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Dear DRM Elimination Crew,
*The Defective by Design campaign is a campaign sponsored by the [Free
Software Foundation][0] (FSF), a nonprofit organization dedicated to
ensuring that all computer users can work and play using software that
respects their freedom and autonomy. Keeping an eye on [Digital
Restrictions Management][1] (DRM) is just one of the ways we defend an
individual's rights in the digital world. We transform our digital
dissent into in-person actions, canvassing, and effective protests. We
couldn't do work like this without your support.*
[0]:[link removed]
[1]:[link removed]
DRM stepped up its game in 2019 when it comes to oppressing users.
The hydra of streaming media conglomerates gained an ugly new head in
the form of Disney+, and Pearson's latest attempt to [restrict access
to their textbooks][2] reminded us that even education can't escape
digital handcuffs. Over the years it's crept into our [coffee][3],
[spied on our habits][4], and may one day threaten [toast][5], but the
fight's not over yet.
[2]: [link removed]
[3]: [link removed]
[4]: [link removed]
[5]: [link removed]
As every aspect of our lives goes digital, there's no part of our
lifestyle that is safe from DRM. This gives us one of two choices.
Either we can go the analog route and stop trying to access the media
we care about in order to retain our freedom, or we can eliminate DRM
altogether. Looking back on 2019 and the thirteen-year history of the
Defective by Design campaign, we're confident that the best option is
the latter one.
Our goal may be ambitious, but it's not impossible to achieve. The
passion we've seen from anti-DRM activists [over][6] [the][7]
[years][8] has driven one point home: the only thing standing between
us and our objective is the billions of dollars corporations spend to
try and persuade us to trade freedom for convenience. But as every
underdog story shows, it's passion and not profit that wins in the
end. For instance, due to a large public outcry, Disney has
begrudgingly lowered the DRM level of its new streaming service. Yet
we won't rest until it's gone for good.
[6]:[link removed]
[7]:[link removed]
[8]:[link removed]
We spent this year on the frontlines in the fight against DRM.
Sometimes this was easier than at other times: the weather in Boston
for our [International Day Against DRM (IDAD)][9] wasn't quite as cold
as it was when we campaigned against Disney outside of local theaters
on the premiere of *Frozen II*. Just before moviegoers huddled inside
the theater, we were there to pass out fliers and start conversations
on the dangers of Disney+.
[9]:[link removed]
At the same time, we were invigorated by the support we've seen from
both individuals and organizations around the globe; at the time of
this writing, we're expecting to receive a shipment of 2,000 stickers
from an anti-DRM activist with a printing press. No matter how large
or small they are, these gestures of fiscal support add up to make an
enormous impact on our work.
Just as DRM infects many different areas of our digital lives, the
Defective by Design campaign spans multiple forms of media. In
addition to drawing the support of the Electronic Frontier Foundation,
Creative Commons, FSF Europe, and 11 other partner organizations in
the International Day Against DRM, we made a shareable book [dust
jacket][10] in nine different languages that activists around the
world have used to inform others of the grave threat ebook DRM poses
to our cultural legacy.
[10]:[link removed]
As steadfast as we are, the [FAANGs][11] of the hydra are getting even
sharper. DRM may have started out as a seemingly benign way for record
labels to make an extra buck at the expense of their listeners'
freedom, but like most bacteria, it began to take increasingly
sickening shapes and forms. Streaming services are growing more
popular by the day, and the companies behind them are developing ever
more insidious ways to restrict and spy on the people who purchase
their products.
[11]: [link removed]
*[The FSF's annual fundraiser is happening right now][12]. If you're
able to, please consider making another donation to the Defective by
Design campaign through [its dedicated sponsorship page][13]. Every
dollar you contribute helps us stand up against restriction for
artists, listeners, and every member of digital society.*
[12]:[link removed]
[13]:[link removed]
*If you can go the extra mile and support the vital work of the Free
Software Foundation in other campaigns, please become an associate
member to help us strengthen our ability to campaign effectively for
user freedom! As a special bonus, all new and renewing annual
associate members ($120+) can choose to receive one of our exclusive
[year-end gifts][12].*
The commitment of our community fuels our own. It's your feedback that
helps us update the [Guide to DRM-Free Living][16], [your financial
giving][17] that keeps our lights on, and your dedication to a world
without DRM that inspires our passion against all odds. Together we
can push the fight against DRM forward, and design a future that isn't
defective.
[16]:[link removed]
[17]:[link removed]
In solidarity,
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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Defective by Design is a campaign of the Free Software Foundation:
51 Franklin St, Fifth Floor
Boston, Massachusetts 02110-1335
United States
