Talk introductions
LibrePlanet 2021 Talk introductions
This page is for use by volunteers who will be introducing talks. To find the introduction you'll be reading, simply scroll down to your time slot or just search the speaker name. Most introductions include notes on words and names you may want to check pronunciations of if you're not sure; you will have the opportunity to confer with the speaker and the FSF tech team before you go live.
SATURDAY 10:10-10:55 Jupiter
Edlira Nano & Guinness
Technopolice: One year of activism against surveillance technologies
[Check pronunciation of Edlira, Eda, April, La Quadrature du Net]
Welcome to the first session of LibrePlanet 2021! This talk is titled “Technopolice: One year of activism against surveillance technologies,” and will be presented by Edlira Nano (Eda for short) and Guinness. Eda is a board member at April, the French free software organization, and is a member of La Quadrature du Net, a French organization that defends digital liberties. Guinness is a member of La Quadrature, as well as Exodus Privacy and Nos Onions.
Today’s talk is about Technopolice, La Quadrature’s initiative to analyze and document the spread of surveillance technologies in order to defend civil rights and liberties. Eda and Guinness will tell you about how their efforts have played out over the last year, some of the lessons they’ve learned, and how you can spread the word and utilize this information in your own work.
SATURDAY 10:10-10:55 Saturn
Stefano Zacchiroli
Software Heritage: The great library of source code
[Check pronunciation of Zacchiroli, Inria]
Welcome to the first session of LibrePlanet 2021! This talk is titled “Software Heritage: The great library of source code,” and will be presented by Stefano Zacchiroli, the founder and current CTO of the Software Heritage project. Stefano is also an Associate Professor of Computer Science at Université de Paris, on leave at Inria.
Software Heritage is the premier digital preservation initiative, dedicated to the collection and preservation of software source code, with an archive that currently contains an incredible ten billion unique source code files and two billion unique commits from more than 140 million software projects. This talk will be an update on the project, and will talk about how end users and developers can utilize this vast treasure trove of code.
SATURDAY 10:10-10:55 Neptune
Sripath Roy Koganti
Bridging the digital divide in education with free software and hardware
[check pronunciation of Sripath Roy Koganti, Swecha, Andhra Pradesh, Telugu, BalaSwecha]
Welcome to the first session of LibrePlanet 2021! This talk is titled “Bridging the digital divide in education with free software and hardware,” and will be presented by Sripath Roy Koganti. Sripath is the General Secretary of Swecha AP, and is joining us from Andhra Pradesh, in India. Swecha’s motto is “Technology for Society,” and they use a free software development model.
In this talk, Sripath will talk about how computers, tablets, and mobile phones open a vast world of knowledge to students everywhere – and how it is critical to make sure that ALL students, including underprivileged students in underfunded schools, have access to these precious resources. He will also introduce you to the BalaSwecha project, which applies the power of free software, free hardware designs, and freely licensed educational materials to bridge the digital divide.
SATURDAY 11:05-11:50 Jupiter
Mariah Villarreal
The state of software in schools and what to do about it
[check pronunciation of Villarreal]
This talk is titled “The state of software in schools and what to do about it,” presented by Mariah Villarreal. Mariah is an educator who has worked in formal and informal learning environments for nearly ten years, and is dedicated to the use of free software and restorative justice with students.
In this session, Mariah will talk about how proprietary software in schools violates the rights of students, how free software is the solution, and how you can fight for the computing rights of students in your community.
SATURDAY 11:05-11:50 Saturn
Pouhiou Noénaute
Lessons Framasoft has learned
[check pronunciation of Pouhiou Noénaute, CHATONS, Degooglify, Mobilizon]
This talk is titled “Lessons Framasoft has learned,” and will be presented by Pouhiou Noénaute, a co-director of the French nonprofit free software organization called Framasoft. Framasoft has been promoting free software for over fifteen years, and you may already be familiar with their project PeerTube, which is a free and federated alternative to YouTube – the FSF is currently putting their videos there, and they encourage you to use PeerTube, too!
There’s way more to Framasoft, though, including CHATONS, Mobilizon, and their Dégooglify the Internet campaign. In his talk, Pouhiou will share Framasoft’s experience in building these initiatives, so you can get involved, and perhaps start some much-needed free Internet initiatives of your own!
