*Please consider adding <[email protected]> to your address book, which
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*Read and share online:
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Welcome to the *Free Software Supporter*, the Free Software
Foundation's (FSF) monthly news digest and action update — being read
by you and 237145 other activists.

## TABLE OF CONTENTS

* It's May, and we've been keeping busy
* RAIL: Nonfree and unethical
* You cannot use the GNU (A)GPL to take software freedom away
* Relicensing versus license compatibility
* Job opportunity: Engineering and Certification Manager at the FSF
* Apple keeps challenging its interoperability obligations under the DMA
* The dangers of California’s legislation to censor 3D printing
* GnuPG 2.5.19 released
* FCC: Router ban includes portable hotspots, but not phones with hotspot features
* Amazon’s May 20 Kindle cutoff: Which models are affected and how to keep reading anyway
* France to ditch Windows for Linux to reduce reliance on US tech
* April GNU Emacs news
* Join the FSF and friends in updating the Free Software Directory
* LibrePlanet featured resource: Librelocal/2026
* April GNU Spotlight with Amin Bandali featuring Nineteen new GNU releases: Parallel, Time, and more!
* FSF and other free software events
* Thank GNUs!
* GNU copyright contributions
* Translations of the *Free Software Supporter*
* Take action with the FSF!

View this issue online here:
<[link removed]>.

Encourage your friends to subscribe and help us build an audience by
adding our subscriber widget to your website.

* Subscribe: <[link removed]>
* Widget: <[link removed]>

Miss an issue? You can catch up on back issues at
<[link removed]>.

Want to read this newsletter translated into another language? Scroll
to the end to read the *Supporter* in French, Portuguese, or Spanish.

***

### It's May, and we've been keeping busy

*From May 1*

The FSF has an update ready on its work over the past few months. From
empowering the systems uplifting our free software mission to
promoting free software and exposing how Big Tech limits user freedom,
FSF staff has been *busy*. Read more about all of the great work the
FSF has done so far this year and how you can support us in the
article below.

* <[link removed]>


### RAIL: Nonfree and unethical

*From April 22*

Every now and then, someone makes an attempt to draft a software
license that, at first glance, looks commendable: it lists a number of
anti-social activities and requires that licensees refrain from these
activities as a condition of the license. Such licenses are often
advertised as "ethical," but make no mistake: they deny users their
software freedom and therefore are unethical. Software freedom
includes freedom 0 (the freedom to use the program for any purpose).
Clearly, any use restriction in a software license makes the program
nonfree. Any software license that denies users their freedom is by
definition nonfree and unethical, and so-called "Responsible AI"
Licenses (RAIL) are no exception. If we want software to help decrease
social injustice, we should oppose licenses that restrict how software
can be used.

* <[link removed]>


### You cannot use the GNU (A)GPL to take software freedom away

*From April 15*

Part of protecting free software includes responding to confusing
and/or inappropriate use of free licenses, including the GNU Affero
General Public License version 3 (AGPLv3). The FSF was recently
mentioned by Lev Bannov of the OnlyOffice project in connection with
the use of a modified version of the AGPLv3. It is possible to modify
the AGPLv3 with additional terms, but only by adhering to the terms of
the license. One can also legally use AGPL terms (possibly modified)
in another license imposing terms outside of what the AGPLv3 allows,
but then referring to the license as "AGPL" would be false. If you are
considering adding terms to an FSF license, be sure to read published
materials or consult with our licensing team.

* <[link removed]>


### Relicensing versus license compatibility

*From April 8*

A freedom-respecting software license (or free license) is a set of
terms and conditions under which you may modify and share a work. All
free software licenses grant the copyright holder(s) with the ability
to relicense, or in other words, release future copies and/or versions
of a program under a different license. License compatibility exists
when two or more works with different licenses can be combined and
distributed as a larger whole, and is only possible if all the
requirements of each license involved can be satisfied. Both
relicensing and license compatibility are two important aspects of how
licensing works in free software. You can learn more about both of
these concepts, including what they have in common and how they
differ, in the article below.

* <[link removed]>


### Job opportunity: Engineering and Certification Manager at the FSF

*From March 10*

We're still accepting applications for the new Engineering and
Certification Manager role! If you or someone you know is a motivated
and talented individual who would like to make promoting user freedom
your profession, apply soon. This position is ideally full-time and
US-based, but exceptions can be made for a qualified candidate.

