors, manufacturers, and service providers. The goal is to enable users to bypass gatekeepers and enable a fair and non-discriminatory use of Free Software in devices.

After many iterations and amendments, the DMA's final text submitted to the plenary voting incorporates the following Device Neutrality principles, which the FSFE urges the European Parliament to consolidate in the plenary voting:

Device neutrality principles

• Strict end-user consent for pre-installed apps. The DMA must impose on gatekeepers the obligation to allow their customers to uninstall any pre-installed software applications they provide on their services or with their hardware. This means more restrictive rules for pre-installed apps, providing users the same access privileges for both pre-installed and alternative apps, and the possibility to uninstall pre-loaded apps.
• No vendor lock-in. The DMA should enable side-loading of apps in dominant operating systems, so consumers can install any compatible software on their devices. The DMA should require gatekeepers to permit third-party app stores and code repositories that compete with their own. The law must prohibit gatekeepers limiting the ability of end-users to switch between and subscribe to different software applications and services. This will prevent gatekeepers from locking users into specific service providers.
• Interoperability of services based on Open Standards. It is urgent for the DMA to require gatekeepers to provide access and interoperability to hardware and software features accessed or controlled via the gatekeeper's operating system. That means that the operating system's functionalities and available APIs should be transparent and available to apps in a non-discriminatory way. Interoperability should be defined by Open Standards.
• Real-time data portability. The DMA should require gatekeepers to provide real-time data portability for devices, so that consumers can switch from one device to another - including operating systems - as smoothly as possible.

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The FSFE is looking for an office assistant

We are looking for an office assistant for 20-25 hours per week in our Berlin office. As part of our office management team you will organise the FSFE's day-to-day operations. Your job will be to provide clerical support to our staff and coordinate daily administrative activities.

Our ideal candidate has experience as an office administrator, secretary, event organisator, or another relevant administrative role. As a family friendly organisation we can offer flexible working hours.

About the FSFE

Free Software Foundation Europe is a charity that empowers users to control technology. Software is deeply involved in all aspects of our lives and it is important that technology empowers rather than restricts us. Free Software gives everybody the rights to use, understand, adapt, and share software. These rights help support other fundamental freedoms like freedom of speech, press, and privacy.

The FSFE helps individuals and organisations to understand how Free Software contributes to freedom, transparency, and self-determination. It enhances users' rights by abolishing barriers to Free Software adoption, encourages people to use and develop Free Software, and provides resources to enable everyone to further promote Free Software in Europe.

We are involved in many activities in the legal, economic, political and technical areas around Free Software. Our work is made possible by a community of volunteers, supporters, donors, and staff. The office assistant's job will be to be the administrative backbone of our operations.

Main responsibilities

• Handle sourcing vendors, (re)-ordering, organising, invoicing, shipping, and the inventory for our information material and merchandise.
• Support volunteers and staff with logistics and send packages for running information booths.
• Book meetings and schedule events.
• Make travel arrangements.
• Process incoming letters and file them.
• Order office stationery, supplies and promotional materials.
• Organise, store, and print organisational documents as needed.
• Manage office equipment including organising smaller and bigger office supplies, assets inventory, and key management.
• Help to constantly improve our administrative processes.

Qualifications

• Proven experience as an administrator, administrative assistant, or another related role.
• Familiarity with office equipment.
• Very reliable, well-organised, and supportive of colleagues.
• Problem-solving attitude with an eye for detail.
• Fluency in written and spoken German, intermediate command of written and spoken English; other European languages are considered an asset.
• Experience with office management tools (Free Software tools are a plus).

Attitude

We are looking for a reliable, well-organised, and punctual team player who will be part of our administrative backbone in Berlin and thus support the organisation in making the world better for future generations.

How to apply

To apply, please send a maximum one-page cover letter and a maximum two-page CV (only PDFs are accepted) by email to jobs@fsfe.org, with the subject "organisational wizard". Please do not include pictures of yourself in the application.