SATURDAY 11:05-11:50 Neptune
Alper Atmaca & Özcan Oğuz
Freeing networks where we need freedom most
[check pronunciation of Alper Atmaca & Özcan Oğuz, Özgür Yazılım Derneği]
This talk is titled “Freeing networks where we need freedom most,” and will be presented by Turkish free software activists Alper Atmaca & Özcan Oğuz. Alper is a hacker, a lawyer, an online privacy activist, an encryption enthusiast, and a member of Hackerspace Istanbul. Özcan is the president of the Turkish Free Software Association, Özgür Yazılım Derneği, and the founder of Hackerspace Istanbul, and is a publisher and journalist, and a free software camp instructor, teaching GNU/Linux system administration.
In this presentation, Alper and Özcan will discuss how corporations and government are attempting to restrict the free flow of information over the Internet, and how Turkish and German activists are trying to build free computer networks, in order to bring power back to the people.
SATURDAY 12:00-12:45 Jupiter
Julia Reda
Opening keynote: A European Open Technology Fund: Building sustainable public funding for free software
[confirm pronunciation of Julia (Yoolia?) Reda, control © – is it “control at”?]
This keynote talk is titled “A European Open Technology Fund: Building sustainable public funding for free software,” and will be presented by Julia Reda, head of the fundamental rights litigation project control ©, at the German Society for Civil Rights. Julia is a former European Parliament member, and cofounded the European Union's Free and Open Source Software Audit project. She is well known for her work on copyright reform and net neutrality.
SATURDAY 12:55-13:40 Jupiter
Etienne Gonnu
""Logiciel libre, société libre"": Free software activism in France and Europe"
[confirm pronunciation of Etienne Gonnu, ""Logiciel libre, société libre""; April]
This talk is titled ""Logiciel libre, société libre"": Free software activism in France and Europe,” and is being presented by Etienne Gonnu, the public affairs officer at April, a French free software advocacy organization that works very closely with the FSF. Since 1996, April has worked to proliferate and advocate free software throughout the French-speaking world, and acts as a watchdog on digital freedoms.
In his talk, Etienne will give an overview of April’s work, detail their work with French and European governments to create a benevolent political and legislative environment, and share April’s perspectives, strategies, successes, and challenges.
SATURDAY 12:55-13:40 Saturn
Neil McGovern
The defense of the GNOME Foundation
This talk is titled “The defense of the GNOME Foundation,” and will be presented by Neil McGovern, the executive director of GNOME. Neil is a long-term contributor to free software, with a previous position as the Debian Project Leader, and time spent on the boards of Software in the Public Interest and the Open Rights Group. GNOME is a free software desktop environment, and the GNOME Foundation is the nonprofit that coordinates GNOME-related efforts.
In his talk, Neil will tell the story of a lawsuit filed against GNOME in 2019, over a broad patent which allegedly covered Shotwell, a photo management application, and how GNOME won the day.
SATURDAY 12:55-13:40 Neptune
Giselle Jhunjhnuwala & Charlie Koch
Gamifying education the libre way
[confirm pronunciation of Jhunjhnuwala, Koch]
This talk is titled “Gamifying education the libre way,” and will be presented by Giselle Jhunjhnuwala and Charlie Koch. Giselle is an artist, self-taught programmer, and Outreachy alumna. Their work uses exclusively free software, and explores the intersections of art, science, and technology. Giselle’s professional experience has taken them back and forth between the US and China, giving them a unique perspective on art and technology at home and abroad. Charlie is a digital creative who champions the confluence of technology and art, and he loves showing others how to do the same.
In this talk, Giselle and Charlie will talk about how gamification can enhance learning, and how they combined this concept with free software to create and modify their own game. You’ll also learn how you can apply this work to empower educators and students to gamify their own interests.
SATURDAY 13:50-14:35 Jupiter
Kyle Wiens
Right to Repair
[confirm how to pronounce Wiens]
This talk is titled “Right to Repair,” and will be presented by Kyle Wiens, the CEO of iFixit, the free repair manual. The right to repair physical items and the right to use and alter software as you see fit are closely related, especially since so many everyday items now integrate software, often in ways that detract from rather than enhancing your experience in using the product. The FSF started a new campaign in late 2020 to support the right to repair, with an educational animated video called “Fight to Repair,” and will continue to report on and support this issue going forward.
Along these lines, Kyle and iFixit have fought for the right to unlock cell phones, repair tractors, and alter other items, in both courtrooms and workshops. Kyle’s talk today will explain why the right to repair is so crucial, the legislative efforts to defend and expand this right, and the latest news from the right to repair movement, including the battle against the DMCA, which bans breaking encryption on hardware that you rightfully own.
