Software freedom – Purism https://puri.sm/ High-quality computers that protect your freedom and privacy Wed, 01 Oct 2025 18:29:47 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.28 https://puri.sm/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/cropped-purism-logo-rectangle-1-32x32.png Software freedom – Purism https://puri.sm/ 32 32 Purism Approach vs. Google Model https://puri.sm/posts/purism-approach-vs-google-model/ Tue, 23 Sep 2025 14:24:00 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=84519 The Justice Department and a coalition of states are pursuing antitrust action against Google, accusing it of running monopolistic ad-tech systems that exploit users and lock out competition. Regulators are weighing remedies that could force structural changes to Google’s ad empire.

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]]> Spotify “Panama” Leak Is a Wake-Up Call for Digital Privacy https://puri.sm/posts/spotify-panama-leak-is-a-wake-up-call-for-digital-privacy/ Fri, 19 Sep 2025 17:00:10 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=84360 The New York Times recently reported that a hacker using the pseudonym “Tim” scraped publicly available data from Spotify and published it on his own website. Using automated bots, “Tim” harvested user playlists — many of them tied to identifiable names, locations, and even personal notes in titles or descriptions.

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]]> Closing the App Gap; Focus and Momentum https://puri.sm/posts/closing-the-app-gap-momentum-and-time/ Tue, 09 Sep 2025 15:51:50 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=83717 Purism set extremely ambitious goals starting with its founding as a Social Purpose Company—putting protecting digital rights above profit, putting individual freedom above controlling users, inventing and innovating GNU/Linux for mobile, creating the first truly convergent OS (PureOS), to shipping the first phone with Made in USA Electronics. The constant throughout the entire company is a belief that people should be in control of their technology. This belief is also extremely valuable to organizations and agencies who need the security provided by controlling their devices fully.

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]]> The Quiet Revolution: GNU/Linux Crosses 6% Desktop Market Share—And It’s Just the Beginning https://puri.sm/posts/the-quiet-revolution-gnu-linux-crosses-6-desktop-market-share-and-its-just-the-beginning/ Fri, 29 Aug 2025 01:21:31 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=84000 For decades, the phrase “Year of the Linux Desktop” has been tossed around like a tech industry punchline. But now, it’s no longer a meme—it’s a movement. According to the U.S. government’s own analytics, GNU/Linux has officially crossed the 6% threshold in desktop usage. That’s not hype. That’s hard data.

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]]> Germany Puts Microsoft on Watch—Why PureOS Offers a Safer, More Transparent Alternative https://puri.sm/posts/germany-puts-microsoft-on-watch-why-pureos-offers-a-safer-more-transparent-alternative/ Mon, 21 Jul 2025 15:39:07 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=83684 In a major move that underscores rising global concern over Big Tech power, Germany’s Federal Cartel Office (FCO) has officially designated Microsoft as having "paramount significance for competition across markets." This rare designation opens the door for closer scrutiny and intervention by German regulators—especially around Microsoft’s growing role in artificial intelligence and its tightly woven ecosystem of services.

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]]> Apple Moves iPhone Production to India—Purism Has Been Leading the Way for Years https://puri.sm/posts/apple-moves-iphone-production-to-india-purism-has-been-leading-the-way-for-years/ Thu, 15 May 2025 17:10:32 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=83026 Apple is accelerating its shift of iPhone production from China to India, aiming for a complete transition by 2026.

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]]> The Importance of Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) https://puri.sm/posts/the-importance-of-software-bill-of-materials-sbom/ Fri, 21 Mar 2025 14:02:56 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=82807 The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has been at the forefront of enhancing software supply chain security through its Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) initiatives. The SBOM is a comprehensive inventory of all components, libraries, and dependencies used in software development. This transparency is crucial for identifying potential vulnerabilities and mitigating risks associated with software supply chains.

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]]> Freedom of Choice vs. Oppression of Big Tech https://puri.sm/posts/freedom-of-choice-vs-oppression-of-big-tech/ Wed, 06 Nov 2024 17:13:31 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=82572 The modern smartphone landscape is dominated by a handful of technology giants, whose influence extends far beyond their own ecosystems. Unlike in the heyday of the PC revolution where multiple companies fought tooth and nail for market share by differentiating on feature functionality as well as price – offering a plethora of alternatives – today’s smartphone landscape is dominated by two main players: Apple’s IOS and Google’s Android.

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]]> The Case for Free/Libre and Open-Source Software: Enhancing Security and Privacy in the Digital Age https://puri.sm/posts/the-case-for-free-libre-and-open-source-software-enhancing-security-and-privacy-in-the-digital-age/ Tue, 22 Oct 2024 20:23:39 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=82548 Given the 21st century world’s reliance on digital technology, it should go without saying that privacy and security are pressing concerns — for individuals as well as federal and corporate entities. With an abundance of tools at our disposal, however, how do we make informed decisions about which to use to best ensure sensitive information is safe from prying eyes? At Purism, we advocate for the use of Free/Libre and Open-Source Software (FLOSS / OSS) as a cornerstone of any secure and private digital environment.

