Bonum Certa Men Certa

FSFE, CCC, Erik Albers & secret punishments

posted by Roy Schestowitz on Apr 03, 2024

[Article 1.5 years old]

Reprinted with permission from the Free Software Fellowship.

At CCC in December 2017, an FSFE volunteer, Michael Kappes (MajestyX) distributed a leaflet with the slogan "FUCK GOOGLE FSFE". We are leaking the full email below.

(Twitter, Gnusocial, Ubuntu, BeLUG).

There is a Twitter hashtag #fuckgooglefsfe

For writing these three words, Michael was subjected to a three month exclusion from the FSFE local group in Berlin.

Michael wrote a blog with his side of the story and it vanished. Censorship.

It looks like many of his online profiles have gone dark. We don't know where he is. There is a close correlation between extreme isolation punishments and suicides. There are too many suicides in free, open source software.

When Germans like Erik Albers behave like this and impose punishments, the world needs to worry.

Volunteers like Michael donate approximately thirty percent of the FSFE budget. Albers is there to serve us. He has no right to give us orders.

The key point to note here is that the volunteer stopped distributing the leaflets at the FSFE booth and distributed them from another location in the CCC. Albers and FSFE have no right to interfere in the work of activists outside their FSFE booth. Following volunteers around the CCC is stalking.

Here is the Susanne Bücherratten email to censor Michael Kappes:

From: Susanne Bücherratten (ratten) <ratten@buecherratten.in-berlin.de>
Date: Mon, Jan 1, 2018, 19:48
Subject: Konsequenzen
To: <berlin@lists.fsfe.org>, Erik Albers <eal@fsfe.org>

Hallo Alle zusammen,
ich hab nach dem 34c3 nach gedacht, vor allem über das was dort passiert ist. Ich habe beschlossen mich zu schützen und nicht mehr an den Aktivität der FSFE teilzunehmen. Ich bin nicht gegen die FSFE oder die Ziele der FSFE und ich habe die FSFE immer gerne unterstützt und würde es auch weiterhin gerne tun. Jedoch habe ich gemerkt, das ich aus dem was beim 34c3 passiert ist, Konsequenzen für mich ziehen muss. Ich kann und will es nicht mit unterstützen oder tollerieren, wenn sich eine Person aus meiner Sicht und Wahrnehmung so der massen schädlich verhält, wie das auf dem 34c3 der Fall war. Ich möchte betonen das dies meine Sicht und Wahrnehmung ist und die entsprechende Person dies mit Sicherheit vollkommen anders sieht. Ich habe mich bestimmt nicht in allen Punkten auf dem 34c3 richtig verhalten, vorallem was das Verhalten dieser Person und mein daraus resultierendes Verhalten betrifft. Für mich ist dieser Schritt eine Sache von Selbstschutz und Gewissen, daher bin ich nicht bereit darüber zu diskutieren und möchte euch daher bitten meinen Schritt zu respektieren. Ich ziehe diese Konsequenz nicht leichtfertig und mit schwerem Herzen, sehe für mich aber keine andere Möglichkeit.
Ich melde mich hiermit auch von der Mailing-Liste ab.
Mit freundlichen Grüßen
Susanne _______________________________________________ Berlin mailing list Berlin@lists.fsfe.org https://lists.fsfe.org/mailman/listinfo/berlin

and here is the private email from Erik Albers where he admits making punishments:

Subject: Re: [GA] Fwd: Konsequenzen
Date: Tue, 2 Jan 2018 14:12:54 +0100
From: Erik Albers <eal@fsfe.org>
To: ga@lists.fsfe.org