Your personal data will be deleted 3 months after we have made our decision. The closing date for applications is Sunday, 2 January 2022.

Free Software is meant to serve everyone regardless of their age, ability or disability, gender identity, sex, race, nationality, religion or sexual orientation. Hence, we encourage applications from all backgrounds and promise to judge all applications on merit, without reference to any of the characteristics listed. To promote diversity and equality in the Free Software community, we shall give preference to applicants who identify as part of a traditionally marginalised demographic in technology for applications of equal strength.

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20 Years FSFE: Interview with Vincent Lequertier on AI

In our sixth birthday publication we are interviewing Vincent Lequertier about crucial aspects of artificial intelligence, such as its transparency, its connection to Open Science, and questions of copyright. Vincent also recommends further readings and responds to 20 Years FSFE.

A PhD candidate at the Claude Bernard university in Lyon who researches artificial intelligence for healthcare, Vincent supports software freedom and volunteers for the FSFE in his free time. He has been a part of the System Hackers, the team responsible for the technical infrastructure of the FSFE, for many years. His contribution was valuable in setting the foundation for the for the good state that the FSFE's System Hackers team is today. Vincent is also a member of the FSFE's General Assembly, and participates in the 'Public Money? Public Code!' campaign. In our interview, Vincent shares his thoughts answering questions about the current state of AI and its future implications.

Interview with Vincent Lequertier

FSFE: You are deeply involved in the field of artificial intelligence. How would you explain to a 10-year-old what AI is?

Vincent Lequertier: A few years ago I was a speaker at a local radio station, and sometimes I was responsible for mixing the audio. At the station, there were several inputs: the mics of the radio speakers (mine included), the music, the jingles, and so on. And then there was the output broadcast to the radio listeners. Between the inputs and output there was the mixing table, with its uncountable knobs and sliders. I needed to adjust the knobs and sliders so that the inputs were well mixed together, thus producing an output that sounded nice to the listeners. At the time of writing, an AI works just like that. It automatically adjusts the numerous parameters of a digital, virtual mixing table. Once put through it, the inputs produce a satisfying output according to a predefined definition of success (that the sound was nice in this analogy).

A PhD candidate at the Claude Bernard university in Lyon who researches artificial intelligence for healthcare, Vincent supports Software Freedom and volunteers for the FSFE in his free time.

You are advocating for accessible and transparent AI. According to your research, what would you say are the necessary requirements to make sure that programs using artificial intelligence are accessible and transparent?

Reusing AIs makes sense because they are costly to develop and train, both in terms of human and computer resources. Additionally, training AI models demands a lot of data which are particularly hard to obtain and work with. Therefore, being able to reuse an AI is important, as it saves time and potentially scarce resources. Moreover, making an AI available to others fosters innovation by facilitating collaboration. I think a fundamental requirement for AI accessibility is Free Software, because AIs licensed as Free Software (also known as Open Source) are inherently accessible. Other requirements can be Open Standards and Open Data. AI models should therefore be published and freely accessible.

Transparency in AI is the ability to understand and interpret the output coming from it. Although given the complexity of today's AI systems transparency can be hard to obtain, it is an important characteristic as it fosters trust. Being able to understand why a given output was produced, and what part contributed the most to it, increases confidence in the model and makes it easier to debug. Moreover, understanding the role played by each input can help data-driven policy making. For example, in healthcare, understanding the most important factors impacting the quality of patients' care for a disease can validate or change healthcare practices. Free Software is a key part of transparency because it allows everyone to use the AI and analyze its predictions to better understand them.

How can we make sure that inequalities in our current societies do not pass on to AI data training? How can we assure that AI results are fair?

As AI is really good at magnifying existing inequalities found in the data used for its training, fairness issues will creep into AI. Detecting those issues in the dataset and in the AI's output is therefore critical. However, simply removing data that might be a source for unfairness (e.g. a training dataset variable that is not representative of the data used once the model is put in production) may not always work, because these data might be correlated to other attributes in the dataset which would need to be removed as well. Completely removing any potential inequality may therefore remove a lot of data from the dataset, potentially limiting the ability of the AI to properly address the problem it has been designed to solve. Inequalities therefore come from badly constructed datasets, and advanced methods are required to circumvent them.