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]]> Smartphones Leaking Data https://puri.sm/posts/smartphones-leaking-data/ Wed, 18 Sep 2024 19:45:36 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=82417 When you use smartphones from big tech companies, you’re often trading your privacy for convenience. These devices are designed to collect vast amounts of data about you, from your location to your browsing habits, and even your conversations. This data is then used to build detailed profiles that are sold to advertisers, used to exploit you, and even handed over to government agencies without your knowledge nor consent.

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]]> Phone Kernel Development at Purism https://puri.sm/posts/phone-kernel-development-at-purism/ Mon, 19 Aug 2024 00:05:22 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=82328 At its core, the kernel is the fundamental layer of the operating system, acting as a bridge between the hardware and software. It manages system resources, handles memory allocation, and facilitates communication between applications and the hardware. Without a robust and efficient kernel, even the most advanced smartphone would struggle to perform basic tasks.

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]]> Purism Puts You in Control of Your Smartphone! https://puri.sm/posts/controlling-you-by-smartphone-is-a-reality-but-not-with-purism/ Tue, 05 Dec 2023 15:31:58 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=80936 There is a good reason why Purism does not require PureOS end users to click “I Agree” to accept intrusive terms of use that give up all control to either Google (for Android) or Apple (for iOS). When you buy a smartphone manufactured by Purism, such as the Liberty Phone (with Made in USA Electronics) […]

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]]> PureOS 10.3 Power Optimization https://puri.sm/posts/pureos-10-3-power-optimization/ Mon, 12 Jun 2023 16:51:02 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=79637 With PureOS 10.3, power saving and new goodies is the name of the game. Most companies abandon hardware soon after launch, but we have a different approach with the Librem 5.  With every upgrade to PureOS we push on the Librem 5, the more the device can do and the more efficient it gets. One […]

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]]> DHS Security Report: Data Security & Privacy At The OS Level https://puri.sm/posts/dhs-security-report-data-security-privacy-at-the-os-level/ Mon, 05 Jun 2023 18:38:39 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=79467 Data security and end user privacy requires focusing on the operating system (OS) that supports smartphones, tablet PCs, connected products, IoT/IIoT devices, wearable tech, and PCs. The Problem- Leaky Operating Systems and Intrusive Apps Intrusive app and social media developers, plus nation-state hackers, know that one of the largest gateways to the smartphone or PC […]

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]]> Purism Announcing Director of Product François Téchené https://puri.sm/posts/purism-announcing-director-of-product-francois-techene/ Wed, 17 May 2023 16:58:51 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=79317 It brings me great joy to announce the elevation of a longstanding Purism employee to the critically important role of Director of Product—François Téchené—the second employee hired to Purism. Filling this role accomplishes a lot of things for us; but filling this role with someone of François’s caliber accomplishes all the things we need and […]

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]]> Introducing Flatpaks on PureOS https://puri.sm/posts/introducing-flatpaks-on-pureos/ Thu, 13 Apr 2023 11:18:20 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=79006 If you are using PureOS or any other GNU/Linux distribution you’re probably already familiar with Flatpaks, but if not, here’s a short introduction: Flatpak is a convenient way to distribute apps on GNU/Linux. It allows for a much faster development cycle compared to other distribution systems and it increases security, because software runs inside a […]

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]]> Swinging Back to Open Standards https://puri.sm/posts/swinging-back-to-open-standards/ Thu, 17 Nov 2022 17:01:18 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=76401 History is a series of pendulum swings between opposite extremes. A generation moves in a certain direction, and the next generation reacts based on the consequences (often rejecting it). Eventually a new generation appears that never directly experienced the consequences and lessons from the previous generations, who then moves back toward that direction and the […]

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]]> Thank You For Joining Us https://puri.sm/posts/thank-you-for-joining-us/ Mon, 12 Sep 2022 16:34:50 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=75897 It has been a long and difficult journey to build a freedom- and privacy-respecting phone like the Librem 5. While the end of this journey is in sight, we aren’t quite there yet, and I wanted to take some time to do something we should do more often: acknowledge and thank all of you who […]

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]]> Google Ads, Apple Ads, while Purism Adds https://puri.sm/posts/google-ads-apple-ads-while-purism-adds/ Thu, 18 Aug 2022 16:12:00 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=75724 Google has long abused digital rights through its tracking, privacy invasion, and ads business. Apple—while inaccurately claiming they care about privacy—has seen significant growth in its own ads business. Most recently this was highlighted how Apple utilizes anti-competitive language to promote their own ads business over third parties. Apple uses a loophole in the ATT […]