* <[link removed]>


### Apple keeps challenging its interoperability obligations under the DMA

*From April 20 by Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE)*

A new FSFE report exposes how all fifty-six interoperability requests
under the Digital Markets Act have produced no concrete solutions by
Apple, and how their declines contradict their own official
documentation, leaving third-party developers locked out of iOS and
iPadOS, despite the European Commission’s latest specification
decision. Apple's approach to "effective" interoperability requires
developers to navigate account creation, fees, detailed requests,
internal review, and potentially long implementation timelines,
fearing sudden closure of their developer accounts during the whole
process. We cannot allow Apple to continue controlling what software
users use on their mobile devices. Public pressure works: tell Apple
that blocking interoperability is unacceptable.

* <[link removed]>
* <[link removed]>


### The dangers of California’s legislation to censor 3D printing

*From April 13 by Cliff Braun and Rory Mir*

California’s bill, A.B. 2047, will not only mandate censorware —
software which exists to bluntly block your speech as a user — on all
3D printers; it will also criminalize the use of free software
alternatives. A.B. 2047 goes further than any other legislation on
algorithmic print-blocking by making it a misdemeanor for the owners
of these devices to disable, deactivate, or otherwise circumvent these
mandated algorithms. Not only does this effectively criminalize use of
any third-party, free (as in freedom) 3D printer firmware, but it also
enables print-blocking algorithms to parallel anti-user behaviors seen
with digital restrictions management. This is a very anti-user,
anti-freedom bill, and should it pass, would leave users with few if
any choices when it comes to using 3D printers. You can read more
about the dangers of this bill to user freedom in the article below.

* <[link removed]>
* <[link removed]>
* <[link removed]>


### GnuPG 2.5.19 released

*From April 24 by Werner Koch*

The latest version of the GNU Privacy Guard (GnuPG, GPG), a complete
and free implementation of OpenPGP and S/MIME standards, is now
available for download! Version 2.5.19 includes a few brand new
features and couple of bug fixes. The main features in the 2.5 series
are improvements for 64 bit Windows and the introduction of Kyber (aka
ML-KEM or FIPS-203) as PQC encryption algorithm. Other than PQC
support, the 2.6 series does not differ much from 2.4 because the
majority of changes are internal to make use of newer features from
the supporting libraries. Important note: the old 2.4 series reaches
end-of-life in just two months, so make sure to update to 2.5.19 as
soon as you can!

* <[link removed]>


### FCC: Router ban includes portable hotspots, but not phones with hotspot features

*From April 24 by Jon Brodkin*

At the end of March, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) made
a surprise announcement: foreign-made routers will no longer be
welcome in the US, unless providers receive approval for special
exceptions. The FCC claims that this ban will strengthen national and
individual security, yet how can a user verify their router is
actually secure when all the "approved" routers use proprietary
software? This ban is a direct attack on router freedom (the right for
users to choose how their computing interacts with the internet) and
is an essential precondition for user freedom. With this ban, it will
become increasingly difficult, if not potentially impossible, for US
residents to access the internet in freedom since a great majority of
commercially-available network routers run on their own proprietary
operating systems. The router ban isn't about security: it's about
controlling your user freedom.

* <[link removed]>
* <[link removed]>


### Amazon’s May 20 Kindle cutoff: Which models are affected and how to keep reading anyway

*From April 21 by Justyn Newman*

Beginning on May 20, Amazon is sending Kindles sold in 2012 and
earlier to the abandonware graveyard. After May 20, readers will only
be able to read books downloaded on these devices prior to the end
date. Due to the restrictive licensing that Kindle ebooks are under
(you never "buy" a Kindle ebook, just purchase access to it), users of
older Kindles are being forced to find some creative workarounds for
using what should be theirs. While Frankenstein fixes such as
sideloading ebooks or jailbreaking do work, users shouldn't have to
resort to sometimes complicated solutions just to read a book, or use
any other device that they own for that matter. Unfortunately, so long
as digital restrictions management (DRM) and proprietary software
control the devices we use, this is the reality for users. If you read
ebooks and want to resist Amazon's control, check our DRM-free guide
for some ideas.

* <[link removed]>
* <[link removed]>


### France to ditch Windows for Linux to reduce reliance on US tech

*From April 10 by Zack Whittaker*

Over the coming years, France will be making the free software switch
on some of its government computers from Microsoft Windows to
GNU/Linux. The European country has made this decision based on
reasoning shared by many free software advocates: a desire to exercise
greater control over its data and digital infrastructure. We would
love to see a commitment to moving all French government operations to
free software, but this is a major step forward for France. When a
government adopts free software, not only does it increase
interoperability, support local and small businesses, and reduce
costs, but it also ensures that residents and citizens don't have to
interact with nonfree software. A specific timeline for France's
partial transition to running on free software hasn't yet been
released, so we encourage you to keep an eye on France's progress in
becoming a country run on free software.

