Update 6/28/19: the site autonomo.us is no longer active.

BOSTON, Massachusetts, USA—Monday, July 14, 2008— A new activist group called autonomo.us has launched an online presence to focus on issues of software freedom in network services.

Building on its work with the GNU Affero General Public license, the FSF convened a meeting to discuss the impact of network services on free software and user freedom on March 16.

Today, attendees at that meeting launched autonomo.us, a new blog that aims to publish essays and articles exploring the impact of network services on user freedom. Additionally, the group published what it is calling the "Franklin Street Statement on Freedom and Network Services" where it lays out a summary of its thinking so far. While the group is working independently and the statement does not yet represent FSF policy, the FSF will continue to work closely with and within the group, with FSF members, and with the free software community to help inform and refine its strategy and continue to provide leadership in regards to software freedom and network services.

About autonomo.us

autonomo.us is an independent group of hackers and activists. Many of us create network services. All of us are concerned about their effects on user freedom and autonomy. autonomo.us is designed as a forum to explore the problems and issues raised by network technologies.

Current participants and contributors include Gabriel Burt (Novell), Jonathan Gray (OKFN and the Open Service Definition), Benjamin Mako Hill (MIT/FSF), Bradley Kuhn (SFLC and Software Freedom Conservancy), Mike Linksvayer (CC), Henry Poole (FSF and CivicActions), Evan Prodromou, Kragen Sitaker, Brett Smith (FSF), Aaron Swartz, James Vasile (SFLC) and Luis Villa (GNOME Foundation).

More information about the group can be found at http://autonomo.us/about. Contributions are welcome and should be made to netservices (at) atdot (dot) cc.

About the 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. Its Web site, located at www.fsf.org, is an important source of information about GNU/Linux. Donations to support the FSF's work can be made at http://donate.fsf.org. Its headquarters are in Boston, MA, USA.

Media Contacts

John Sullivan

Operations Manager

Free Software Foundation

617-542-5942

campaigns@fsf.org