FreedomBox

FreedomBox
Preview release
0.11 / September 29, 2016 (2016-09-29)
Type Encrypted proxy server
Website freedomboxfoundation.org

FreedomBox is a community project to develop, design and promote [1] [2] personal servers running free software for distributed social networking, email and audio/video communications.[3] The project was announced by Eben Moglen at the New York ISOC meeting on February 2, 2010.[4]

On February 4, 2011, Moglen formed the FreedomBox Foundation to become the organizational headquarters of the project,[5] and on February 18, 2011, the foundation started a campaign to raise $60,000 in 30 days on the crowdfunding service, Kickstarter.[6] The goal was met on February 22,[7] and on March 19, 2011, the campaign ended after collecting $86,724 from 1,007 backers.[6]

The project currently describes a FreedomBox as

“ a personal server running a free software operating system, with free applications designed to create and preserve personal privacy. ”

The developers aim to create and preserve personal privacy by providing a secure platform for building federated social networks.[8] This shall be done by creating a software stack that can run on plug computers that can easily be located in individual residences or offices. The software stack is currently at version 0.11.[9]

The hardware currently put forward for use with the FreedomBox software is explained on the Hardware[10] page. OSHW designs are preferred, like the Olimex A20 OLinuXino Lime 2[11] or the BeagleBone Black,.[12] Closed-source boards like the DreamPlug.,[13] Cubietruck[14] and the Raspberry Pi[15][16] are possible options, while more are on the way. Starting with the 0.6 release there is also a VirtualBox image, and as always, you can install FreedomBox on any clean, installed Debian box.

By promoting a decentralized deployment of hardware, the project hopes that FreedomBoxes will "provide privacy in normal life, and safe communications for people seeking to preserve their freedom in oppressive regimes."[17]

Releases

0.1
On 27 August 2012, the first "Developer Preview" was released. It focused on laying the architecture and infrastructure groundwork, rather than being a finished product. The image did nonetheless include the first completed tool, the FreedomBox's Privoxy, which may help to make a user's communications with websites more secure.[18]
0.2
On 16 March 2014, the second "developer" release was distributed. It is billed as representing "a significant maturation of the components ... and a big step forward for the project as a whole".[19][20] In the release notes it is also claimed that "Work has really been speeding up on the FreedomBox in 2014 ..."[20]
0.3
On 21 January 2015, the third release was distributed. It added support for the BeagleBone and for Tor Hidden Services.[21]
0.4
Skipped
0.5
August 7, 2015, news Apps and automatic patching added along with additional hardware images [22]
0.6
October 31, 2015, New applications, images for Raspberry Pi 2, completely revamped manual and ability to download software over Tor [9]
0.7
December 13, 2015, Full translations of the interface in Danish, Dutch, French, German and Norwegian Bokmål, and partial Telugu, Support for OLinuXino A20 MICRO and LIME2, and Plinth add OpenVPN, reStore
0.8
February 20, 2016, Added Quassel, an IRC client and Monkeysphere, which uses PGP web of trust for SSH host key verification. Added Let's Encrypt, Added repro, a SIP server for audio and video calls. And allow user usr their SSH key to log in instead of password.
0.9
April 24, 2016. Added Radicale, a CalDAV and CardDAV server. Added Minetest Server, a multiplayer infinite-world block sandbox. Added Tiny Tiny RSS, a news feed reader.
0.10
August 21, 2016. Added Tor options to toggle relay and bridge relay modes. Added access rights control to Radicale. Added basic support for configuring batman-adv mesh networking. Added 'Disks' to shows free space of mounted partitions, and allows expanding the root partition. Added 'Security' to control login restrictions. Added 'Snapshots' to manage Btrfs snapshots.
0.11
September 29, 2016: Added basic front page with shortcuts to web apps, and information about enabled services.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "FreedomBox/Manual". Debian Wiki. Retrieved 2016-10-06.
  2. ↑ "FreedomBox/Roadmap". Debian Wiki. Retrieved 2011-02-20.
  3. ↑ "What will Freedom Boxes do?". FreedomBox Foundation. Retrieved 2011-02-20.
  4. ↑ "Highlights of Eben Moglen's Freedom in the Cloud Talk". Software Freedom Law Center. Retrieved 2011-02-20.
  5. ↑ "Why Political Liberty Depends on Software Freedom More Than Ever". Software Freedom Law Center. Retrieved 2011-02-20. Yesterday in the United States, we formed the FreedomBox Foundation, which I plan to use as the [...] organizational headquarters [...]
  6. 1 2 "Push the FreedomBox Foundation from 0 to 60 in 30 days". Kickstarter. Retrieved 2011-02-20.
  7. ↑ "Thank you Kickstarters". The Freedom Foundation. Retrieved 2011-02-23.
  8. ↑ "Linux.conf.au 2012: FreedomBox's privacy". ZDNet. Retrieved 2012-01-19.
  9. 1 2 "FreedomBox-Releases". wiki.debian.org.
  10. ↑ "FreedomBox/Hardware - Debian Wiki". debian.org.
  11. ↑ "FreedomBox/Hardware/A20-OLinuXino-Lime2 - Debian Wiki". wiki.debian.org. Retrieved 2015-11-22.
  12. ↑ "FreedomBox/Hardware/BeagleBone - Debian Wiki". debian.org.
  13. ↑ "FreedomBox/TargetedHardware - Debian Wiki". debian.org.
  14. ↑ "FreedomBox/Hardware/Cubietruck - Debian Wiki". debian.org.
  15. ↑ "FreedomBox/Hardware/RaspberryPi - Debian Wiki". debian.org.
  16. ↑ "FreedomBox/Hardware/RaspberryPi2 - Debian Wiki". debian.org.
  17. ↑ "FreedomBox Foundation". Retrieved 2011-02-20.
  18. ↑
  19. ↑ "FreedomBox/ReleaseNotes - Debian Wiki". debian.org.
  20. 1 2 "FreedomBox-0.2". freedomboxfoundation.org.
  21. ↑ "FreedomBox/ReleaseNotes - Debian Wiki". debian.org.
  22. ↑ "FreedomBox-0.5". freedomboxfoundation.org.
  23. ↑ Natasha Lomas. "The Server Needs To Die To Save The Internet". TechCrunch. AOL.

Press reviews

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