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Dear Free Software
Supporter,

For many of us, the holiday season is about bringing our loved ones
together to celebrate. Most of the time, this includes giving them a
neatly wrapped present or two. We go through the buying process
carefully, using a friend or family member's likes and dislikes to
sift through the Web and find the right item. But when choosing a tech
gift, we need to be careful to give them something that doesn't harm
them instead.

This is why we at the Free Software Foundation (FSF) publish our
[Ethical Tech Giving Guide][1] each year, as a way to help free
software supporters choose gifts that won't burden the people they
care about with proprietary software or venomous [Digital Restrictions
Management][2] (DRM). Devices may come and go, but introducing another
person to software freedom is the start of a lifelong journey.

[1]:[link removed]
[2]:[link removed]

We create resources like the [Ethical Tech Giving Guide][1]
to let others know that true freedom is dependent on software
freedom. [Our annual fundraiser is happening right now][3]. Will you
take the next step and become an associate member [today][4] to help
us reach our goal of welcoming 600 new associate members before
December 31st? As a special bonus, all new and renewing annual
associate members ($120+) can choose to receive one of our exclusive
year-end gifts. If you can't become a member yourself, you can make a
[donation][5] instead. Any amount appropriate for your household can
make a genuine difference. We also encourage you to share this Guide,
and our message, with friends.

[3]:[link removed]
[4]:[link removed]
[5]:[link removed]

The Giving Guide is a tool that will help you avoid the
temptation to get your loved ones the latest offerings from companies
like Apple or Amazon, whose business model revolves around subjecting
people to proprietary malware and surveillance. Digital personal
assistants and other devices running proprietary software did not
become the norm overnight. Rather, they achieved their popularity
through convincing one person at a time that they were useful. Tech
corporations have billions of marketing dollars to convince people to
use their products -- but our movement has more and more people every
day, who can make daily choices to *refuse* them, and deprive them of
power.

Computing in the free world received a major gift of its own this year
with our Respects Your Freedom (RYF) certification of the [Talos II
and Talos II Lite][8], mainboards that are based on the promising
POWER9 CPU architecture. The Talos mainboards and the POWER9
architecture are off to a great start where user freedoms are
concerned, and may in time replace the more restrictive X86
motherboards that are popular today. It's a great start for the next
phase of the RYF program, something we've taken into consideration
when making major improvements to its [Web site][9].

[8]:[link removed]
[9]:[link removed]

The [Purism Librem 5][10] cell phone is another exciting addition to
the Giving Guide this year: we're giving it a tentative recommendation
because the company has publicly committed to doing the right things
for prioritizing user freedom and privacy. We also have evaluated and
endorsed the operating system that the Librem 5 will run, the fully
free PureOS, and the phone is designed for maximum privacy, security,
and user freedom.

[10]:[link removed]

We are still strong in our resistance, and Apple, Microsoft, Netflix,
and company still haven't won the fight despite their efforts. The
free software movement continues on, and the FSF is still here to
fight for the freedom of computer users around the globe.

Share the Guide with your friends and family, and use it to give a few
gifts yourself! Just like the free software movement, the FSF
community is spread around the globe. Earlier this month we sent over
12,000 letters to supporters far and wide, and take our own holiday
joy in seeing how far the fight for a free society has come since its
humble beginnings. Although it's winter here in Boston, your sustained
support, feedback, and positivity helps us keep the free software
fires burning.

Happy hacking (and happy holidays),

Greg Farough
Campaigns Manager

--
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* Read about why we use Twitter, but only with caveats at <[link removed]>.
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* Join us as an associate member at <[link removed]>.
* Read our Privacy Policy at <[link removed]>.

Sent from the Free Software Foundation,

51 Franklin St, Fifth Floor
Boston, Massachusetts 02110-1335
United States


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