In the context of the NGI0 Commons fund project, ISOC-CH develops the so-called tech dossiers, aiming to make it easier for different target groups to enter the world of Free/Libre and Open Source software (F/LOSS). A tech dossier is defined by the triad topic-medium-audience and below we summarize three examples of tech dossiers developed currently.
At the policy table
Digital sovereignty is becoming a hot topic at the EU level, and ISOC-CH has been engaged in many related communication actions like the 7at7.digital series. Our current work includes the development of policy-related material that brings closer to policy makers important knowledge regarding valid alternatives to corporate platforms.
To concentrate our efforts and align them with similar activities at the EU level, like the EuroStack, the “European alternative for digital sovereignty“, we will focus on the are of cloud solutions and collaborative tools for which there are very mature and competitive F/LOSS alternatives like NextCloud, Cryptpad, Collabora, etc.
An open job position is announced for this tech dossier, and it will be open until August 20th 2025.
At school
The most affected by the domination of global digital platforms are young people, whose mental health is at risk. So, it is very urgent that critical thinking about digital technologies is cultivated from the early stages of education.
ISOC-CH develops a tech dossier for teachers in Switzerland, with a focus on privacy online, including social media and AI.
At home
It is clear that one of the biggest barriers for the adoption of F/LOSS software solution is the lack of appropriate information and training. Most people invest a lot of effort to get accustomed to the most popular and mainstream solutions and they have little energy to adjust their habits for using alternatives.
ISOC-CH is developing a wider campaign that addresses the core challenges that delay the adoption of alternatives even if their quality is even higher than their commercial counterparts, including the creation of trust relationships with local hosting providers, paying the extra cost for freedom and privacy, and usability issues.
For this, our focus will be on a very concrete digital service, video conferencing, for which F/LOSS alternatives like BigBlueButton, Jitsi, Galene, among others, showcase important advantages but also challenges.