Hi Mirko, everyone,
please excuse my brevity as I am on vacation. I wonder why this should be handled by the GA but your call for action now drives me to explain the situation briefly and put in my 2 cents. Please respect that I am on vacation and that I cannot follow up the discussion properly.
On 02.01.2018 07:59, Mirko Boehm wrote: > Hello, > >> On 2. Jan 2018, at 02:02, Albert Dengg <albert@fsfe.org> wrote: >> >> does anybody actually know what she is refering to? >> >> (i spennt only very little time at the fsfe assembly, but i would >> have thought if something really grave happend somebody would ahve >> mentionend something? > > > I know nothing more than the original mail sent to the Berlin list. I believe that a) we need to make sure we are all on the same page regarding to what happened,
one of our supporters was acting like a wolf in sheep's clothing. While he was on one hand behind the booth to sell merchandise, he on the other hand spread self-made print-outs about "#fuckgooglefsfe" to criticise that FSFE accepts donations by google. (the print-outs were fortunately so bad and cryptic I doubt someone could understand what they are saying)
Despite him insisting on his freedom of opinion, I forbid that person to spread these print-outs around the booth.
The person in question is member of the local FSFE group. This local FSFE group has been forming half of the assembly-crew. I tried to integrate their thoughts/feelings in my decision. All of them did not see harm in his presence himself but only in the print-outs. Some of them were even saying is doing a good job behind the booth.
The next day I got aware that there have been print-outs at the tea-house which was like 20m away from our assembly. I then gave the person in question order to stay away from the booth because I told him before to not spread his print-outs around the assembly.
As a compromise ("you have to use violence to get me away from here" ...) I did let him stay around the booth but I did not allow him anymore to be behind the assembly as a booth-team-member.
I was told however, that in the next morning, when I was still away from the assembly, the person in question was acting behind the booth for a while together with someone else from the Berlin local group. But as long as I was there he was not allowed to participate anymore and he did not.
So much about what happened.
Now to the criticism brought up by Susanne: Already at the event, Susanne complained about his behavior and that he is harming the FSFE. I agreed with her and did what I was explaining above.
As a sidenote, Susanne is in personal care and was at the CCC with a professional assistant. Both of them - Susanne and the person in charge - are very emotional. I now feel very sad that Susanne feels like having to take such consequences. But I also think that this is the consequence of a pre-existing personal conflict between the two persons and actions during CCC were simply the last straw.
After my vacations I am open for discussions and suggestions about how to handle this situation best. But after reviewing it now after three days I still think I was handling the situation to the best of one's knowledge.
The situation required to balance the group spirit (as said, I consequently asked the other team members about the person behaviour and got zero support for throwing him out) former reactions of the person in charge (so I only forbid him to act as a team-member but not to generally not be present around the booth) and things he actually is allowed to do (well ... yes, he is allowed to spread print-outs on the tables around the booth).
Other or more dramatic reactions from my side could have made the situation better - but they also could have made the situation worse.
> and that b) any such situation needs to be reviewed and possibly handled by the GA.
can you please explain me why you think so?
We have a CARE team for CoC conflicts and a Fellowship coordinator as well as two community representatives and with @coordinators a representation of our most active community members. I really wonder why you think we now should handle personal conflicts between community members on a GA level?
> If I am connecting the right names and faces here, Susanne attended the Berlin community meeting recently and is a long-time, if not super-active contributor.
long-time yes, super-active not.
Best regards, Erik
-- No one shall ever be forced to use non-free software Erik Albers | Communication & Community Coordinator | FSFE OpenPGP Key-ID: 0x8639DC81 on keys.gnupg.net _______________________________________________ GA mailing list GA@lists.fsfe.org https://lists.fsfe.org/mailman/listinfo/ga

Here is the email about the punishment:

Subject: Re: [GA] Fwd: Konsequenzen
Date: Fri, 26 Jan 2018 17:13:07 +0100
From: Erik Albers <eal@fsfe.org>
To: Jonas Oberg <jonas@fsfe.org>
CC: ga@lists.fsfe.org

Hi Jonas,
On 23.01.2018 11:44, Jonas Oberg wrote: >> We will report after that.
There have been even more CoC breaches by this person on our mailing list recently but I do not see the need going so much into detail. The CARE informed the person in question to be exluded from any local meet-ups for three months and that he is put on moderation on all FSFE mailing lists in the same time. His access to his blog is also deactivated for 6 months and he is not allowed to participate in any official FSFE representation, including but not limited to participate in booths or give talks in the name of FSFE.
> Thank you! Once this is resolved, perhaps we can then discuss vacation > times and ensure that a majority of the CARE team is always reachable > -- enlargening or having deputy CARE team members if needed to facilitate > that.
I think the CARE team could profit from having more volunteers so it is not seen as a staffers tool for sanctioning.
Best, Erik
-- No one shall ever be forced to use non-free software Erik Albers | Communication & Community Coordinator | FSFE OpenPGP Key-ID: 0x8639DC81 on keys.gnupg.net _______________________________________________ GA mailing list GA@lists.fsfe.org https://lists.fsfe.org/mailman/listinfo/ga