SATURDAY 13:50-14:35 Saturn
HPP committee
HPP Committee
The FSF's High Priority Projects list and Reverse Engineering Task List serve to foster the development of projects that are important for increasing the adoption and use of free software and free software operating systems.
SATURDAY 13:50-14:35 Neptune
Manufactura Independente
Manufactura Independente: 10 years of designing in the libre
[confirm pronunciation of Manufactura Independente, Ana Isabel Carvalho and Ricardo Lafuente]
This talk is titled “Manufactura Independente: 10 years of designing in the libre,” and will be presented by the team behind Manufactura Independente, Ana Isabel Carvalho and Ricardo Lafuente, based in Porto, Portugal. Manufactura Independente is a research studio for design and graphic communication, focused on free software, free culture, and critical engagement with design tools. If you’ve seen recent Annual Reports from the FSF, then you’ve seen their designs – and seen that designers don’t need to compromise their freedom to create beautiful work!
In this talk, Ana and Ricardo will celebrate the tenth anniversary of Manufactura Independente with a look back at their work, their tools, and how free software ideals came to redefine their design practice.
SATURDAY 14:45-15:30 Jupiter
Antonela Debiasi
Usable security for end-users: How Tor improves usability without compromising user privacy
[confirm pronunciation of Antonela Debiasi]
This talk is titled “Usable security for end-users: How Tor improves usability without compromising user privacy,” and will be presented by Antonela Debiasi, the leader of the User Experience and Design team at the Tor Project. Antonela is a lead product designer who practices ethical user research and free, human-centered, participatory design. She is interested in critical internet infrastructure, feminism as an intersectional practice, free software communities, privacy, and Russian avant-garde art. Prior to entering the nonprofit world, she designed products for live betting, fintech, e-commerce, and AR/VR labs.
The Tor network is an essential Internet privacy tool, which utilizes multilayered “onion routing” to conceal the user’s identity and location. People specifically use Tor in order to hide, which makes it challenging to determine their needs and tailor Tor tools to optimize usability. However, every software project benefits tremendously from user feedback, so in this talk, Antonela will explain how the Tor team gathered usability feedback without compromising the privacy of the people who depend on their global network.
SATURDAY 14:45-15:30 Saturn
Alyssa Rosenzweig
Does your GPU work with free graphics drivers?
[confirm pronunciation of Rosenzweig, Mali, and Collabora]
This talk is titled “Does your GPU work with free graphics drivers?” and will be presented by Alyssa Rosenzweig. Alyssa works for Collabora, and is a university student, a former FSF intern, and a free software graphics hacker leading Panfrost, the free software graphics driver for Arm Mali graphics processing units, or GPUs.
In this talk, Alyssa will examine the state of free software for graphics hardware: where we are, how far we’ve come, and where we’re going. She’ll tell the story of the free graphics movement, complete with protagonist hackers, proprietary antagonists, and plot twists on the road to freedom.
SATURDAY 14:45-15:30 Neptune
Mike Gerwitz
Adopting free software ideals
This talk is titled “Adopting free software ideals,” and will be presented by user freedom activist and GNU Advisory Committee member Mike Gerwitz. Mike is a software engineer by profession and a hacker at heart, and performs many, many useful services to the free software movement.
Mike’s talk will draw on his experiences and evolution as a free software user and activist for the last fifteen years, to discuss practical ethics and ideals, and how to balance our conviction that all software must be free with the demands of everyday life.
SATURDAY 15:40-16:25 Jupiter
Amin Bandali
Jami and how it empowers users
[confirm pronunciation of Amin Bandali, Jami, Savoir-faire]
This talk is titled “Jami and how it empowers users,” and will be presented by Amin Bandali, a free software activist, a GNU maintainer, a volunteer webmaster for the GNU Project, and a co-organizer of EmacsConf.
Amin is also a free software consultant at Savoir-faire Linux, working on Jami, which is a free, libre, truly distributed, peer-to-peer solution for universal communication, which respects the freedom and privacy of its users. It’s an official GNU package, with a main goal of providing a framework for virtual communications, including audio/video calling and conferencing, text messaging, and file transfer. Being able to communicate online without compromising our software freedom or privacy has become a much larger issue since the coronavirus pandemic began last year, and Jami is an important step forward in solving these problems.
