Doctorow presented "Beyond unfree: The software you can go to jail for talking about." Related to his current anti-Digital Restrictions Management (DRM) work, he addressed the wide range of risks threatened by copyright, trademark, and patent laws, as well as the use and institutionalization of DRM. But he did not just paint a bleak image, instead reminding the audience that the fight against DRM and similar restrictions is ongoing. "My software freedom," Doctorow said, "is intersectional."

The day also saw LibrePlanet's first birds of a feather (BoF) sessions. BoFs are self-organized sessions that gather people around a shared interest. Sessions this year included:

• Liberating the education system
• Free and open source geospatial technology
• Peer-to-peer crypto-social networking
• Collective action for political change
• A look at Snowdrift.coop
• and a cryptoparty

Over the course of the weekend, there were two raffle drawings and door prizes courtesy of free software/open hardware companies including Aleph Objects, Technoethical, and ThinkPenguin, as well as DRM-free publisher No Starch Press and local brewery Aeronaut.

The conference closed with Sumana Harihareswara's discussion of things she wishes she had known in 1998, when she first got involved in free software. Drawing inspiration from the work of the theater company the Neo-Futurists, she invited the audience to help her choose from a list of 35 topics by calling out by number the item they wanted to hear about next--until a timer set for 35 minutes ran out. Her topics ranged from technical to personal to the importance of welcoming communities, and she closed by discussing the value of harm reduction in free software. Video of her talk is available now.

Nearly 400 people participated in LibrePlanet 2017, which was powered by 41 amazing volunteers, who did everything from hanging signs, stacking chairs, and sweeping floors to introducing speakers, fielding questions, and running the video streaming system.

Between Saturday and Sunday, there were more than fifty speakers, and almost as many sessions. Some videos of this year's talks are available now and the rest will be added in the next few days.

His session, Pentesting loves free software, takes place on Saturday, March 25th in session block 5A (15:40 - 16:25).

Could you tell us a bit about yourself?

I moved to the US in 1997. Since then I been traveling around and moving to different cities. I've been into social justice movements in the past. I started into hacking in the late 80s with BBS’ FidoNet, exploring and trying to sniff out all the information I could.

At the same time I got into hacking, I got into free software after that—. Most people I knew online were also involved in both since they go hand by hand.

How did you first get interested in penetration testing with free sotware?

I've seen a lot of newcomers to the security field from academia. As with any other tech field, they learn commercial, proprietary, non-free tools.

I like to point out and show people that you can get the job done even better using free tools. I'm very passionate about this as a free software activist.

Have you been to LibrePlanet before?

Yes, I am a longtime Free Software Foundation member and have been to a number of LibrePlanets.

How can we follow you on social media?

I have A LOT of handles...some nobody knows. :) I use @rek2fernandez on Twitter. B1naryFreed0m is the one I use for politics.

What is a skill or talent you have that you wish more people knew about?

In order to make things better first you have to break them apart and study them. Learning is not about reading a book and going to school, it is about passion and practice, and a lot of frustration sometimes. :D

Would you tell us a bit about yourself?

I was born and raised in British Columbia, Canada, and although I currently live in the New York City area, I am undeniably a West Coast boy at heart. I was always an extremely quiet and shy kid, but had no problem making friends with computers. So naturally, my high school socializing involved a lot of LAN parties, which is where I discovered that installing Apache on GNU/Linux was MUCH easier than on Windows. That was where my interest in free software really began, and it has been a big part of my life ever since. When I'm not sitting at a computer, I love traveling, and generally being outdoors as much as possible—hiking and skiing are favourite pastimes, as well as exploring new places I have never been before. I am also a transit enthusiast; I love learning about the history of subway systems, transit networks and infrastructure, and trains of all kinds. I generally find it fascinating to learn about how things work, and how things came to be the way the are, and because of that, I often fall down Wikipedia rabbit holes. I will also eat just about anything, and never turn down a free conference T-shirt, no matter how hideous the colour.

How did you first become interested in having your cell phone be fully free?

I first got a cell phone number in mid-2009, but I didn't have a cell phone—the number was hosted by Google Voice. I was mostly able to use the number with free software (using email for SMS and SIP for calls) so I didn't think a lot about the freedom implications of cell phones then.

I purchased a Nokia N900 and used it when I wasn't near a computer. It still ran a lot of non-free software. Later I learned that the most significant piece of this non-free software was the baseband firmware.

A few years ago I started my transition away from all Google services. I wanted my computer to remain my primary device for SMS and calls, so I needed a Google Voice replacement. I tried to find an equivalent service, but could not find one. So I decided to write my own.

