FYI. > Anfang der weitergeleiteten Nachricht: > > Von: "Federico Leva \(Nemo\) via Replicant" <[email protected]> > Betreff: [Replicant] Fwd: Victory after a decade preventing Radio Lockdown > Datum: 30. April 2026 um 20:21:34 MESZ > An: replicant <[email protected]> > Antwort an: "Federico Leva \(Nemo\)" <[email protected]> > > Some good news for Replicant... > > Federico > > > -------- Messaggio Inoltrato -------- > Oggetto: Victory after a decade preventing Radio Lockdown > Data: Thu, 30 Apr 2026 16:00:38 +0200 > Mittente: Matthias Kirschner <[email protected]> > A: Federico Leva <[email protected]> > > Hello Federico Leva, > > Since 2014 a specific article of an EU regulation threatened to make it > impossible to install custom software on most radio devices like WiFi > routers, mobile phones, Bluetooth chips in computers, GPS receivers, and > embedded devices. It would have required hardware manufacturers to prevent > users from installing any software not certified by them. > > After more than 10 years of persistent steady work by the FSFE and a broad > coalition of organisations, the European Commission decided in January 2026 > to abandon this provision: Free Software on radio devices remains protected! > > This decision followed an impact assessment study commissioned by the EC’s DG > GROW (Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and > SMEs), published in December 2025. The study evaluated five policy options > and concluded that the risks associated with software reconfiguration of > radio devices "remain theoretical and have not materialised in a systemic > manner". It recommended a soft law approach based on voluntary guidance and > best practices, rather than binding technical restrictions. Activating > Article 3(3)(i) was found to severely harm Free Software, innovation, and > user rights, while imposing prohibitive costs on small and medium-sized > enterprises. > > Notably, the impact assessment cited the legal study by Dr. Till Jaeger, > commissioned by the FSFE, which demonstrated that Article 3(3)(i) is > incompatible with widely used Free Software licences such as the GNU GPL. The > FSFE and the concerns raised by the Free Software community were explicitly > referenced as reasons against activation. > > This outcome is the result of more than decade of sustained work with intense > phases, but also periods of waiting for the right moment to get active again. > Since 2015, the FSFE, has been monitoring the regulatory process, > contributing expertise to consultations, publishing analyses, and building a > broad coalition of organisations and individuals who raised their voices > against Radio Lockdown. It demonstrates that persistent, evidence-based > engagement with EU policy processes can make a real difference for software > freedom. > > This success would not have been possible without the many people and > organisations who took action over the years. Thank you to everyone who > contacted the European Commission and political representatives, who raised > awareness about Radio Lockdown, who participated in public consultations, who > signed the Joint Statement against Radio Lockdown, and all the FSFE > supporters for their financial contributions enabling our work. Your > engagement made a real difference. > > However, the underlying idea of shifting compliance responsibility to > manufacturers - and thereby restricting which software can run on devices - > may resurface in other regulatory contexts. > > So while the immediate threat of Article 3(3)(i) has been averted, the idea > of restricting software on radio devices could resurface in other > regulations. Here is how you can help ensure that software freedom remains > protected: > > • Stay informed about EU policy developments affecting Free Software via the > FSFE's news channels and newsletter: https://fsfe.org/subscribe > > • Support the FSFE's ongoing work for Device Neutrality, which safeguards > users' rights to choose the software running on their devices > https://fsfe.org/activities/deviceneutrality > > Help us continue our work by supporting again the FSFE. Sustained engagement > with EU policy processes requires independent resources. > > https://my.fsfe.org/renew/DM16035595L1 > > It often takes a long breath, patience, the expertise to spot the right time > for action, and the resources to then actually act. With your help the FSFE > will continue to defend the right of users to install or remove any software > on any of their devices. > > Best regards, > > Matthias Kirschner > President, Free Software Foundation Europe > > > PS: if you are interested in further information: > > • You can listen to the full story in episode 45 of the Software Freedom > Podcast in which Bonnie Mehring talks with Max Mehl who did a great jobon > this topic for many years, and Alexander Sander who successfully continued > https://fsfe.org/news/podcast/2026/episode-45.html > > • You find all the background and information on the now finished "EU Radio > Lockdown Directive" activity page > https://fsfe.org/activities/radiodirective/radiodirective.html > > • For those of you interested in legal arguments, the FSFE commissioned study > by Dr. Till Jaeger: > https://download.fsfe.org/policy/radiodirective/RED_Legal_Study_Jaeger-2019.pdf > > -- > FSFE, Revaler Straße 19, 10245 Berlin, Germany > Registered at Amtsgericht Hamburg, VR 17030 > > Please support our work: https://my.fsfe.org/payonline/DM16035595 > > This email was sent to [email protected]. > View or update your personal settings: https://my.fsfe.org/ > > _______________________________________________ > Replicant mailing list > [email protected] > https://lists.osuosl.org/mailman/listinfo/replicant
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