Data related to COVID-19 are public, and the most popular website to visualize these data as well as other tools are Free Software.

To detect fairness issues, a definition of fairness must be decided upon. For example, fairness may be defined as whether pairs of similar individuals get similar predictions (individual fairness), or it may be defined as whether predictions are similar across a majority and minority group according to some characteristics (group fairness). This fairness measure may be computed once the AI has been trained to identify potential unfairness, or may be computed during the AI training so that it can take the notion of fairness into account when it adjusts its parameters.

Free Software is also important here, as it allows everyone to check for fairness issues, whether by inspecting the source code or by running the AI directly and analysing its predictions.

Vincent Lequertier presents crucial points about AI during an FSFE Community meeting in Bolzano. Italy, 2019.

Your research focuses on healthcare, a field that has universally raised the question of supporting Open Science. To what extent are health metrics and biometrics open? Is artificial intelligence for healthcare a big and globally collaborative aim or independent and competitive?

Well, it depends! Because of security and privacy, access to individualized healthcare metrics is often restricted and each study using them must be approved by a ethical committee. However, aggregated statistics may be widely available. For example, the website data.gouv.fr has a section dedicated to healthcare. Also, the data related to COVID-19 are public, and the most popular website to visualize these data as well as other tools are Free Software.

The openness and collaborative aspects of research on AI will improve, partly because scientific journals encourage researchers to share all the research materials, including source code, and also because funding institutions can also ask them to do so. [...] I also think that the line of reasoning around our "Public Money? Public Code!" campaign applies for AI research.

However, it should be noted that data without enough granularity can reduce the AI's performance in healthcare, as, just like humans, an AI application needs to have detailed information, especially if the goal of the AI is to make predictions at the individual level. Because healthcare outcomes are so dependent on context, prediction abilities depend on specific healthcare situations. More open data and more Free Software (i.e. Open Science) make it easier to collaborate. A shared dataset released under a Free Software licence creates a "playground" where AI models can be easily compared and where we can create benchmarking tasks, such as hospital length of stay prediction. Without a proper benchmarking task, finding methodological improvements is harder. An example of an open dataset for healthcare is MIMIC. Also, a lot of papers about AI research are freely available on arxiv.org. I think the openness and collaborative aspects of research on AI will improve, partly because scientific journals encourage researchers to share all the research materials, including source code, and also because funding institutions can also ask them do do so. For example the Horizon 2020 program of the European Union values Open Science.

I also think that the line of reasoning around our "Public Money? Public Code!" campaign applies for AI research.

A common expectation for the future of AI is that it can have abrupt economical and societal impact by making many job positions redundant. Do you see this as a possibility for the upcoming years? If so, is there any practice that could alleviate these consequences? Would Free Software be one?

I think AI has come a long way in the last ten years. It is more and more able to organize and structure information. The fields which have made the most impressive progress are natural language processing (i.e. tasks involving text such as sentiment analysis) and computer vision (i.e. tasks involving images such as image classification). In natural language processing, deep learning models can semantically understand words and documents as well as the relationships between them. So I think the jobs where AI will be able to assist us (I consider things only from a technical point of view here) are the jobs dealing with a lot of structured information that needs to be understood, processed, and memorized, as AI is becoming better at this than us. For example, AI-based software has shown good results in assisting in radiology, legal document analysis, and programming (see next question). So it's possible that AI makes people more efficient, which would reduce the amount of human work required. However, this work would require skills where AI does not work well at the time of writing, such as creativity or emphatic and thoughtful communication.

The jobs where AI will be able to assist us (I consider things only from a technical point of view here) are the jobs dealing with a lot of structured information that needs to be understood, processed, and memorized, as AI is becoming better at this than us. For example, AI-based software has shown good results in assisting in radiology, legal document analysis, and programming.