That led to the first version of Soprani.ca, which I use to this day. I've recently created a newer version of the software, called JMP, which is easier to use for the average person. Both allow a person to use phone features like SMS and calling without a cell phone (and thus without baseband firmware). And both are free software, licensed under the GNU Affero General Public License, version 3 or later.

I'm still interested in this topic because people still use phone numbers and cell phones, even though they have certain "reprehensible" features, as RMS puts it. I hope by showing people ways to communicate with cell phone users that do not require a baseband firmware that we can take back control of our communication from the cellular companies and proprietary firmware makers.

Is this your first LibrePlanet?

No, this will actually be my fifth LibrePlanet in a row! I'm looking forward to chatting with all the wonderful people that I know I'll find there, and hearing some great ideas for how we can advance the free software movement.

In particular, it is becoming increasingly difficult to buy a computer that will function with only free software. I've met people at past LibrePlanet conferences who are building their own hardware so they can continue to run exclusively free software (such as the EOMA68 CPU card). These efforts are critically important, since existing computer manufacturers will no longer create the hardware we need. I hope to learn more about these efforts and ways I can contribute to them so that we'll still be able to run free software even after the last ThinkPad without a Management Engine stops working.

How can we follow you on social media?

I'm @ossguy on many social media sites, including Pump.io and Twitter.

What is a skill or talent you have that you wish more people knew about?

My wife says that if stubbornness and perfectionism could be counted as Olympic sports, I would win all the gold medals... She is smarter and much better looking than me, so she is probably right.

Want to hear Denver and the other amazing speakers Join us March 25-26th for LibrePlanet 2017!

Edited for content and grammar.

If you are planning to attend LibrePlanet in Cambridge, we encourage you to register in advance through Tuesday morning at 10:00 EST (14:00 UTC) -- advance registration helps us plan a better event. Walk ups are also welcome. Students and FSF members receive gratis admission.

The LibrePlanet program offers something for everyone in the free software movement, from newcomers concerned about preserving their digital privacy to longtime free software developers.

Keynote speakers will include Kade Crockford, Director of the Technology for Liberty Program, ACLU of Massachusetts; Cory Doctorow, Special Advisor to the Electronic Frontier Foundation; Sumana Harihareswara, Founder of Changeset Consulting; and Free Software Foundation Founder Richard Stallman.

On Sunday, the FSF Licensing and Compliance team will host a special edition of the weekly Free Software Directory meetup in person at LibrePlanet. Whether you're attending at MIT or participating from afar, this is your opportunity to contribute to a valuable free software resource.

• Can't make it to Cambridge? Bookmark LibrePlanet's livestream now, and tune in Saturday, March 25th and Sunday, March 26th - and if you can't watch this weekend, videos of most talks will be posted at https://media.libreplanet.org in the days following the conference.

Each year, we livestream and record LibrePlanet proceedings in order to make the event accessible to all. This requires significant staff time and equipment purchases: please make a $25 donation at https://donate.fsf.org to support this effort.

Another way to participate if you can't make it to Cambridge is to join the conversation around the conference on the libreplanet-discuss mailing list. Subscribe now and start a conversation.

Finally, we'd like to express our excitement about working with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Student Information Processing Board, our organizing partner for LibrePlanet 2017.

We hope see you at LibrePlanet 2017 this weekend, whether in Cambridge or on the Web.

Participate in supporting the FSD by adding new entries and updating existing ones. We will be in room 26-142 at LibrePlanet and on IRC in the #fsf channel on irc.freenode.org.

Tens of thousands of people visit directory.fsf.org each month to discover free software. Each entry in the FSD contains a wealth of useful information, from basic category and descriptions, to providing detailed info about version control, IRC channels, documentation, and licensing info that has been carefully checked by FSF staff and trained volunteers.

While the FSD has been and continues to be a great resource to the world over the past decade, it has the potential of being a resource of even greater value. But it needs your help!

LibrePlanet is finally here, and that means we get to have an in-person Directory sprint. If you are attending LibrePlanet, please join us to help train new volunteers and help get them up and running on the Directory. Make sure to bring your laptop so you can edit and improve the Directory. Both Donald and Ted will be there to guide the session so please come by and join the fun in room 26-142. If you can't be there in person, then make sure to join us on IRC to help welcome all the new friends.

If you are eager to help and you can't wait or are simply unable to make it on Sunday, our participation guide will provide you with all the information you need to get started on helping the FSD today! There are also weekly FSD Meetings pages that everyone is welcome to contribute to before, during, and after each meeting.