* <[link removed]>
* <[link removed]>


### April GNU Emacs news

*From April 30 by Sacha Chua*

In these issues: workaround for a Git-related security issue, using
ert-play-keys to debug Emacs Lisp, and more!

* [2026-04-06]([link removed])
* [2026-04-13]([link removed])
* [2026-04-20]([link removed])
* [2026-04-27]([link removed])


### Join the FSF and friends in updating the Free Software Directory

Tens of thousands of people visit directory.fsf.org each month to
discover free software. Each entry in the Directory contains a wealth
of useful information, from basic category and descriptions to version
control, IRC channels, documentation, and licensing. The Free Software
Directory has been a great resource to software users over the past
decade, but it needs your help staying up-to-date with new and
exciting free software projects.

To help, join our weekly IRC meetings on Fridays. Meetings take place
in the #fsf channel on Libera.Chat and usually include a handful of
regulars as well as newcomers. Libera.Chat is accessible from any IRC
client — everyone's welcome!

The next meeting is next Friday, May 8 from 12:00 to 15:00 ESD
(16:00 to 19:00 UTC). Details here:
<[link removed]>

* <[link removed]>


### LibrePlanet featured resource: Librelocal/2026

Every month on the LibrePlanet wiki, we highlight one resource that is
interesting and useful — often one that could use your help. For this
month, we are highlighting Librelocal/2026. This May is LibreLocal
month! The FSF invites free software supporters like you to organize
an in-person community meetup in your area in May, 2026 to bring
people together to swap ideas, learn from each other, and celebrate
free software. You are invited to help update, adopt, spread, and
improve this important resource.

* <[link removed]>

Do you have a suggestion for next month's featured resource? Let us
know at <[email protected]>.


### April GNU Spotlight with Amin Bandali featuring nineteen new GNU releases: Parallel, Time, and more!

Nineteen new GNU releases in the last month (as of April 30, 2026):

* [coreutils-9.11]([link removed])
* [gcc-16.1.0]([link removed])
* [gnuhealth-his-5.0.7]([link removed])
* [gnupg-2.5.19]([link removed])
* [gnutls-3.8.13]([link removed])
* [inetutils-2.8]([link removed])
* [libgcrypt-1.12.2]([link removed])
* [libmicrohttpd-1.0.5]([link removed])
* [lilypond-2.26.0]([link removed])
* [linux-libre-7.0-gnu]([link removed])
* [mpc-1.4.1]([link removed])
* [nano-9.0]([link removed])
* [parallel-20260422]([link removed])
* [parted-3.7]([link removed])
* [r-4.6.0]([link removed])
* [sed-4.10]([link removed])
* [time-1.10]([link removed])
* [units-2.27]([link removed])
* [xorriso-1.5.8.pl01]([link removed])

*For a full list with descriptions, please see:
<[link removed]>*

For announcements of most new GNU releases, subscribe to the info-gnu
mailing list: <[link removed]>.

To download: nearly all GNU software is available most reliably from
<[link removed]>. Optionally, you may find faster download
speeds at a mirror located geographically closer to you by choosing
from the list of mirrors published at
<[link removed]>, or you may use
<[link removed]> to be automatically redirected to a
(hopefully) nearby and up-to-date mirror.

A number of GNU packages, as well as the GNU operating system as a
whole, are looking for maintainers and other assistance. Please see
<[link removed]> if you'd like to
help. The general page on how to help GNU is at
<[link removed]>.

If you have a working or partly working program that you'd like
to offer to the GNU project as a GNU package, see
<[link removed]>.

As always, please feel free to write to me, <[email protected]>,
with any GNUish questions or suggestions for future installments.


