Today is Document Freedom Day

Posted by Zaheda Bhorat, Open Source Programs Manager

Today, the world is celebrating the first-ever Document Freedom Day. More than 200 teams in 60 countries are spending today raising awareness about document freedom by hosting speakers, events, and literally raising the DFD flag. Through such activities, these teams are committed to spreading the word about the importance of open documents and the workable open standards that ensure your access to your documents now and in the future. We at Google wholeheartedly join the community of users, organisations, businesses, governments and individuals around the world in today's celebration.

Our mission concerning the world's information is well known. Naturally, your access to your information is also important to us. When you save a document, you need to be sure that the information in it will be accessible tomorrow, a month from now, ten years from now. How and where you choose to access your documents shouldn't make a difference. This is what Document Freedom Day is about.

Five years ago, who would have thought that we'd be accessing the documents we created then on our cell phones? And yet today we expect this. The standard by which your document is formatted today absolutely needs to be readable and available to those who design the technology for tomorrow. This is the only way that you will know for sure that the information you entrust to your documents now will be yours for as long as you want it to be.

So wherever you are, join the fun and support your freedom to access your information. Find out more and help to spread the word: Document freedom means freedom of information for all of us, now, later and long, long into the future.