About Document Freedom Day
🗓 Wednesday, March 26th 2025
Document Freedom Day is the international day of Open Standards
and happens every year on the last Wednesday of March.
It is a day to come together and raise attention
towards the ever-growing importance of Open Standards
for all aspects of our digital communication
and information accessibility.
Document Freedom Day 2024
As you might know, Document Freedom Day is a yearly celebration that happens on the last Wednesday of March - that means that in 2024 we're celebrating it on the 27th of March!
This year we're coordinating the celebrations with a new website and a new map, but the appeal is the same: local teams - anyone interested in celebrating this day in any way they wish to - are invited to sign up their event on this website, adding it to our map and calendar of events.
Document Freedom Day 2013 was the largest ever, with 60 events in over 30 countries, but just because less attention has been paid to this cause does not mean that it is less revelant today.
Does your public TV station stream its programs but only if you use a specific web browser? Does your public administration provide you digital services that you can only access through by using proprietary software? The need for open standards is only more relevant now, with a stronger use of digital tools to govern our daily lives. With it, more often are the cases where you are restricted in our freedom of choice, or unable to engage in active and participative citizenship, when open standards aren't used.
As Document Freedom remains relevant, so we persist on our yearly appeal: join us in celebrating Document Freedom Day!
Why Document Freedom Day?
An ever greater part of our communication moves into the digital world. In the digital society, Open Standards and open document formats provide us with the freedom to read and write. They are crucial to ensure our ability to exchange information, remain independent of software vendors, and keep our data accessible in the long term. Open Standards also make sure that we are able to communicate and work using Free Software.
What are Open Standards?
Open Standards are a common language that all computers can speak. They enable us to work and communicate using Free Software. They make it possible for developers to write Free Software applications that are compatible with other solutions, and allow users to migrate to Free Software solutions without losing access to their data.
What is the aim of the Campaign?
The campaign brings a message about Open Standards and document formats to a non-technical audience. Open Standards are a basic condition for freedom and choice in software. Document Freedom Day raises awareness for Open Standards and lets everyone contribute to a better information society. It's easy and fun to participate in Document Freedom Day, whether as a group or as an individual.