Free Software Foundation Offers Resources to the Digital Speech Project

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Media Contact: Free Software Foundation
Jonathan Watterson <[email protected]>
Phone:+1-617-669-9513

Boston, Massachusetts, USA - Monday, March 18th, 2002 - The Free Software Foundation (FSF) today heralded the launch of the Digital Speech Project: an effort to encourage and coordinate activism to protect our digital freedoms in light of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) and similar laws. The FSF has hired a Digital Freedom Organizer, Jonathan Watterson, to work actively on the Digital Speech Project.

Bradley M. Kuhn, vice president of the FSF, explained FSF's interest in this project: “The FSF focuses on the fight for software freedom, but we realize that without related freedoms, software freedom can easily be eroded. The Digital Speech Project fights for the freedom of all users of all technology from legislative technology control measures like the DMCA and the proposed proposed Security Systems Standards and Certification Act (SSSCA). These laws do menace software freedom, but we hope to educate the public that these laws threaten many different and important freedoms.”

Watterson added: “The DMCA hurts everybody—software developers, technology companies, computer users, authors, artists, musicians, filmmakers, and anyone who benefits and enjoys a free marketplace of creative expression. I am excited that the FSF has taken on this issue, and that FSF recognizes that Free Software supporters share common ground on this issue with many other groups”.

The Digital Speech Project has begun the process of coordinating activists at universities, colleges, and communities around the USA to work against the DMCA. It also offers information about the DMCA, the SSSCA and how you can help on its website, http://digitalspeech.org/.

Those interested in forming a local Digital Freedom group are encouraged to contact Jonathan Watterson directly.

About Free Software Foundation:

The Free Software Foundation, founded in 1985, is dedicated to promoting computer users' right to use, study, copy, modify, and redistribute computer programs. The FSF promotes the development and use of free (as in freedom) software—particularly the GNU operating system and its GNU/Linux variants—and free documentation for free software. The FSF also helps to spread awareness of the ethical and political issues of freedom in the use of software. Their web site, located at http://www.gnu.org, is an important source of information about GNU/Linux. They are headquartered in Boston, MA, USA.