Other Recent Techrights' Posts

Microsoft's Bing Falls to Fourth in the Europe/Asia-Based Turkey, Share Halved Since LLM Hype, Now Only 1% (Sometimes Less)
Turkey (Eurasia) is another example of Microsoft failing with LLM hype and just burning a lot of energy in vain (investment without returns)
Backlash and Negative Press After Microsoft Tells Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) People to DIE
Follow-up stories
Censorship as Signal of Opportunity for Reform
It remains sad and ironic that Wikileaks outsourced so much of its official communications to Twitter (now X)
The World Wide Web Has Been Rotting for Years (Quality, Accuracy, and Depth Consistently Decreasing)
In the past people said that the Web had both "good" and "bad" and that the good outweighed the bad
Comoros: Windows Plunges to Record Low of About 6% in Country of a Million People (in 2010 Windows Was 100%)
Many of these people earn a few dollars a day; they don't care for Microsoft's "Hey Hi PC" hype
The Mail (MX) Server Survey for July 2024 Shows Microsoft Collapsing to Only 689 Servers or 0.17% of the Whole (It Used to be About 25%)
Microsoft became so insignificant and the most astounding thing is how the media deliberate ignores it or refuses to cover it
Windows Down From 98.5% to 22.9% in Hungary
Android is up because more people buy smaller mobile devices than laptops
Microsoft Windows in Algeria: From 100% to Less Than 15%
Notice that not too long ago Windows was measured at 100%. Now? Not even 15%.
Microsoft Windows "Market Share" in New Zealand Plunges to 25%
Android rising
SUSE Goes Aryan: You May Not Use the Germanic Brand Anymore (It's Monopolised by the Corporation)
Worse than grammar Nazis
Gratis But Not Free as in Freedom: How Let's Encrypt is Dying in Geminispace
Let's Encrypt is somewhat of a dying breed where the misguided CA model is shunned
 
