Device Neutrality: a sustainable way to safeguard control over digital devices (EN) (bub2022)

The number of devices on which we cannot run Free Software is exponentially increasing. We are loosing control over technology. This is bad not only for digital sovereignty but also for the environment. Device Neutrality aims to empower users to regaining control over devices by protecting them from discriminatory practices from manufacturers, services providers and internet platforms. While the use of digital devices is increasing and its dependence is growing, control over the hardware and access to the software layer is increasingly being limited by gatekeepers which grant access and control over devices in a discriminatory fashion. Device neutrality is the policy concept that users should have the right of non- discrimination of the services and software they use, based on platform control by hardware vendors, manufacturers and service providers. It is a concept that involves the fair and non-discriminatory use of Free Software in application and operating system layers of devices. The talk will contextualize Device Neutrality from the digital sustainability perspective. The focus will be the argument on how safeguarding neutrality over devices can produce benefits for the environment by fostering re-use of software and hardware, mitigating e-waste and, maybe most importantly, mitigating social injustices by empowering end-users to regain control over their own devices. about this event: https://fahrplan22.bits-und-baeume.org/bitsundbaeume/talk/HWE8DJ/