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<html newsdate="2017-12-12">

<head>
  <title>Radio Lockdown: Current Status of Your Device Freedom</title>
</head>
<body>
  
<h1>Radio Lockdown: Current Status of Your Device Freedom</h1>

<p newsteaser="yes"> For more than two years the Free Software 
Foundation Europe has worked on the issue of <a 
href="/activities/radiodirective/">Radio Lockdown</a> introduced by a 
European directive which may hinder users to load software on their 
radio devices like mobile phones, laptops and routers. We have informed 
the public and talked to decision makers to fix critical points of the 
directive. There is still much to do to protect freedom and IT security 
in our radio devices. Read about the latest proceedings and the next 
steps. </p>

<div class="right" style="max-width: 506px; width: 25%;">
  <img src="/activities/radiodirective/img/radiolockdown-cage.jpg" alt="a bird cage with a router and a mobile phone imprisoned, both sending radio waves" />
</div>

<p>In 2014, the European Parliament passed the <a 
href="http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX%3A32014L0053">Radio 
Equipment Directive</a> which, among other regulations, make vendors of 
radio hardware responsible for preventing users from installing 
software which may alter the devices' radio parameters to break 
applicable radio regulations. While we share the desire to keep radio 
frequencies clean, the directive's approach will have negative 
implications on users' rights and Free Software, fair competition, 
innovation and the environment – mostly without equal benefits for 
security.</p>

<blockquote>[R]adio equipment [shall support] certain features in order 
to ensure that software can only be loaded into the radio equipment 
where the compliance of the combination of the radio equipment and 
software has been demonstrated.<br /> 
– <strong>Article 3(3)(i) of the Radio Equipment Directive 2014/53/EU</strong></blockquote>

<p>This concern is shared by more than 50 organisations and businesses 
which signed our <a 
href="/activities/radiodirective/statement.html">Joint Statement 
against Radio Lockdown</a>, a result of our ongoing exchange and 
cooperation with the Free Software community in Europe and beyond.</p>

<p>The Radio Equipment Directive was put in effect in June 2017, but 
the classes of devices affected by the controversial Article 3(3)(i), 
which causes the Radio Lockdown, have not yet been defined. This means 
the directive doesn't concern any existing hardware yet. The definition 
of what hardware devices are covered will be decided on by the European 
Commission through a delegated act and is expected to be finished at 
the earliest by the end of 2018.</p>

<blockquote>
The Commission shall be empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance 
with Article 44 specifying which categories or classes of radio 
equipment are concerned by each of the requirements [...]<br /> 
– <strong>Article 3(3), paragraph 2 of 2014/53/EU</strong>
</blockquote>

<p>However, that list is already being prepared in the <a 
href="http://ec.europa.eu/transparency/regexpert/index.cfm?do=groupDetail.groupDetail&amp;groupID=3413">Expert 
Group on Reconfigurable Radio Systems</a>, a body of member state 
authorities, organisations, and individuals whose task is to assist the 
European Commission with drafting the delegated acts to activate 
Article 3(3)(i). The FSFE applied to become a member of this committee 
but was rejected. The concerns that the members of the Expert Group do 
not sufficiently represent the civil society and the broad range of 
software users has also been raised during a <a 
href="http://www.europarl.europa.eu/ep-live/en/committees/video?event=20171121-1430-COMMITTEE-IMCO">recent 
meeting in the European Parliament</a>.</p>

<p>Nevertheless, we are working together with organisations and 
companies to protect user freedoms on radio devices and keep in touch 
with members of the expert group. For example, we have shared our 
expertise for case studies and impact assessments drafted by the group 
members. We are also looking forward to a public consultation phase to 
officially present our arguments and improvement suggestions and allow 
other entities to share their opinion.</p>

<p>All our activities aim to protect Free Software and user rights on 
current and future radio devices. This is more important than ever 
since only a few members of the expert group seem to understand the 
importance of loading software on radio devices for IT security, for 
example critical updates on hardware which is not or only sporadically 
maintained by the original vendor. We will continue our efforts to make 
decision makers understand that Free Software (a.k.a. Open Source 
Software) is crucial for network security, science, education, and 
technical innovation. Therefore, broad exceptions in the class 
definition are necessary.</p>

<p>Conducting such lengthy policy activities requires a lot of 
resources for non-profit organisations like the FSFE. Please consider 
helping us by joining as an <a href="/join">individual supporter 
today</a> or a <a href="/donate">corporate donor</a> to enable our 
work.</p>

</body>
<tags>
  <tag>front-page</tag>
  <tag content="Radio Lockdown">RadioDirective</tag>
  <tag content="Policy">Policy</tag>
  <tag content="European Commission">EuropeanCommission</tag>
</tags>
<author id="mehl" />
</html>