SATURDAY 15:40-16:25 Saturn
Karen Johnson
Building equitable free software communities for all
This talk is titled “Building equitable free software communities for all,” and will be presented by Karen Johnson, a devops engineer and people ops manager at CivicActions, a services firm that provides technological support with a focus on free software. Karen is a free software evangelist with plenty of experience building creative, robust solutions for GNU/Linux systems, and she works to infuse diversity, equity, and inclusion into all parts of her work.
In this talk, Karen will talk about how to make free software communities welcoming, active, equitable, and resilient places where everyone feels respected and is eager to participate.
SATURDAY 15:40-16:25 Neptune
Mikalai Birukou & Sean O'Brien
3NWeb: A Better digital world is possible
[confirm pronunciation of Mikalai Birukou]
This talk is titled “3NWeb: A Better digital world is possible,” and will be presented by Mikalai Birukou and Sean O'Brien. Mikalai is an expert in decentralized, privacy-by-design technologies, and is building the 3NWeb protocols to create a better and safer digital world. Sean is a Visiting Fellow at the Information Society Project, where he leads the Privacy Lab initiative, and is a former lecturer at Yale Law School. He’s also Principal Researcher at the ExpressVPN Digital Security Lab, Head Tutor of Oxford Cyber Security for Business Leaders, and the founder of PrivacySafe Technology Foundation.
The 3NWeb free software protocols and client are decentralized services designed around the principle of least authority, to combat the monopolization and centralization that threaten our resilience in unstable times. In this talk, Mikalai and Sean will introduce 3NWeb and explain its importance to the future of computing.
SATURDAY 16:35-17:20 Jupiter
Coleman Watts
"Introduction to CiviCRM"
[confirm pronunciation of CiviCRM]
This talk is titled "Introduction to CiviCRM," and will be presented by Coleman Watts, the lead developer and product manager for the CiviCRM Core Team. Coleman coordinates new developments within the platform, and has worked with various nonprofits to help them align their technology with their mission.
In this talk, he'll explain what CiviCRM is, and why it's an excellent solution for contacts and communications for nonprofits everywhere, who enjoy many benefits from the flexibility of this superb free software program.
SATURDAY 16:35-17:20 Saturn
Luis Villa & Katherine Maher
The challenges of change for values-centered nonprofits
[confirm pronunciation of Villa, Maher]
This talk is titled “The challenges of change for values-centered nonprofits,” and will be presented by Luis Villa and Katherine Maher. Luis is the cofounder and General Counsel at Tidelift, with a deep free software resume that includes work for the Wikimedia Foundation, the Mozilla Foundation, the GNOME Foundation, and the Open Source Initiative. Katherine is the CEO of the Wikimedia Foundation, the nonprofit organization that operates Wikipedia and Wikimedia projects, and she’s a longtime advocate for free software and a free society.
In this talk, Luis and Katherine will present their experiences as leaders at values-centered tech nonprofits that have undergone massive organizational changes, and the lessons they learned. These are the stories of how one organization tried to rebuild after a crisis, and another proactively reimagined its role in the broader free ecosystem, and our speakers hope that they will help attendees envision how their own communities can address the past and look towards a more equitable future.
SATURDAY 16:35-17:20 Neptune
Lightning talks
Lightning talks
Lightning talks are five-minute presentations given by community members on free software topics they're passionate about. We hope you’ll enjoy these bite-sized talks, and continue to explore all of these fascinating topics after LibrePlanet is done!
SATURDAY 17:30-18:05
keynotes by Geoff Knauth and John Sullivan
Welcome to this evening's closing keynotes, with FSF president Geoff Knauth and FSF executive director John Sullivan. Geoff became the president of the FSF in 2020, but has served on the FSF board of directors for over twenty years. John started work with the FSF in 2003, and has never stopped since, with past roles including the FSF's first Campaigns Manager and later the Manager of Operations. Geoff and John both have a tremendous commitment to the importance of free software, and have a lot to say -- right now -- about the past, present, and future of the FSF and the free software movement.
SUNDAY 10:10-10:55 Jupiter
Max Mehl
REUSE: Simple steps to declare your copyright and licenses
[confirm pronunciation of Mehl]
This talk is titled “REUSE: Simple steps to declare your copyright and licenses,” presented by Max Mehl, the program manager at the Free Software Foundation Europe, FSFE, in Germany. Max coordinates initiatives in the areas of politics, public awareness, and free software licensing, and sees free software as an important component to the solutions for urgent technical and social problems.
