b/Free(dom) Software

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WHY FREE SOFTWARE? Because at Bioteket, we want to create a public space where we collaborate to create value for our community on our terms. The mission of Facebook (for example) is not to connect people. It is not to create a public square to empower citizens and communities to pursue our goals. Facebook is a private property whose only purpose is rent-seeking via monetization of the data of consumers that rely on it, and its structure reflects this to the detriment of our democracy. Free software allows us to create a public space online in which we are citizens rather than consumers. Just as we decide on the structure of our physical space and orient it towards our needs, we enact the same democratic will in our digital space. We have the right to use free software with no strings attached, to inspect how it functions, to configure it for our purposes, and to participate in its development. These are rights we naturally have with physical objects we own, and this is the relationship to our tools that befits free people. So welcome. Come use these tools, and help us to build a better world.