15 September 2010, 15:55

FSFE campaigns against governmental PDF reader bias

The Free Software Foundation Europe has started a campaign to encourage the recognition and use of free PDF readers by government departments. The FSFE say that despite the availability of many non-proprietary alternatives, the majority of European government web sites recommend and / or provide links to download the Adobe Reader. They claim that governmental attitudes to PDF readers are similar to having motorway entry signs that say “You need a Volkswagen to drive on this road. Contact your Volkswagen dealer for a gratis test drive". Karsten Gerloff, president of FSFE said "Every time that state websites link to non-free applications and encourage visitors to use them, they needlessly encourage citizens to throw away their freedom".

The FSFE encourage all concerned citizens to join the pdfreaders.org bug hunt runs until October the 17th examining government sites for PDF reader bias and to sign a petition page on the FSFE web site against government use of proprietary PDF readers.

(trk)

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