In his talk, Max will introduce FSFE’s REUSE initiative, a simple three-step process that will ensure that licenses and copyright holders are always clear. He’ll also do a live demo of how you can make a project REUSE compliant, so you can make sure that the free software you create and remix stays free.
SUNDAY 10:10-10:55 Saturn
Lori Nagel
User Respecting Software – free software development driven by users
This session is titled “User Respecting Software – free software development driven by users,” and will be presented by Lori Nagel, who is a free software and free culture activist, an FSF member since 2005, and a three-time presenter at the LibrePlanet conference.
In this talk, Lori will examine the interplay between users and developers, and discuss how we can help free software proliferate by focusing on the features that users care about.
SUNDAY 10:10-10:55 Neptune
David Revoy
How to free the imagination
[confirm pronunciation of Revoy]
This talk is titled “How to free the imagination,” and will be presented by the French free software artist David Revoy. Among his many accomplishments, David is the creator of Pepper and Carrot, a free/libre webcomic painted and managed with 100% free software, and distributed under Creative Commons attribution licenses, with 3.6 million readers per year. David also created the beautiful FSF 35th anniversary T-shirt and poster designs.
In this presentation, David will address the relationship between free software, comics, and publishing, and explain why the freedom to share, edit, and reshare software is necessary to unlock the full potential of the human imagination.
SUNDAY 11:05-11:50 Jupiter
Victoria Schuster, Dryden Wiebe & Vala Vakilian
Plom: Paperless Open Marketing
[confirm pronunciation of Plom, Schuster, Dryden Wiebe, Vala Vakilian]
This session is titled “Plom: Paperless Open Marketing,” and will be presented by Victoria Schuster, with help from Dryden Wiebe and Vala Vakilian. Victoria is a fourth year engineering physics student at the University of British Columbia. Her recent work has focused on bringing free designs to medical and educational spheres, especially with regards to treatments for coronavirus.
In this talk, this panel will introduce their undergraduate summer project, in which they improved the functionality of Paperless Open Marking, or “Plom,” the GPLv3 licensed test-taking system currently in use at the University of British Columbia. Plom is a software system that enables students to take tests on paper and get them marked and returned online, with maximum respect for their privacy.
SUNDAY 11:05-11:50 Saturn
Matthias Kirschner
"Public Money? Public Code!" A campaign framework to promote software freedom
[confirm pronunciation of Matthias Kirschner]
This talk is titled “"Public Money? Public Code!" A campaign framework to promote software freedom,” and will be presented by Matthias Kirschner, the president of the Free Software Foundation Europe, or FSFE. Since he began using GNU/Linux in 1999, Matthias has been dedicated to free software advocacy, and the need for technology to empower society, not restrict it.
In his talk, Matthias will explain the FSFE’s "Public Money? Public Code!" campaign, and explain how you can use their framework and ideas to advocate for free software-friendly policies where you live.
SUNDAY 11:05-11:50 Neptune
Xianjun Jiao
Openwifi project: The dawn of the free/libre WiFi chip
[confirm pronunciation of Xianjun Jiao]
This talk is titled “Openwifi project: The dawn of the free/libre WiFi chip,” and will be presented by Xianjun Jiao, who works on SDR implementation of wireless networks at IDLab. He is also an active free software SDR developer on LTE, BTLE, GPS, ADS-B, and WiFi.
In this talk, he’ll introduce the Openwifi project, a key piece of the free software and hardware puzzle that aims to enable fully free connectivity.
SUNDAY 12:00-12:45 Jupiter
Nadya Peek
Opening keynote: Machine agency: Infrastructure for creative automation
Welcome to today’s opening keynote, “Machine agency: Infrastructure for creative automation,” presented by Nadya Peek. Nadya is an assistant professor of Human-Centered Design and Engineering at the University of Washington, where she directs the Machine Agency. Her research focuses on harnessing the precision of machines for the creativity of individuals, spanning electronics, firmware, software, and mechanics.
In this talk, Nadya will describe her research group’s machine designs, and the attributes that make them buildable, tailorable, and extendable by others. She’ll also discuss how we can lower the threshold for automation, so that it can be employed for experimental and explorational practices.
SUNDAY 12:55-13:40 Jupiter
Conor Schaefer
SecureDrop Workstation: Handling unsafe documents safely
This talk is titled, “SecureDrop Workstation: Handling unsafe documents safely,” and will be given by Conor Schaefer, the Chief Technology Officer at Freedom of the Press Foundation, overseeing development of SecureDrop and other engineering projects.
