EC Digital Agenda leaks: Open Standards need your support!
What will be the European Commission’s policy towards the Internet, Free Software, Open Standards and related issues? So far we could only guess.
Now, David Hammerstein over at TACD has posted an excerpt of a leaked draft for a “Digital Agenda”. The person behind this is “Steely” Neelie Kroes, who used to be Commissioner for competition and now heads the Directorate General for Information Society (INFSO).
In her previous job, Kroes helped to open the European software market for Free Software – the Samba antitrust case is perhaps the most prominent example. She was also a stalwart backer of Open Standards.
Open Standards are important because they free users from lock-in, and let Free Software compete fairly in the market. They also promote innovation because they lower the bar to market entry.
In the Brussels policy scene, everyone has been trying to guess what Kroes would make of her new position. Today’s leaked document shows that shetakes her responsibility for the information society very seriously. Policy is never black-and-white, especially in Brussels. But this is as light-grey as it gets.
The term “Open Standard” will probably be at the centre of this controversy, and the definition will be hotly contested. For Free Software, a standard can only be considered open if it can be implemented by anyone without asking permission or paying royalties; if it is supported by multiple vendors; and developed in an open, participative process, among other things.
But Neelie Kroes needs support. Her ideas are under attack from other DGs, namely Trade, Commerce and Internal Market – these are traditionally more conservative. One of the things that are at issue here is a power struggle about which DG gets to be in charge of standardisation in Europe. If you need an illustration why control of standardisation matters, just look at the OOXML debacle.
So what to do? Groups and people who support Open Standards and Free Software should speak out in support of Kroes’ plans. Once we’ve seen the full document, not just the excerpt posted by David, it’s likely that privacy and net neutrality advocates will also want to support her.
Document Freedom Day on March 31 is a great opportunity to show your support for Open Standards and open document formats. Let’s win ourselves some freedom!