Please consider adding [email protected] to your address book, which will
ensure that our messages reach you and not your spam box.
Read and share online: https://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/help-defend-the-right-to-read-stand-up-against-drm-on-october-12th
Dear Free Software Supporter,
Defective by Design is calling on you to stand up against Digital
Restrictions Management (DRM) on the International Day Against DRM
(IDAD) on October 12th, 2019. This year we will be focusing
specifically on everyone's right to read, particularly by urging
publishers to free students and educators from the unnecessary and
cumbersome restrictions that make their access to necessary course
materials far more difficult.
For years, products incorporating Digital Restrictions Management
(DRM) have been a plague upon the Web, and have gradually infiltrated
nearly every aspect of digital society. New developments have reminded
all of us that DRM is now more of a threat than ever. Many people were
impacted by Microsoft's Orwellian "ebook apocalypse," in which
thousands of books were forcibly deleted from ebook readers and
smartphones. Recently we have seen DRM extend its sinister influence
into education, especially in the form of "digital-first" textbooks
that put onerous restrictions on students that forbid them from
accessing the course materials they have bought, and the education
that they deserve. The "Netflix of textbooks" model practiced by the
major textbook publisher Pearson is a Trojan horse for education:
requiring a constant Internet connection for "authentication"
purposes, severely limiting the number of pages a student can read at
one time, and secretly collecting telemetric data on their reading
habits.
It is universally agreed that each person has a right to be educated
-- so why are major publishers like Pearson placing digital handcuffs
on students that make learning more difficult? This year, we will be
asking both corporations and everyday people alike to demonstrate
their commitment to education. For publishers like Pearson, that means
the immediate removal of DRM from any and all of their educational
materials. We will also be showing you how easy it is to make
contributions to ethical, freely licensed, and DRM-free textbooks by
sponsoring both Boston-area and remote hackathons.
DRM poses a serious threat to our collective cultural heritage, and
has wide-reaching implications for historical preservation. It also
severely limits what can be viewed "legitimately" by those in other
nations by putting an arbitrary location-based block on many different
kinds of media. In a world where companies like Pearson and
Amazon have the ability to make unauthorized books "disappear"
from all of their users' devices, it's not hard to imagine how this
power could be used for even greater injustices. Will the next ebook
apocalypse happen simply because a given book is too critical of its
publisher, or the country it's discussing? If works are made exclusive
to a digitally restricted platform, who knows what important works
will be lost the next time this happens?
For thirteen years, we have used IDAD to mobilize actions that stand
up for the freedom of users everywhere. This year, we'll be continuing
the fight by bringing in a round of in-person actions, guest bloggers,
organizing tips, and a few surprises that you won't want to
miss. Follow along with us at the Defective by Design Web site,
join the DRM Elimination Crew mailing list, and read about our
past actions, such as last year's IDAD, and our protest of the
W3C's decision to embed DRM into the core framework of the
Internet.
If you're new to the movement and looking for ways to avoid DRM, or
just want to learn more, take a look at our Guide to DRM-Free
Living. This year, we've updated it with lists of retailers to
avoid and ones to support, in addition to giving general tips on how
to tell whether a book, video, or piece of music is DRM-encumbered.
As we become ever more reliant on digital methods of accessing our
shared cultural history, the question of who controls that access and
how they control it becomes a crucial one. In standing up against DRM,
you are not only standing up for the rights of students and other readers now, but for
those in years to come. Our successes in past years could not have
happened without your help. Every voice raised in protest of DRM
weakens the hold it has on all of us. Together, we are confident that
we can end it once and for all.
How to participate
The easiest way to participate is to join us in going a Day Without
DRM, and resolve to spend an entire day (or longer!) without
Netflix, Hulu, and other restricted services to show your support of
the movement. Document your experiences on social media using the
tags "#idad" or "#dbd," and let us know at
[email protected] if you have a special story you'd like
us to share. Even more effective is to join up with others to make your voice
louder. We'll be providing activists around the world with support here
on how they can stage their own local in-person event, as well as
how to join us online while we help improve the free and ethical
alternatives to educational materials restricted by DRM. In Boston, we'll be leading the way with our own demonstration on
October 12th, 2019 at Pearson Education's corporate offices,
followed by an evening hackathon on collaborative, freely
licensed educational materials. Follow us on GNU social or Twitter (with caveats)
to stay posted on all the events we have planned, in addition to
more news items on how you can resist DRM. If you're IRC-inclined, join us in the #dbd channel on the
Freenode network for real-time chat and collaboration on DRM-related
actions. Join and take part in discussions on the DRM Elimination Crew
mailing list, where we'll be sending all of the information about
this year's campaign. Are you an organization or project interested in supporting
IDAD? We're looking for vendors of DRM-free media, organizations
that support the building of a DRM-free world, and those who believe
in the mission of DbD to participate by offering sales, writing blog
posts, organizing events, and sharing information with your members
about IDAD. Please contact us at [email protected] for more
information.
Solidarity,
Greg Farough
Campaigns Manager
Free Software Foundation |