In this talk, Conor will talk about the SecureDrop Workstation, designed to improve how journalists communicate with sources in a high-security environment. The SecureDrop Workstation is designed to manage sensitive source material safely, including viewing, archiving, and processing documents. The talk will review the results of the recent security audit focusing on the Workstation, and outline future directions for the project as it approaches general availability.
SUNDAY 12:55-13:40 Saturn
Javier Sepulveda Sanchis
Remote education: My children’s freedom and privacy at stake
[confirm pronunciation of Javier Sepulveda Sanchis, Asociación de Usuarios, Jitsi]
This talk is titled “Remote education: My children’s freedom and privacy at stake,” and will be presented by Javier Sepulveda Sanchis, founder of VALENCIATECH, in Spain, which runs GNU/Linux servers using free software exclusively. Javier was a professor of computer science for over ten years, and is an avid free software activist, donating plenty of time to the GNU Project and the Asociación de Usuarios de GNU/Linux de Valencia.
If you keep a close eye on the FSF’s twice-yearly bulletins, you may already be familiar with the story Javier is here to tell: when the coronavirus pandemic caused schools to switch to remote education last spring, Javier was determined to protect his children and their classmates from the abuses of proprietary videoconferencing programs. In this talk, he’ll explain why proprietary programs like Zoom and Skype are unacceptable for use in education, and discuss his efforts to get teachers and school administrators to switch to freedom-respecting programs, including Jitsi Meet. This talk will help you to explain to your friends and family why they shouldn’t use Zoom, and encourage you in your own activism against nonfree software.
SUNDAY 12:55-13:40 Neptune
Walter Bender, Martín Abente Lahaye & Juan Pablo Ugarte
Ingestum: A FOSS NLP document ingestion library
[confirm pronunciation of Abente, Lahaye, Ugarte, Ingestum]
This talk is titled “Ingestum: A FOSS NLP document ingestion library,” and will be presented by Walter Bender, Martín Abente Lahaye, and Juan Pablo Ugarte. Walter is probably familiar to past LibrePlanet attendees, since he’s given several talks, and he’s the founder of Sugar Labs and maintainer of Music Blocks, a celebrated educational free software music program. Martin is a longtime free software and GNU/Linux contributor, and Juan is a Glade developer and maintainer, and a GNOME contributor since 2005.
This talk introduces Ingestum, so named because it is used to quote-unquote “devour” common content sources like PDF files, html, Twitter, and so on, in order to make them computer-readable for NLP projects.
SUNDAY 13:50-14:35 Jupiter
Katheryn Sutter
Informal chatter to formal decisions: How-to
This talk is titled “Informal chatter to formal decisions: How-to,” and will be presented by Katheryn Sutter, PhD. Katheryn is a Debian user and advocate, a democratic-communications analyst, and a retired trainer of boards of directors of nonprofits, cooperatives, co-housing, activist groups, performers, and other community development projects.
In this talk, Katheryn will address a situation many of you have no doubt encountered in free software groups and other organizations, in which a gathering of people with no clear hierarchy but roughly the same goals spin their wheels for a long time and can’t decide on concrete next steps.
SUNDAY 13:50-14:35 Saturn
Alice Monsen
Here's how you can get all your day-to-day computing done with free software
This talk is titled “Here's how you can get all your day-to-day computing done with free software,” and it will be presented by Alice Monsen, who is eleven years old and has already given multiple talks at technical conferences. Alice loves coding and art, and she also enjoys teaching people about free software.
In this talk, Alice will introduce you to over ten great free software programs that can replace the proprietary programs people tend to use in their everyday computing, for work, school, and entertainment. This talk will give you plenty of material to introduce your friends, family, and colleagues to better replacements for proprietary programs they depend on – a great early step into the world of free software!
SUNDAY 13:50-14:35 Neptune
Paul Roberts
A dispatch from the front lines of right to repair
[confirm pronunciation of SecuRepairs]
This talk is titled “A dispatch from the front lines of right to repair,” and it will be presented by Paul Roberts, the founder of SecuRepairs and publisher and editor in chief of the news Web site The Security Ledger. The Security Ledger is an independent security news site that explores the intersection of cybersecurity with the Internet of Things – the precise intersection where free software meets the right to repair physical items. If you haven’t already seen it, the FSF has a new campaigns page and animated video from late 2020 supporting the right to repair, and will continue to report on and support this issue going forward.
