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With the holidays, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday on the horizon, we know that a lot of you are on the lookout for cool tech gifts to thrill your loved ones. However, we also know that you don't want to trap them with proprietary software and insidious technologies like Digital Restrictions Management (DRM).
Thankfully, we at the Free Software Foundation (FSF) research the best user freedom-respecting products available. We're excited to share these with you in the 2017 Ethical Technology Giving Guide.
Over the past year, the number of Respects Your Freedom certified products increased dramatically. We saw renewed enthusiasm for creating DRM-free art, games, and media. We read great books, tried out new toys, and found even more things to share in the Guide than before.
This year's Giving Guide includes mobile phones, laptops, desktops, wireless accessories, books, games, music, movies, and a list of nonprofit charities who are working hard to protect your rights online, in digital spaces, and in your devices. Sellers are offering discounts for users of the Guide and FSF members.
If you're looking for something a bit more lo-fi, you can head over to the GNU Press Shop. We've got a brand new scarf and hat set to keep you warm this winter, and plenty of tees to keep you stylish through this summer (if you're in the Southern Hemisphere). As always, FSF members get a 20% discount at the GNU Press Shop.
When you're buying gifts this year, please remember that we're not just trying to protect ourselves from spyware, surveillance, and other threats brought on by proprietary software. This encroachment of our rights as users doesn't just affect us. It's not enough to choose to not buy Google Home or Amazon Alexa for ourselves -- we need to help keep these proprietary technologies out of the homes of our families, friends, and loved ones. We can do this by educating them about threats and helping them make better choices -- and to give you a hand, we've included talking points with each Giving Guide item to explain why the proprietary alternative is a bad buy.
Share the Guide with your friends and use it yourself! While we understand if you want to keep your gifts a surprise, we hope you'll consider sharing how the Guide directed your choices this year on social media, or by emailing us at the FSF.
Happy holidays and happy hacking!