Swiss Education IT Agency Campaigns Against Microsoft Live@edu
The Swiss federal agency known as Schweizerische Fachstelle für Informationstechnologien (SFIB) or Centre suisse des technologies de l'information dans l'enseignement (CTIE) has studied the user licenses for Microsoft products in Swiss schools. The result is a warning against the licensing and a recommendation to use open source products.
The SFIB/CTIE panel came to the conclusion, "after ongoing investigation, that the newly formed Microsoft School Agreement has grave consequences because of its close link with Microsoft's Live@edu offering," as it reported in a public statement. The agency was motivated to make the public announcement because negotiations between it and Swiss Microsoft were breaking down relative to the Live@edu link-up in the School Agreement and the resulting pricing policy. The drawbacks have to do with data security, liabilities, advertising and anticompetitiveness. The agency recommends that school IT groups forgo Microsoft products in the framework of the School Agreement and favor free software instead. The agency by its own report is also setting up a cooperative agreement with the Swiss Educa.ch education center.
The recommendation targets the Microsoft School Agreement, a special kind of volume user licensing for educational institutions, and its bundled Live@edu service. The evaluation was that this arrangement gives a Microsoft an "unfair advantage".
The agency panel was careful to pore over the fine print. For example, Microsoft would in the user agreement have the right to use student data for business purposes even after a contract expires, such as to transfer email accounts to Hotmail accounts. The schools are also obligated to encrypt their data and use other security measures, which was a clear message to the panel: additional costs are involved. The schools would also be responsible for their own privacy policies and would need to provide Microsoft evidence of relevant measures on request. Paragraph 7(c) of the School Agreement says that schools "cannot use any services that would compromise the integrity, efficiency or availability of the Microsoft services," tantamount to a general clause that "allows Microsoft to prohibit the use of any other product the schools might use."
The agency panel evaluation is available for download as compressed archive files. The zipped files (in German and French) include a one-page summary with contact information, a seven-page longer version, terms of use, Microsoft's privacy policy and a sample price list.
The SFIB/CIE is responsible for Swiss information technology exchange for primary and secondary schools and was founded 1989 as a common federal and canton-based institution, although the cantons have borne most of the costs since 2006. The Swiss Institute for Media Education and Culture (Educa.ch), a non-profit cooperative based in Berne, runs the SFIB/CIE and has managed its activities since 1989. One example is lernstick.edu (educa.lacle in French), a USB stick with an operating system and license-free software. Unfortunately there are no open source claims made of the programs used.
Issue 259/2022
Buy this issue as a PDF
News
-
Titan Linux is a New KDE Linux Based on Debian Stable
Titan Linux is a new Debian-based Linux distribution that features the KDE Plasma desktop with a focus on usability and performance.
-
Danielle Foré Has an Update for elementary OS 7
Now that Ubuntu 22.04 has been released, the team behind elementary OS is preparing for the upcoming 7.0 release.
-
Linux New Media Launches Open Source JobHub
New job website focuses on connecting technical and non-technical professionals with organizations in open source.
-
Ubuntu Cinnamon 22.04 Now Available
Ubuntu Cinnamon 22.04 has been released with all the additions from upstream as well as other features and improvements.
-
Pop!_OS 22.04 Has Officially Been Released
From the makers of some of the finest Linux-powered desktop and laptop computers on the market comes the latest version of their Ubuntu-based distribution, Pop!_OS 22.04.
-
Star Labs Unveils a New Small Format Linux PC
The Byte Mk I is an AMD-powered mini Linux PC with Coreboot support and plenty of power.
-
MX Linux Verison 21.1 “Wildflower” Now Available
The latest release of the systemd-less MX Linux is now ready for public consumption.
-
Microsoft Expands Their Windows Subsystem for Linux Offerings With AlmaLinux
Anyone who works with Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) will now find a new addition to the available distributions, one that’s become the front-runner replacement for CentOS.
-
Debian 11.3 Released wIth Numerous Bug and Security Fixes
The latest point release for Debian Bullseye is now available with some very important updates.
-
The First Alpha of Asahi Linux is Available
Asahi Linux is the first distribution to fully support Apple Silicon and is now available for testing.