Hi all,Digital Independence Day: Under this slogan, several organisations and companies have been encouraging people since the beginning of 2026 to regain control over their digital lives, offering practical support for switching to tools and services that enable digital independence.
For us at the Free Software Foundation Europe, digital independence means becoming independent from proprietary software by instead buying, using, and developing Free Software. Only the four freedoms to use, study, share, and improve software allow us to control our technology, rather than being controlled by it. Only Free Software can ensure digital sovereignty for our public administrations and freedom for individuals in their everyday use of digital technology.
We need your help: We are looking for concrete, easy-to-understand examples of how individuals and organisations can replace proprietary software with Free Software in their daily lives. We would like to spread these examples and might also contribute them to the Digital Independence Day project, so that the project features more Free Software alternatives and fewer proprietary ones, regardless of where they are from. Free Software does not stop at borders. To enable independence and freedom, software does not need to be European. It needs to come with the rights to use, study, share, and improve it.
The initiative already suggests some well-known transitions, such as: * Microsoft Office to LibreOffice * X to Mastodon * Chrome to Firefox We have a few more ideas: * Replace the Google Play Store with F-Droid.* Why invite Amazon’s Alexa into your home when you can use Home Assistant Voice as a local voice assistant? * Acrobat Reader is a relic! Discover modern Free Software PDF tools at pdfreaders.org.
* Skip Apple Maps and use Organic Maps or CoMaps instead. * Google Photos is broken by design. PhotoPrism and Immich are better anyway! * Pocket, Instapaper, Readwise Reader? Try Wallabag for “read it later”!Do you know more Free Software applications or services that can easily replace proprietary tools and improve everyday digital life?
If so, let us know – and, if you have the time, please also tell us: * Which proprietary software does it replace? * How difficult is the switch? (beginner-friendly, easy, intermediate, advanced) * How much time does the transition usually take?* Is it suitable only for individuals, or also for public administrations and other organisations? * Extra: Do you have a nice, catchy slogan to convince people to change to your suggested Free Software?
Best regards, Johannes -- Johannes Näder Senior Policy Project Manager | Coordinator Germany Free Software Foundation Europe e.V. Revaler Str. 19, 10245 Berlin Matrix: @jn:fsfe.org | Email: [email protected]
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