Fedora Week of Diversity (FWD) 2024 Attracting 0.01% of the IBM Staff "Was a Success"
They expect volunteers (unpaid slaves) to do the PR for them...
African's Largest Population (Nigeria) Approaching 80% Android "Market Share" Amid Steady Monthly Increases While Microsoft Has Mass Layoffs in Nigeria
Microsoft- and Apple-sponsored Western (or English-speaking) media chooses to ignore that or treat it as irrelevant (a racist disposition in its own right)
[Meme] The Warlord's Catspaw
Thugs that troll us
Microsoft Misogyny Will be the Fall of Microsoft (Covering Up for Misogynists is a Huge Mistake and Highly Misguided Short-term Strategy)
Microsoft's undoing may in fact be its attitude towards women
Red Hat Keeps Behaving Like a Microsoft Reseller (for Proprietary Stuff!), Microsoft Employees as Authors in redhat.com
In some ways this reminds us of Novell
UEFI 'Secure Boot' Once Again Bricking PCs and Fake Security Models Are Perishing in Geminispace
Let's Encrypt has just fallen again
Links 17/07/2024: New Attacks on the Press, European Patents Squashed Even at Kangaroo Court (UPC)
Links for the day
Gemini Links 17/07/2024: Proponents of Censorship and New Arrivals at Gemini
Links for the day
Links 17/07/2024: School Budget Meltdown and Modern Cars as Tracking Nightmares
Links for the day
This Should Certainly be Illegal, But the Person Who Helped Microsoft Do This is Still Attacking the Critics of It
perhaps time for an "I told you so post"
[Meme] A Computer With an Extra Key on the Keyboard Isn't Everyone's Priority
(so your telling me meme)
Africa as an Important Reminder That Eradicating Microsoft Doesn't Go Far Enough
Ideally, if our top goal is bigger than "get rid of Microsoft", we need to teach people to choose and use devices that obey them, not GAFAM
Billions of Computers Run Linux and Many Use Debian (or a Derivative of It)
many devices never get updated or even communicate with the Net, so exhaustive tallies are infeasible
[Meme] Microsoft is Firing
Don't worry, Microsoft will have some new vapourware coming soon
More DEI (or Similar) Layoffs on the Way, According to Microsoft Team Leader
What happened shortly before Independence Day wasn't the end of it, apparently
[Meme] Many Volunteers Now Realise the "Open" in "OpenSUSE" or "openSUSE" Was Labour-Mining
Back to coding, packaging and testing, slaves
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Tuesday, July 16, 2024
IRC logs for Tuesday, July 16, 2024
[Meme] Ein Factory
A choice between "masters" (or "master race") is a false choice that results in mass exploitation and ultimately eradication (when there's little left to exploit)
Links 17/07/2024: Open Source Initiative Lies and Dark Net Thoughts
Links for the day
Media Distorting Truth to Promote Ignorance
online media is rapidly collapsing
Android Rises to New Highs of Almost 80% in Cameroon
How many dozens of nations will see Windows at under 10% this coming winter?
Links 16/07/2024: TikTok Ban in Europe and Yandex Split
Links for the day
Gemini Links 16/07/2024: On Packrafting and on Trump Shot
Links for the day
[Meme] Firefox Users Who Think They Know Better Than Mozilla
Enjoy Firebook
Firefox Used to Have About Half the Market in Switzerland, But It Doesn't Stand a Chance Anymore (Chrome Surging This Summer)
Mozilla has managed to alienate some of the biggest fans of Firefox
Microsoft's Biggest Losses Are in Europe This Summer
Microsoft's ability to milk a relatively rich Europe is fast diminishing
How to Make Software Suck and Discriminate Against People at the Same Time
ageism glorified
Bing Was at 2.6% in Russia When LLM Hype Started. Now It's Down to 0.8% (for 3 Months in a Row Already)
The sharp fall of Bing may mean that exiting the Russian market won't matter to anybody
[Meme] Microsoft Seems to be Failing to Comply With WARN Act (by Refusing to Announce Mass Layoffs as They Happen)
since when does Microsoft obey the law anyway?
Microsoft Layoffs Are Still Too Frequent to Keep Abreast of and Properly (or Exhaustively) Classify
The "HR" department knows what's happening, but whistleblowers from there are rare
Bahamas Joined the "5% Windows" Club
statCounter only traces back about 1 in 20 Web requests to Windows
Links 16/07/2024: Salesforce Layoffs and Microsoft's DMARC Fail
Links for the day
Antenna Abuse and Gemini Abuse (Self-hosting Perils)
Perhaps all this junk is a sign of Gemini growing up
Possibly Worse Than Bribes: US Politicians and Lawmakers Who Are Microsoft Shareholders
They will keep bailing out Microsoft to bail themselves out
The Software Freedom Conservancy Folks Don't Even Believe in Free Speech and They Act As Imposters (Also in the Trademark Arena/Sense)
Software Freedom Conservancy was already establishing a reputation for itself as a G(I)AFAM censor/gatekeeper
Djibouti Enters the Windows "10% Club" (Windows Was 99% in 2010)
In Africa in general Microsoft lost control
GNU/Linux Share Doubled in the United States of America (USA) in the Past 12 Months
Or so says statCounter
Even in North Korea (Democratic People's Republic Of Korea) Google Said to Dominate, Microsoft Around 1%
Google at 93.26%
[Meme] The Red Bait (Embrace... Extinguish)
They set centos on fire, then offer a (de facto) proprietary substitute for a fee
Shooting the Messenger to Spite the Message
segment of a Noam Chomsky talk
[Video] Boston Area Assange Defense (Yesterday)
It was published only hours ago
Guinea: Windows Down From 99.3% to 2.7% 'Market Share'
Guinea is not a small country
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Monday, July 15, 2024
IRC logs for Monday, July 15, 2024
What's Meant by "Antenna Abuse" (Gemini)
syndication is not a monopoly in Gemini and if one doesn't condone political censorship, then one can create one's own syndication service/capsule
Microsoft Layoffs and Entire Unit Termination: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
What an announcement to make just before Independence Day
Links 16/07/2024: Old Computer Challenge and One Page Dungeon Contest
Links for the day
Microsoft Falls Further and Closer Towards 10% (Windows "Market Share") in Kuwait
more countries entering the "single-digit Windows" (under 10%) club
Gemini Links 15/07/2024: Antenna's Pro-Hamas Bias Revisited and Old Computer Challenge
Links for the day
[Video] Julian Assange, Over One Decade Ago, Cautioning About What the Internet Had Truly Become
video is not new
Homage to Malta
Malta is probably easy for Microsoft to bribe
IRC at 16
Logging has been used for us and against us
In Malta, Android/Linux Has Overtaken Microsoft Windows (According to statCounter)
statCounter milestone?
Links 15/07/2024: China’s Economic Problems, Boeing Under Fire
Links for the day
500 Days' Uptime Very Soon
Good luck doing that with Windows...
Windows Falls Below 20% in Tunisia
A month ago we wrote about GNU/Linux in Tunisia
Links 15/07/2024: Google Wants Wiz and Why "Sports Ruin Everything"
Links for the day
Gemini Links 15/07/2024: Old Computer Challenge and Sending Files via NNCP
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, July 14, 2024
IRC logs for Sunday, July 14, 2024