May 6, 2015
To Andreas Gal,
We are a group of Free Software enthusiasts and advocates from Melbourne Australia who would usually hold Mozilla in high esteem. However, on this International Day Against DRM we feel compelled to join the ranks of the FSF and DefectiveByDesign in condemming Mozilla's decision of including proprietary mechanisms (Encrypted Media Extensions) in Firefox.
The Mozilla Manifesto's own second principle is that "The Internet is a global public resource that must remain open and accessible" and the seventh "Free and open source software promotes the development of the Internet as a public resource" should compel you to strongly reconsider this decision.
When data passes through a machine that cannot be controlled and inspected by its user we’ve lost essential freedoms that we've come to depend on. When this is enabled by a foundation we've learned to know and trust, it is particularly disappointing. The support you have gained from being the most open and free solution for web use and development is at a risk. We wish for Mozilla to stand with us in this fight against decreased control of software for users.
In the spirit of the final principle of your Manifesto: "Magnifying the public benefit aspects of the Internet is an important goal, worthy of time, attention and commitment" we ask that you give this matter the time, attention and commitment that it deserves.