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]]> Privacy Washing: Do As I Say, Not As I Do https://puri.sm/posts/privacy-washing-do-as-i-say-not-as-i-do/ Fri, 29 Apr 2022 15:16:18 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=74866 People care about their privacy. Some have doubted this in the past, pointing to the amount of personal information people willingly shared, often in exchange for free software or services. Yet I’ve long thought that many people simply were not aware of the privacy implications of sharing their data and how it could be misused […]

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]]> The Future of Social Media Depends on You https://puri.sm/posts/the-future-of-socialmedia/ Wed, 20 Apr 2022 18:38:02 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=74754 What if social media platforms like Twitter did not force-feed a perpetual stream of manipulated content specifically targeting you? What if they did not track you at all? Or sell to you or monetize your data? As the conversation intensifies over the ownership of Twitter and its future, we really have to think about whether […]

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]]> A Vision in Focus https://puri.sm/posts/a-vision-in-focus/ Tue, 05 Apr 2022 21:03:43 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=74549 It’s the start of a new era at Purism. With the announcement of my new role as President, I thought I should share a bit about my background at Purism, my thoughts on the vision Purism captured in its Social Purpose charter, how we’ve approached that vision so far, and how I see us working […]

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]]> Freedom From Coercion https://puri.sm/posts/freedom-from-coercion/ Wed, 30 Mar 2022 14:58:54 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=74520 This past week, as part of escalating sanctions between the West and Russia because of the war in Ukraine, the FCC added the security company Kaspersky (creator of the popular Kaspersky Anti-Virus software) to its “security threat list” which means products from that company aren’t eligible for FCC funds. It’s important to note that this […]

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]]> More than A Phone: How Purism Advocates Digital Security https://puri.sm/posts/purism-digital-security/ Mon, 21 Mar 2022 20:43:53 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=73165 Founded in 2014 by Todd Weaver, Purism started with the drive to have a secure future by honoring and protecting digital rights and privacy. Today, Purism is a powerful example of a founder-led Social Purpose Corporation that continues to keep digital rights and privacy at the core of its design. Its portfolio of technology products offer a market-based solution […]

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]]> I (Finally) Fired Google https://puri.sm/posts/i-finally-fired-google/ Fri, 11 Feb 2022 17:44:52 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=74052 While I have been working for many years to remove all aspects of Google from my personal life, it was only this past week that I replaced the final piece. As of this week I have finally fired Google. It wasn’t easy, and in this post I’ll tell my story of how tightly Google was […]

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]]> Video Editing on Linux Featuring Librem 14 https://puri.sm/posts/video-editing-on-linux-featuring-librem-14/ Thu, 27 Jan 2022 01:02:46 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=73887 Video editing is a complex topic with a wide-range of software to choose from. In this series, produced with Gardiner Bryant, we will cover some of the common video editing suites available for Linux. We will then jump into some of the other software that you can choose when producing multimedia content on Linux. Instead of just […]

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]]> To Byzantium and Beyond https://puri.sm/posts/to-byzantium-and-beyond/ Mon, 24 Jan 2022 17:59:57 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=73762 PureOS has had some major changes in 2021 PureOS 10, codename: Byzantium, is the new stable release of PureOS. PureOS 10 is likely not a newcomer to everyone, it’s been around for a while as a rolling release or a “testing” release. It has been shipping on Purism’s new hardware. We’ve moved our kernel forward. […]

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]]> Beyond Right to Repair https://puri.sm/posts/beyond-right-to-repair/ Mon, 01 Nov 2021 20:31:26 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=73010 Pick a random consumer device lying around your house and imagine someone coming across it after 70 years of neglect. Part of the device no longer works. Would they be able to fix it? Today, devices are designed to be cheap, short-lived and disposable. The assumption is that if something you buy breaks, the only […]

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]]> How Purism Funds Free Software https://puri.sm/posts/how-purism-funds-free-software/ Mon, 18 Oct 2021 17:41:23 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=72740 Free software isn’t free. Free software geeks love to correct people by saying that the “free” in “free software” refers to freedom (libre), not cost (gratis). We even join in this word play at Purism by naming our laptops Librem–a combination of the words libre (freedom) and librum (book). Whether free software is written as […]

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]]> Locked In Your Home https://puri.sm/posts/locked-in-your-home/ Fri, 01 Oct 2021 16:26:57 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=72927 What brand is your home? Do you live in a Google, Apple, or Amazon house? Because in a modern “smart home” you may choose only one, and that choice locks you into dependence on only that vendor and its approved partners for any future appliances and home gadgets. Your “AI” voice assistant may talk to […]

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