The Free Software Foundation (FSF) is a nonprofit with a worldwide mission to promote computer user freedom and to defend the rights of all free software users.

As our society grows more dependent on computers, the software we run is of critical importance to securing the future of a free society. Free software is about having control over the technology we use in our homes, schools and businesses, where computers work for our individual and communal benefit, not for proprietary software companies or governments who might seek to restrict and monitor us.

The Free Software Foundation is working to secure freedom for computer users by promoting the development and use of free (as in freedom) software and documentation — particularly the GNU operating system — and by campaigning against threats to computer user freedom like Digital Restrictions Management (DRM).

Site: http://www.fsf.org

The Open Society Institute (OSI), a private operating and grantmaking foundation, aims to shape public policy to promote democratic governance, human rights, and economic, legal, and social reform. On a local level, OSI implements a range of initiatives to support the rule of law, education, public health, and independent media. At the same time, OSI works to build alliances across borders and continents on issues such as combating corruption and rights abuses.

OSI was created in 1993 by investor and philanthropist George Soros to support his foundations in Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. Those foundations were established, starting in 1984, to help countries make the transition from communism. OSI has expanded the activities of the Soros foundations network to other areas of the world where the transition to democracy is of particular concern. The Soros foundations network encompasses more than 60 countries, including the United States.

Site : http://www.soros.org

Bits of Freedom is the Dutch digital rights organization, focusing on privacy and communications freedom in the digital age. Bits of Freedom strives to influence legislation and self-regulation, in The Netherlands and also on a European level. Bits of Freedom is one of the founders and a member of European Digital Rights (EDRi).

Site: http://www.bof.nl

IT-Political Association of Denmark is a danish non-profit organization raising awareness for privacy and free speech in the digital era. It is the home of Polippix project.

The aim of Polippix project is to produce a live CD (and USB memory stick, memory card, etc) with software that users without expertise in IT can use to protect their privacy. Polippix make use of TOR (onion routing), MAC address manipulation, encryption of disks and Twkinkle in order to provide privacy and anonymity for data and voice communications.Because the price of phone calls to PSTN land-lines have dropped dramatically, it is possible to sponsor free phone calls for every user.

The reception of Polippix was overwhelming. 13000 physical CD's were distributed to the members of trade union, PROSA, more than 35000 CD images were downloaded from our homepage and mirrors in a week, after that we lost track of downloads. Polippix have been covered on every major TV- and radio channel and all national newspapers.

Site : http://www.itpol.dk/

The Open Rights Group is an independent, non-profit advocacy group, campaigning for the digital civil rights of British citizens. Its goals are :

• To raise awareness in the media of digital rights abuses
• To provide a media clearinghouse, connecting journalists with experts and activists
• To preserve and extend traditional civil liberties in the digital world
• To collaborate with other digital rights and related organisations
• To nurture a community of campaigning volunteers, from grassroots activists to technical and legal experts

Site : http://www.openrightsgroup.org/

Launched by Privacy International in 1998 in London, this ceremony intends to draw public attention to privacy issues and related alarming trends in society, especially in data privacy. The Big Brother Awards are awarded yearly to authorities, companies, organisations, and persons that have been acting particularly and consistently to threaten or violate people's privacy, or disclosed people's personal data to third parties.

The Big Brother Awards are organised in around 15 countries in Europe, Asia, and North America. They are named after the George Orwell character Big Brother from the novel 1984, and obtain the moral support from Richard Blair, son of the famous novelist, under his real name Eric Blair.

The Big Brother Awards in France was organized for the first time in 2000, and is the result of the meeting between activists, social workers, journalists, lawyers, jurists, and privacy and civil liberties advocates. The organisation comprises a Committee collecting applications, and gathering a jury of about ten citizens.

From the first edition, Privacy International has had discussions with other organisations known for their fight in favor of fundamental freedoms, as the International Federation of Human Rights (FIDH), the Syndicat de la Magistrature (a magistrate trade-union), the GISTI (a French non-profit organization for human rights), the Syndicat des avocats de France, etc.

Site: http://bigbrotherawards.eu.org

French Data Network (FDN) is a french non-profit organization, which aims at promoting the use and development of the INTERNET and USENET networks. FDN offers multiple services, handled by its members, for its members. FDN doesn't sell services. FDN asks you to participate, and does its best to provide the services you need.

FDN was created on June 2nd 1992, as non-profit association (under french law of july 1901), to offer at lesser cost services that other have been used to since the beginning of the 1980s, as a working tool. It's notable that the web didn't exist, yet, when FDN was founded. With the strongness of being a precursor and its associative structure, FDN continues to be a pioneer in the extent and quality of the Internet services provided, at affordable prices for individuals.

FDN's advantage is the diversity of its members, both composed of Internet old-timers, with a strong technical background, and members interested in a wide range of topics (music, legal, education, graphics, ...). It allows for promoting of a quality Internet service, on a technical level, as for content and respect of its initial ethical choices.

Site : http://www.fdn.fr/

MarsNet is a set of Internet services, provided by and for associations of Marseilles and the surrounding area, managed by AssoDev (Marseille), self-help and support association, for associations in technical partnership with GlobeNet / No-log.

MarsNet offers the following services:

• Free internet access through modem and email
• Web hosting (site, mail, lists, ...)
• Support in the creation of site and specific tools
• Training and support

These are professional services, at affordable prices in compliance with associative practices and values: no ads, no censorship, not-for-profit, participative, and open source tools.

Site: http://www.marsnet.org