If AI is bound to get better, and will at some point have the capacity to completely automate some work, transparency and fairness can only become more and more important. Although not sufficient, Free Software is a big part of what helps putting strong safeguards in place.

However, I don't think it's up to the scientific community to design policies around employment. Putting together a proof of concept or finding a novel theory that could automate some work is not a reason for implanting it in everyday lives. In the past years, the EU has already had to deal with AI applications that are impressive technically but raise ethical concerns. For example, the Clearview AI facial recognition platform has been judged illegal in some EU countries, and citizens have the right to opt out from this technology. The next few years will be important with regard to AI ethical concerns, and the upcoming EU Artificial Intelligence Act might play a big role in it.

And finally, although I'm not a historian, I think that over the last centuries we have made tremendous technological progress and society has always evolved along with it. Thinking about the past challenges of technological improvements would help us to understand whether they would be different this time around, and how to deal with them as best as we can.

FSFE Community Meeting during Rencontres mondiales du logiciel libre conference in Strasbourg. France, 2018.

What legal issues do you think will be raised regarding AI in the next ten years? Would it be issues of ownership or responsibility? For example, we are already seeing ethical and technical aspects of the AI ownership in Github's Copilot. We are interested to know what the upcoming crucial questions are, according to you.

Issues around ownership and responsibility will be very important, and Copilot is a prime example of that, where the fundamental question is whether AI creations can be considered as novel ideas, and, if they do, whether they are copyrightable on their own. Specifically on Copilot, the fact that a code completion tool may yield straight copies of licensed work can be problematic, as, at the time of writing, the AI does not know the licence under which the source of autocompleted code is released, and how the licence should be respected. For example, to the best of my knowledge, it is not clear whether code autocompleted by Copilot originally released under the GNU Public Licence makes the rest of the project a derivative work. Being able to freely use source code often comes with obligations that need to be fulfilled, regardless of whether it is accessed by an AI or a human being. Our REUSE project, which aims to make it easier to programmatically understand how a project and its diverse components are licensed, may help building licensing-aware programming tools. The same legal troubles apply to other models able to generate content, in domains such as in painting or in music production.

Another legal issue is with patents, where the question of whether an AI can be a patent author is still undecided. In the UK and EU, a patent whose inventor was an AI was rejected because they considered that AI does not have a legal personality and cannot have a legal right over its output. But a couple of months ago, the first patent which lists AI as the inventor was approved.

The fundamental question is whether AI creations can be considered as novel ideas, and, if they do, whether they are copyrightable on their own.

Is there any book about artificial intelligence you would like to recommend to our readers?

I can't recommend "Genesis" from Bernard Beckett enough. It is a small novel showing a philosophical debate around the questions of what it means to be human and of whether machines can have consciousness. The classic "I, Robot" from Isaac Asimov also raises many questions that make a lot of sense today (it was published in 1950!) If we are building autonomous robots with some freedom of action, what safeguards must we put in place? The book is really about how to ensure AI works as intended.

You have been a part of the FSFE for several years. What is an important thing that you learnt from this experience?

I learnt that Free Software can be viewed from a lot of different angles and is not only a technical topic. This translates into the diversity and breadth of our community. This diversity is a huge strength.

And what is a story that still makes you smile when you remember it?

My first FOSDEM in 2019. I met some awesome people from our community. That was really heartwarming.

As a last question, what do you wish the FSFE for the next 20 years?

I wish the FSFE will be able to tackle the challenges ahead. The next years will be full of innovations that will make technology even more ubiquitous in our lives. I hope we will be able to keep spreading the word about Free Software and the values behind it.

Being able to freely use source code often comes with obligations that need to be fulfilled, regardless of whether it is accessed by an AI or a human being. Our REUSE project, which aims to make it easier to programmatically understand how a project and its diverse components are licensed, may help building licensing-aware programming tools.

FSFE: Thank you very much!

About "20 Years FSFE"

In 2021 the Free Software Foundation Europe turns 20. This means two decades of empowering users to control technology.