### FSF and other free software events

* May 5, 2026, Montréal, Quebec, Canada, [LibreLocal
meetup]([link removed])
* May 5, 2026, Oviedo, Asturias, Spain, [LibreLocal
meetup]([link removed])
* May 7, 2026, Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain, [LibreLocal
meetup]([link removed])
* May 8, 2026, Tarragona, Catalunya, España, [LibreLocal
meetup]([link removed])
* May 9, 2026, online, Milan, Italy, [LibreLocal
meetup]([link removed])
* May 9, 2026, Auckland, New Zealand, [LibreLocal
meetup]([link removed])
* May 12, 2026, Oviedo, Asturias, Spain, [LibreLocal
meetup]([link removed])
* May 16, 2026, London, United Kingdon, [LibreLocal
meetup]([link removed])
* May 16, 2026, Mazatlán, Sinaloa, México, [LibreLocal
meetup]([link removed])
* May 16, 2026, València, España, [LibreLocal
meetup]([link removed])
* May 17, 2026, Brantford, Ontario, Canada, [LibreLocal
meetup]([link removed])
* May 17, 2026, Livermore, California, United States, [LibreLocal
meetup]([link removed])
* May 18, 2026, Toronto, Canada, [LibreLocal
meetup]([link removed])
* May 19, 2026, Oviedo, Asturias, Spain, [LibreLocal
meetup]([link removed])
* May 21, 2026, Neuchâtel, Switzerland, [LibreLocal
meetup]([link removed])
* May 22, 2026, Brasília, Distrito Federal, Brasil, [LibreLocal
meetup]([link removed])
* May 26, 2026, Oviedo, Asturias, Spain, [LibreLocal
meetup]([link removed])
* May 28, 2026, Shiraz, Iran, [LibreLocal
meetup]([link removed])
* May 28, 2026, New Haven Connecticut, United States, [LibreLocal
meetup]([link removed])
* May 30, 2026, Bariloche, Provincia, de Río Negro, Argentina,
[LibreLocal
meetup]([link removed])
* May 30, 2026, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Islas Canarias, Spain,
[LibreLocal
meetup]([link removed])
* May 30, 2026, Oviedo, Asturias, Spain, [LibreLocal
meetup]([link removed])
* May 30, 2026, Catania, Italy, [LibreLocal
meetup]([link removed])
* June 7, 2026, Kyiv, Ukraine [LibreLocal
meetup]([link removed])
* June 14-16, 2026, Prague, Czech Republic, [Flock to
Fedora]([link removed])
* July 16-18, 2026, Porto, Portugal,
[SECRYPT]([link removed])
* August 14-16, 2026, Manhattan, New York, United States,
[HOPE]([link removed])


### Thank GNUs!

We appreciate everyone who donates to the Free Software Foundation,
and we'd like to give special recognition to the folks who have
donated $500 or more in the last month.

* <[link removed]>

This month, a big Thank GNU to:

* Adam Oberbeck
* Edward Flick
* Norm Gunn
* Raffael Stocker
* Ryo Nakamura
* Sheila, Dave and Sherry Gold Foundation
* Tom Benjamin Radtke

You can add your name to this list by donating at
<[link removed]>.


### GNU copyright contributions

Assigning your copyright to the Free Software Foundation helps us
defend the GNU GPL and keep software free. The following individuals
have assigned their copyright to the FSF (and allowed public
appreciation) in the past month:

* Leonid Evdokimov (GNU Coreutils)
* Ewan Townshend (GNU Emacs)
* Daniel Nouri (GNU Emacs)
* Andrea Alberti (GNU Emacs)

Want to see your name on this list? Contribute to GNU and assign your
copyright to the FSF.

* <[link removed]>


### Translations of the *Free Software Supporter*

El *Free Software Supporter* está disponible en español. Para ver la
versión en español haz click aquí:
<[link removed]>

**Para cambiar las preferencias de usuario y recibir los próximos
números del *Supporter* en español, haz click aquí:**
<[link removed]>

Le *Free Software Supporter* est disponible en français. Pour voir la
version française cliquez ici:
<[link removed]>

**Pour modifier vos préférences et recevoir les prochaines
publications du *Supporter* en français, cliquez ici:**
<[link removed]>

O *Free Software Supporter* está disponível em português. Para ver a
versão em português, clique aqui:
<[link removed]>

**Para alterar as preferências do usuário e receber as próximas
edições do *Supporter* em português, clique aqui:**
<[link removed]>

If you no longer wish to receive the *Free Software Supporter* in
English (but still receive other communications in English), you can
opt out [here][7].

[7]: [link removed]


### Take action with the FSF!

Contributions from thousands of individual associate members enable
the FSF's work. You can contribute by joining at
<[link removed]>. If you're already an associate member, you
can help refer new members by adding a line with your associate member
number to your email signature like:

> I'm an FSF associate member — Help us support software freedom!
> <[link removed]>

The FSF is always looking for
[volunteers]([link removed]). From rabble-rousing to
hacking, from issue coordination to envelope stuffing — there's
something here for everybody to do. Also, head over to our [campaigns
section]([link removed]) and [take action on software
patents]([link removed]), [Digital Restrictions
Management]([link removed]), [free
software adoption]([link removed]),
[OpenDocument]([link removed]),
and more.

**Do you read and write Portuguese and English?** The FSF is looking
for translators for the *Free Software Supporter*. Please send an
email to <[email protected]> with your interest and a list of your
experience and qualifications.
--
Interested in helping us expand our reach?

* Follow us on Mastodon at <[link removed]> and PeerTube at <[link removed]>, showing your support for federated social networks.
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Sent from the Free Software Foundation,

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