Freedom Internet
Freedom Internet has been an independent Internet Service Provider (ISP) since 2020. Freedom hosts internet, telephony, television and encrypted email services. Members may also register a domainname free of charge.[1]
The Dutch Consumentenbond reviewed them in september 2020 as 'secure non-profit internet'.[2]
History[edit]
Freedom ISP was established as a direct result of the discontinuation and consequent integration of the provider XS4ALL.
Until March 1st 2020 XS4ALL was an independent daughter of Dutch ISP KPN. Freedom Internet started as an online petition [3] to preserve XS4ALL in its original state as an independent daughter company.
When the mother company KPN did not change its mind about its plans to assimilate XS4ALL, the organising members of the petition started their plan to create a new ISP that preserved the values that the brand XS4ALL had come to represent.[4] As a result of the petition, KPN did decide to keep the brandname XS4ALL. The brandname XS4ALL continues to exist while administrative and technical infrastructure will finish being assimilated in early 2021.[5]
Administratively all XS4ALL services are serviced KPN since March 2020. Between end of 2020 and beginning of 2021 KPN will start to merge XS4ALL's technical infrastructure into its own technical infrastructure.[6]
Several of Freedom's employees have previously worked for XS4ALL.[7]
Organizational structure and corporate charter[edit]
Freedom Internet is structured as an independent company whose shares are owned by stichting Appeltaart, the Appeltaart foundation.[8]
The Appeltaart foundation was created as a series of checks and balances described in its corporate charter [9]. Next to all the members of the ISP, the Appeltaart foundation makes sure that there is transparency in such matters as, for example, choices for hardware and public affairs. The foundation also has a veto on any acquisitions by or from Freedom Internet, and will organise a yearly members meeting as well.
As part of being accountable to its members and the Appeltaart foundation, Freedom Internet loans its domain from the independent digital rights organisation Bits_of_Freedom Foundation.
If the domain reverts to Bits of Freedom, all members will still have access to their chosen domain and hosted emails.[10]
Where possible Freedom Internet uses Open Source Software, and employees are given time and resources to contribute to the Free and open-source software community.
When Freedom Internet makes a profit, the Appeltaart foundation will act as a fund from which initiatives for innovative and/or social solutions around the internet can be financed. [9]
The name of the Appeltaart foundation refers to fact that bringing apple pie (Appeltaart in Dutch) was a special work tradition within XS4ALL. Everyone who would inform XS4ALL of a security leak in its infrastructure would receive an apple pie as a thank you for doing the ethically right thing:[11]
Social involvement[edit]
Freedom Internet's social involvement with civil rights and digital privacy is partially written down in its corporate charter.[9]
In october 2020 Freedom Internet wrote about their support for The Privacy Collective in a lawsuit against tech companies Salesforce.com and Oracle Corporation [12].
Also in october 2020 they hosted the website for the Dutch corona mobile application for the Dutch Ministery of Health based on their hosting platform[13] Freedom Internet was previously involved in 2020 in efforts to make sure the development of the Dutch Corona App was as transparent, secure and privacy-conscious as possible. [14]
References[edit]
- ↑ "Domein registreren". Freedom.
- ↑ "Review: Freedom Internet internetprovider | Consumentenbond". www.consumentenbond.nl.
- ↑ "XS4ALL moet blijven". petities.nl.
- ↑ "Xs4all vecht voor Plan A en voor Plan B | Met welke Excel-sheet gaat Joost Farwerck z'n probleem oplossen? | Netkwesties". www.netkwesties.nl.
- ↑ "XS4ALL blijft na samenvoeging met KPN bestaan | XS4ALL Weblog".
- ↑ "DPG Media Privacy Gate". myprivacy.dpgmedia.nl.
- ↑ "Alle medewerkers". Freedom.
- ↑ "Stichting Appeltaart". Freedom.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 "Corporate charter". Freedom.
- ↑ "Hoe maakt Freedom Internet beloftes waar?". www.computable.nl.
- ↑ Stil, Herman (November 11, 2019). "Actiegroep 'Xs4all moet blijven' start provider Freedom Internet". Het Parool.
- ↑ "Steun voor The Privacy Collective groeit hard". Freedom.
- ↑ "Freedom Internet verzorgt hosting coronamelder.nl". Freedom.
- ↑ "Bescherm onze gezondheid, maar bescherm ook onze rechten". Veilig Tegen Corona.
External links[edit]
This article "Freedom Internet" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Freedom Internet. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