Turning 20 is a time when we like to take a breath and to look back on the road we have come, to reflect the milestones we have passed, the successes we have achieved, the stories we have written, and the moments that brought us together and that we will always joyfully remember. In 2021 we want to give momentum to the FSFE and even more to our pan-European community, the community that has formed and always will form the shoulders that our movement relies on.

20 Years FSFE is meant to be a celebration of everyone who has accompanied us in the past or still does. Thank you for your place in the structure of the FSFE today and for setting the foundation for the next decades of software freedom to come.

Support FSFE

FSFE is hiring a working student specialised on websites

We are looking for a working student to support our work to empower people to control technology. The person will work 10-15 hours per week and will maintain and improve the FSFE's websites. Applicants have to be enrolled in a German university and can work remotely.

About the FSFE

Free Software Foundation Europe is a charity that empowers users to control technology. Software is deeply involved in all aspects of our lives and it is important that technology empowers rather than restricts us. Free Software gives everybody the rights to use, understand, adapt, and share software. These rights help support other fundamental freedoms like freedom of speech, press, and privacy.

The FSFE helps individuals and organisations to understand how Free Software contributes to freedom, transparency, and self-determination. It enhances users' rights by abolishing barriers to Free Software adoption, encourages people to use and develop Free Software, and provides resources to enable everyone to further promote Free Software in Europe.

We are involved in many activities in the legal, economic, political and technical areas around Free Software. Our work is made possible by a community of volunteers, supporters, donors, and staff. The web working student's job will strengthen the public perception of the FSFE and allow more people to work effectively with the web presences.

Group picture of our 2019 web-a-thon in Frankfurt

Main responsibilities

• Working closely together with technical staff and volunteers.
• Solving issues and working on long-term improvements of the FSFE's main website and separate activity-related websites like publiccode.eu.
• Helping volunteers and staff with problems when working with the website, and finding solutions to lower the technical threshold, for example when working with Git or other tools used in the process.
• Assisting in major overhauls of existing websites (like design, restructuring, or website generator) and the development of new web projects.

Qualifications

• Fluency in written and spoken English. Other European languages are considered an asset.
• Proven experience with the development and maintenance of websites.
• Practical understanding of Git, HTML/XML, CSS/Less, and the use of GNU/Linux systems.
• Experience with one or more of the following technologies: Python, PHP, Perl, XSL, Bash, Hugo.
• Other technical experiences are considered an asset, for example with liberating phones or routers, or server administration.
• Enthusiasm for the principles of Free Software, its community, and tools.

Attitude

We are looking for a reliable, well-organised member of our technical teams who is keen to learn about old and new technologies. You support the whole organisation in its mission. Long-term thinking, efficiency and effectiveness are more important to you than the newest cool technology on the block.

When people have technical questions, you can support them and also have interest in explaining them the underlying technology in an adequate language.

Working time and compensation

The desired working time is 10-15 hours per week but can be discussed. You can work from anywhere in Germany, but should be willing to travel 1-2 times a year to staff and web-team meetings. The salary is based on the currently applicable minimum wage in Germany but can be higher depending on your experience. A mandatory requirement due to administrative reasons is that you are enrolled as a student at a university in Germany, and have a working permit for Germany, for example by EU citizenship.

How to apply

To apply, please send a maximum one-page cover letter -- including the desired hours per week -- and a maximum two-page CV (only PDFs are accepted) by email to jobs@fsfe.org, with the subject "website student" and your name. Please do not include pictures of yourself in the application.

Your personal data will be deleted 3 months after we have made our decision. The closing date for applications is Sunday 31 December 2021.

Free Software is meant to serve everyone regardless of their age, ability or disability, gender identity, sex, race, nationality, religion or sexual orientation. Hence, we encourage applications from all backgrounds and promise to judge all applications on merit, without reference to any of the characteristics listed. To promote diversity and equality in the Free Software community, we shall give preference to applicants who identify as part of a traditionally marginalised demographic in technology for applications of equal strength.

Support FSFE