In his talk, Paul will discuss how his group of over two hundred IT and information security professionals are battling against electronics industry claims that allowing the right to repair will undermine customer privacy and security. Apple, Samsung, LG, and General Electric have stomped out several attempts to win the right to repair by claiming that it will enable device hacking, cyber stalking, and identity theft. Paul and his colleagues are here to set the record straight.
SUNDAY 14:45-15:30 Jupiter
Amanda Sopkin
Labor movements and the free software community
[confirm pronunciation of Sopkin, PyCon, SeaGL]
This talk is “Labor movements and the free software community,” and will be presented by Amanda Sopkin, who is a software engineering manager at Autodesk, in a division focused on connecting businesses in the pre-construction industry. Amanda has spoken on topics in software engineering at conferences including PyCon, SeaGL, and Codemotion.
The labor movement and free software are natural complements to one another, since they both depend on and empower groups of workers committed to a shared goal and a higher purpose. In this talk, Amanda will discuss how these movements are related, how free software can meet the practical technology needs of labor organizations, and where these two movements are currently intersecting.
SUNDAY 14:45-15:30 Saturn
Bill Budington
An information theoretic model of privacy and security metrics
[confirm pronunciation of Budington, Panopticlick]
This talk is titled “An information theoretic model of privacy and security metrics,” and will be presented by Bill Budington, who is a Senior Staff Technologist at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, or EFF, on their Tech Projects Team. He is the lead developer of Panopticlick, led HTTPS Everywhere from 2015 through 2018, and has contributed to Let’s Encrypt and SecureDrop.
In this presentation, Bill will introduce an information theoretic model of privacy and security metrics or… explain how he learned to stop worrying about password meters and love the dice. He’ll explain what Panopticlick does, and how it helps users understand a technique called browser fingerprinting, which creates a cohesive user profile that follows you all over the Web.
SUNDAY 14:45-15:30 Neptune
Wm. Salt Hale
Making dollars and sense of free software funding's future
This talk is titled “Making dollars and sense of free software funding's future,” and will be presented by William “Salt” Hale, a longtime free software activist and LibrePlanet participant. Salt studies Technology and Society at the University of Washington, and is the community director at Snowdrift.coop.
In this talk, Salt will discuss the state of funding platforms, and how we can ensure that the people who create free software can make a living through their incredibly valuable work.
SUNDAY 15:40-16:25 Jupiter
Richard Stallman
Unjust computing clamps down
This talk is titled “Unjust computing clamps down,” and will be presented by Richard Stallman, or RMS, the founder of the FSF and the GNU Project, and Chief GNUisance. In this talk, RMS will talk about the abysmal current state of computing freedom. Threats include locked-down operating systems, user-restricting app stores, nonfree JavaScript, online dis-services, electronic vaccination “passports,” and many, many more.
SUNDAY 15:40-16:25 Saturn
Martin Owens
Empower users by asking them for money
This talk is titled “Empower users by asking them for money,” and will be presented by Martin Owens, a software programmer currently focusing on the Inkscape graphic program, and on economics in the free software ecosystem. Martin and other Inkscape developers have been using personal funding platforms to raise the money to make their work more stable and user-focused, and in this talk, he’ll tell you about his experiences, and his ideas on how to change free software economics, from the current model of business versus volunteers to a more equitable arrangement for both users and developers.
SUNDAY 15:40-16:25 Neptune
Maria Leandro
Libre designers do exist (and survive)
This talk is titled “Libre designers do exist (and survive),” and will be presented by Maria Leandro, a full-time designer and photographer. In her talk, Maria will share the experiences and wisdom she has gathered from fifteen years in the field as a designer who refuses to be constrained by proprietary software.
SUNDAY 16:35-17:20 Jupiter
Robert Read & Marc Jones
Free/libre solutions to address the shortage of ventilators
This talk is titled “Free/libre solutions to address the shortage of ventilators,” and will be presented by Robert Read and Marc Jones. Robert L. Read, PhD, has been a free software fan since 1988, and has taken that passion with him into director-level positions in the software industry and a Presidential Innovation Fellowship. His current project, Public Invention, aims to spur a movement for free hardware inventions, and in the last year, has dedicated itself to a goal of free-as-in-freedom ventilators, to save lives during the coronavirus epidemic. He’ll be joined in this presentation by Marc Jones, who, among many other services to the world of free software, is a pro-bono lawyer for the FSF.
This talk will focus on Public Invention’s efforts to coalesce the hundreds of attempts to create free/libre solutions for the ventilator shortage. Their conclusion is that the overall effect was mixed in terms of success developing ventilators, but very successful in advancing the global free hardware community.
