EPFSUG invites FreedomBox

Tue, 12/07/2011 - 18:56 -- admin

If you need a badge to enter the European Parliament, please bring your passport or ID and come to the Accreditation Centre, see map and picture.
Please be there at 09h30 since it takes a while to sign everybody in.
Thanks!

 

Dear friends and colleagues,

I am very happy to invite you to a presentation of FreedomBox, a new generation of software-powered devices to enable freedom of expression and private communications for citizens around the world, as well as a hands on session for learning how to protect our privacy with free software both on our personal computers and office laptops.

Time: 10h00-12h00 Wednesday 7 September 2011 (download to your agenda)
Location: Room PHS 4 B001 (Building Paul-Henri Spaak, 4th floor, room B001)
Regi-
stration:		 If you don't have a badge, please mail that you are coming to epfsug@epfsug.eu (open registration), otherwise no registration necessary.

There is an interesting link between these presentations and the movie "Disco and Atomic War" which was screened in the EP last year. While its title and poster could lead your thoughts elsewhere, the key theme in the film is actually about technology - the film shows how access to information transformed Estonia and Estonians, contributing to the collapse of the Soviet Union. Back then we had to hack the antennas to receive Finnish TV signals, today we see new technologies being hacked, and sometimes with the same aim as then, to get access to information enabling change.

It is therefore a pleasure to invite you to the next meeting of EPFSUG to reach through history and see the link between my old friends the Estonian antenna hackers and the hackers who make new technology available with the FreedomBox.

You are warmly welcome.

Best regards,

Indrek Tarand

Agenda for EPFSUG meeting 7 September 2011

WELCOME by EPFSUG Patron MEP Indrek Tarand
About EPFSUG

The European Parliament Free Software User Group is an open community of staff, assistants and Members of the European Parliament, and of supporters from the free software community. Its goals are to:

  • Assist people interested in using free software in the European Parliament
  • Drive adoption of free software in the European Parliament's information infrastructure
  • Push for use of open standards, to ensure equal access for citizens using free software
  • Work in cooperation with like-minded groups in Europe and around the world
A BOX OF FREEDOM A FreedomBox in every home
Jonas Smedegaard
The FreedomBox is a project to help you to stay in control of your own privacy on the internet. Why is this needed? Because you often loose or have to give up privacy rights in whole or in part when you participate in centralised social network platforms. Privacy concerned computer enthusiasts have practised protection of personal digital freedoms for quite some time now, using a range of well known technical tools. FreedomBox is a tiny low-power box containing these same reliable tools, improved to be dead-easy to use also by ordinary citizens. Jonas will explain, explore and expose what is fundamentally at stake and show how each of you can turn the internet around to serve yourself and thereby all of us.
EXPLO-
RING THE OFFICE LAPTOP		 Ubuntu and boot option three
Johannes Woelfing
Legend has it that MEP offices may acquire a laptop from LSUMEP with Ubuntu as one (of three) boot options. Johannes will give a short field report on what it's like to get your hands on the office laptop and try out Evolution, LibreOffice and Firefox in the EP environment. We'll also get a report on tmail and how it works with EP servers in general and with the Exchange servers in particular. Bring your own office laptop and compare!
PRIVACY
POWER
TO THE
PEOPLE!		 You can never get too much privacy can you?
Joris Vanhove
By summing up why securing your email communications and spoof-proofing your identity is essential, Joris will walk us through the basics of email privacy, and tutor signing, verifying and encrypting in three quick steps. It's easy and fun! Bring your laptop and try it out!
Become a supporter!

Can't wait to learn more about free software?
Date: 
Wednesday, 7 September, 2011 - 10:00