I'm Greg Farough, the campaigns manager of the Free Software Foundation (FSF). If you haven't heard from me in a while, it's because the campaigns team has been heads-down in researching the latest threats to software freedom and promoting real digital rights all over the globe. We've been particularly concerned with the glut of age verification bills springing up all over the United States and elsewhere; proposed bans on VPNs; and the ongoing, more general encroachment of proprietary software on all of our basic freedoms. We've also been preparing for this year's International Day Against DRM on July 17th. We do all of this to educate the public about free software; caution them against the latest "offerings" from Apple, Microsoft, and Google; steer them away from streaming dis-services; defend their privacy; and more. That amounts to sixteen(!) campaigns with just three full-time staff members.

The fight can seem overwhelming, especially in the wake of one specific social media titan and proprietary software slinger recently becoming the world's first trillionaire. What do three people at a small Massachusetts-based nonprofit have to compare against that? The answer is our principles.

For decades, the FSF has stuck to its message that users should be able to have full control over their machines. We cannot allow these freedoms to be limited based on anyone's age, location, sexual orientation, migration status, or any other characteristic some suit on a senate floor determines to be a good method of censoring the populace and limiting access to technology. Digital discrimination to any such extent is possible only with proprietary software.

We haven't departed from our principles — not once — and have instead been elaborating on the core message and implications for the last forty-one years. When it seems like each and every corporate monopoly around the world is in a race to shut down every meaningful way to copy, study, or even run the programs that power our digital lives, rest assured that the FSF is here to defend your right to compute.

But we can't do it alone. Since joining the FSF in 2019, I've seen my fair share of threats to free software come and go — but none have made me more worried about the future of free software than recent device-based age verification laws. Meaningful advocacy for software freedom requires funding. Your associate membership directly impacts the amount of work that Eko, Heshan, and I can do for the free software movement. In short, we need your help.

We know not everyone is in a position to give, but if you can, support our efforts by joining the FSF as an associate member. For $70 annually or $12 monthly, you can support our campaigning for a year. This isn't just about finances; it's about showing up in numbers. Please help us continue to protect software freedom and increase its global support. Every membership this summer will help us towards our goal of 175 new members. Associate members will also be able to enjoy all the member benefits.

There's something I've learned in my time working here and being involved with the free software movement generally. Nowhere else have I seen a community of such principled, dedicated people all together in one place and standing up for human liberty in technology. If anyone can turn the fate of the digital world around, it's this community.

Please join me in committing to freedom and supporting the FSF.