TDF Community Blog

Why Document Freedom Day Matters More Than Ever

Every year, Document Freedom Day reminds us of a simple but powerful idea: we should have control over our own data. Not just where we store it, but how we access it, share it, and keep it usable for years to come. At the heart of that is the concept of open standards, file formats that anyone can read, use, and build on without restrictions.

What’s Document Freedom, Anyway?

Document freedom means being able to create and access digital documents without being locked into a specific company’s software. When you save a file – whether it’s a spreadsheet, a report, or a photo album – you should be able to open it on any system, now or in the future. That’s only possible with open standards like ODF (Open Document Format) or PDF/A.

Proprietary formats can trap your content. Ever tried opening an old project and found that the software doesn’t exist anymore or now requires a subscription? That’s the problem. Your data shouldn’t expire just because a company changed its business model.

Why It Matters

– For individuals, it’s about ownership. You shouldn’t lose access to your writing, photos, or work just because you switch devices or software.
– For organizations, it’s about long-term access and avoiding vendor lock-in.
– For governments, it’s about transparency and accountability. Public records must remain readable and accessible over time.

How You Can Support Document Freedom

– Use software that supports open formats (like LibreOffice or LibreOffice Technology based software).
– Save and share files in open formats like .odt, .ods, or .pdf (not .docx, .xlsx, etc.).
– Push for open standards in your workplace or community projects.
– Spread the word: most people don’t even realize file formats can trap them.

The Bigger Picture

Document freedom is part of a broader movement for digital rights. It’s about giving people real choices and protecting their autonomy in the digital world. As AI, cloud services, and proprietary platforms grow more complex, the risks of losing control over our content also grow. Open standards are a small but essential line of defence.

So today, take a minute to think about the files you create. Are they truly yours to keep?

Happy Document Freedom Day

(this text has been drafted in Italian, my native language, and translated with the help of AI based translation services)

Next Wednesday, on March 26, we will celebrate Document Freedom Day 2025. During the day, we will mainly talk about the ISO Open Document Format, which was approved in 2005 by OASIS and in 2006 by ISO. Due to the global scale of the LibreOffice project, our events will be online.

There will be three webinars at 10:30 CET, 15:30 CET and 20:30 CET, with a presentation on the history of ODF and the great importance of the standard document format for digital sovereignty. To listen to the webinars, you can connect to https://jitsi.documentfoundation.org/dfd2025.

We will also be connected for question and answer sessions at 1 p.m. CET and 6 p.m. CET, to delve deeper into the topics of the webinar and to satisfy the curiosity of users, most of whom use a proprietary format without being aware of it, and are therefore victims of Microsoft’s lock-in strategies. These sessions will be in the same video room as the webinars: https://jitsi.documentfoundation.org/dfd2025.