About LibrePlanet: Cultivating Community

LibrePlanet: Cultivating Community was held on May 4 & 5, 2024, at the Wentworth Institute of Technology, Boston, MA, USA, and online.

Google is attacking the free internet with its "Web Environment Integrity" proposal, companies are excessively collecting our data to feed their Large Language Models without even thinking to ask, and governments around the world are drafting legislation that threatens free software and our privacy. Now, a growing free software community is needed more than ever to meet these challenges. At LibrePlanet 2024, we discussed how to foster the free software community, how to counter current threats to free software, and face the challenges ahead.

LibrePlanet is the annual conference hosted by the Free Software Foundation (FSF). LibrePlanet provides an opportunity for activists, hackers, law professionals, artists, educators, students, developers, policymakers, tinkerers, and anyone looking for technology that respects the user's freedom to come together in order to discuss current issues in technology and ethics. Newcomers to these topics are always welcome. The conference features talks and workshops for all ages and experience levels.

The theme for LibrePlanet 2024 was "Cultivating Community." The focus was on further growing the free software movement, mobilizing from the grassroots, and building a stronger community in the process. We asked ourselves: How can we be a welcoming community that attracts newcomers as well as a lasting home to all those wonderful people who belong to it? As always, LibrePlanet featured talks related to free software and fitting one of the following tracks: Licensing, security, community, social context, hardware, freedom ladder, free software documentation, free software in government, education, or practice, workshops, or talks that explore the free software concept. Following our theme, we highlighted speakers who showed ways of effectively organizing community, increasing diversity, facilitating the participation of volunteers, and encouraging users to contribute to their favorite projects. During the conference, attendees could learn about free software projects that invite newcomers to participate, community platforms that enable participation, and free software that attracts new users.

Since the announcement to develop the GNU operating system forty years ago, the free software movement has developed an incredible amount of software that respects the user's freedom. Free software activists have proven again and again that it's possible to participate in modern life without surrendering your freedom to large tech monopolies. Now, it is time to bring this message to more people. Together, let's grow and cultivate the free software community.