SUNDAY 16:35-17:20 Saturn
Clarissa Borges
How to make more users love free software: Double the love, double the freedom
[confirm pronunciation of Borges]
This talk is titled “How to make more users love free software: Double the love, double the freedom,” and will be presented by Clarissa Borges, who won the first ever Award for Outstanding New Free Software Contributor in 2020. Clarissa is a software engineering student, and fell in love with free software while contributing to GNOME during her Outreachy internship project.
This talk is a follow-up to Clarissa’s presentation from last year, and she will elaborate and expand on the theme of how to get more computer users to choose free software over proprietary solutions by improving usability. The easier the software is to use, the more it will be adopted, and the more computer users find that they can depend on free software, the greater the demand will be for software that respects our right to use and share software as we see fit.
SUNDAY 16:35-17:20 Neptune
Tech Learning Collective
Beyond "learning to code": How Tech Learning Collective merges IT training with emancipatory political action
This talk is titled “Beyond "learning to code": How Tech Learning Collective merges IT training with emancipatory political action,” and will be presented by members of the Tech Learning Collective, an apprenticeship- based technology school for radical organizers. Founded and operated exclusively by radical queer and femme technologists, they offer unparalleled free, by-donation, and low-cost computer classes on topics ranging from fundamental computer literacy to computer hacking techniques.
In this talk, they’ll describe their holistic approach to IT education, which is creating communities of activist sysadmins out of people who wouldn’t otherwise have called themselves “techies,” opening the world of free computing to people who will apply its advantages to their other liberatory goals.
SUNDAY 17:30-18:15 Jupiter
Nathan Freitas
Closing keynote: Ten years of empowering activists AND everyday people through free mobile software
[confirm pronunciation of Freitas]
This keynote talk is titled “Ten years of empowering activists AND everyday people through free mobile software,” and will be presented by Nathan Freitas, the founder and director of Guardian Project, an award-winning free software mobile security collaborative with millions of users and beneficiaries worldwide.
Among Nathan’s many accomplishments, he helped to create Orbot, which brings the privacy benefits of the Tor network to Android devices, and he co-designed the Haven app with Edward Snowden. Nathan’s work has generated a lot of interesting stories and important insights, and in this talk, he’ll tell us a few of them, and try and project a forecast for computing freedom and privacy in the future.
WORKSHOPS
SATURDAY 12:55-14:25
Adam Monsen
Free software fortress for your home
Welcome to the “Free software data fortress for your home” workshop! This will be presented by Adam Monsen, a Seattle-area free software activist, speaker, dad, and tech entrepreneur, and previous LibrePlanet presenter. In today’s workshop, you will learn how to save, serve, and safely share your data at home, using a delicious smorgasbord of free software. These tools will enable you to collaboratively edit documents in real time online, stream music and video, and future-proof your digital assets.
SATURDAY 15:40-17:10
der.hans
Regular Expression Workshop
[confirm how der.hans wants you to say his name in intro; confirm pronunciation of Stammtisch, regex]
Welcome to the Regular Expression Workshop, which will be presented by der.hans. He is a technologist, free software advocate, and frequent speaker and contributor to many free software conferences and organizations in addition to LibrePlanet, including SeaGL, the Southern California Linux Expo, and the Free Software Stammtisch.
In this workshop, you will learn the pattern matching language called Regular Expressions, or “regex.” The workshop introduces concepts, syntax, and language used in regex. Labs will give attendees hands-on opportunity to experiment with regex.
SUNDAY 12:55-14:25
Making it ours: Mapping the history of our movements’ relationship to the Internet and envisioning its future
Alice Aguilar, Jamie McClelland, Jaime Villareal, and Alfredo Lopez
[confirm pronunciation of all speaker names]
Welcome to the workshop titled “Making it ours: Mapping the history of our movements’ relationship to the Internet and envisioning its future.” This workshop will be hosted and presented by several seasoned activists of the liberatory internet movement: Alice Aguilar, Jamie McClelland, Jaime Villareal, and Alfredo Lopez.
This workshop makes the case that technology is political, and free software is of central importance for a just internet. In the workshop, you will be guided through an interactive timeline exercise, mapping the points in people of color’s movements’ histories that have shaped our relationship with the Internet for the last quarter century, exploring how we’ve used internet communications for movement resilience, and collectively strategizing what our future relationship should be.
