Blog

March 2, 2026

Open Source in the Public Sector

Open source software is no longer a topic that is discussed exclusively among developers or in the IT industry. Government agencies, local authorities and other public institutions are also increasingly looking into Open Source Software solutions and using them in their daily work.

Private Public Surveillance Partnerships

Surveillance by both the state and the private sector are much-discussed topics. What is often overlooked, however, are public-private partnerships, how they influence each other and how they are used to expand mass surveillance apparatus.

Stop Chatcontrol - Public Pressure has an Effect!

Under the Danish EU Presidency, chat control is back on the agenda, posing yet another threat to our fundamental digital rights. What is being sold as a well-intentioned law against child sexual abuse and the distribution of related images and videos (CSAM) actually threatens to monitor our communications and undermine data protection and privacy.

Happy Birthday - 5 Years ViOffice!

For half a decade now, we have been supporting companies, associations, and private individuals on their journey toward a modern and secure way of working. We have reason to celebrate not only because of the valuable experience we have gained over the past few years, but also because of what lies ahead.

The US Cloud Act and European Dependency

The digital world is no longer an exotic side issue, but rather the foundation of our everyday lives. Government agencies, businesses, and even our private lives increasingly rely on stable IT systems. How these are affected by the US CLOUD Act, is the topic of this blogpost.

News in Social Media

Social media and online social platforms have become an integral part of today's society. The majority of people in Europe use them on a daily basis, especially young people, who spend an average of up to 10 hours a day viewing content on social media platforms.

Biometrics and Surveillance: Normalisation of Extensive Surveillance

What once seemed futuristic has long since become reality: Cameras that recognise faces, systems that analyse voices, sensors that register movement patterns. Biometrics, i.e. the identification of people based on their physical or behavioural characteristics, is seen by many as progress: efficient, convenient and secure.

Collabora Online: The Open Source Collaboration Powerhouse!

Almost right from the start of ViOffice,we have been a proud partner of Collabora, enabling us to give customers easy, affordable and quick access to state-of-the-art office document collaboration in the Free and Open Source world. Collabora has been an important pillar of the development of the underlying LibreOffice codebase, contributing roughly a third of the commits during LibreOffice's development cycles.

Europe's dependence on US tech

Geopolitics and Digitization

Digitization has become a key driver of global power shifts. It not only influences economic and social developments, but also geopolitical relations and security strategies.

Germany has voted - Digitalisation, Data Protection and State Surveillance

Germany is considered an economically highly developed country, but when it comes to digitalisation, the Federal Republic often falls short of its own standards in international comparison. The sluggish modernisation of the digital infrastructure, a contradictory data protection regime and increasing state surveillance measures raise fundamental questions about the country's digital sovereignty.

What are Search Engines?

Search engines are an integral part of many people's everyday lives these days. Whether you want to find out about general world events, check the latest weather forecasts, search for the quickest route to a location or need instructions of any kind - most people turn to their trusted search engine.

The end of Search Engines?

Internet search engines have become an integral part of the modern web. Today, there are a variety of very different services with different goals and techniques to help users find exactly the information they are looking for.

The new German Security Package: Digital Surveillance and Data Protection

On October 18, 2024, the German government passed its new security package, which provides for increased surveillance and comprehensive measures against terrorism and violent crime. The legislative initiative has met with considerable resistance from data protectionists, who have expressed concerns about the restriction of civil rights and a potential surveillance state.

The Energy Usage of Artificial Intelligence

It is well-known that the internet as a whole infrastructure, with its billions of end-user devices and the entire server infrastructure behind it, consumes a lot of energy. Especially with the rise of cloud and off-site computing as well as the popularity of streaming services, content delivery networks and other developments in networking infrastructure, the number and energy consumption of data centres worldwide is growing dramatically.

Data Science, Data Analytics or Data Engineering?

The world of data has developed rapidly in recent years and has become an essential part of modern companies. Three of the most prominent disciplines in this field are Data Science, Data Analytics and Data Engineering.

EU Chat-Control: An Update

Exactly two years ago, we discussed the European Council’s plan to implement laws that would require messaging platforms to scan users’ messages and shared contents for information that could potentially harm children. Our blogpost discussed the broad implications such measure could have on all individuals within the European Union, their privacy and the concept of encryption in general.

Faster, Louder, Less Secure? Social Media and the modern News Cycle

Social media has fundamentally changed how news is produced, disseminated and consumed. Platforms like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram play a central role in the modern news landscape and have significantly accelerated the traditional news cycle.

Cyberattacks on democracy

For years now, democratic Western states have been repeatedly exposed to cyber attacks that are apparently or even demonstrably coordinated and carried out by other states.

Whistleblowing in the Digital Era: The Courage to Tell the Truth

In an increasingly digitalised world, the topic of whistleblowing is becoming more explosive. Whistleblowing is the act by which individuals, often employees of a company or government agency, bring non-public information of significant importance about illegal, immoral or illegitimate practices into the public domain. This courageous step has the potential to expose wrongdoing and bring it to justice, but also harbours risks for the whistleblowers themselves.

Blurring Digital Footprints during Protests

Protest is an integral part of democracies and an essential right of citizens within such functional democracies. If protest is happening within less liberal regimes, it quickly can become dangerous for participants, such as the anti-war protests in Russia, political protests in Belarus, pro-democracy protest in Hong Kong, or the feminist uprising in Iran.

The Downward Spiral: Understanding Enshittification in Online Platforms

In the dynamic landscape of online platforms, a term has recently emerged that describes a trajectory all too familiar yet often unspoken: enshittification. This term, though laced with humor, soberly characterizes the gradual decline in user experience on various online platforms, under the relentless pressure of monetization.

February 5, 2024

Digital Economy

Digitalisation, AI, Open Source, Data Protection & Co. - 6 Book Tips for the New Year

We are starting 2024 full of enthusiasm with our New Year's resolutions. Alongside financial and sporting goals, one of the most common resolutions is certainly to take more time to read in our stressful everyday lives. We would like to help you with this and give you 6 book tips on digital topics that you should read in the new year to keep on top of all the technical innovations.

Commercialisation of Privacy

Very recently, Meta made headlines by announcing to charge 14 USD per month for an ad free experience on their platforms Facebook or Instagram. A similar move has already been taken by Google on YouTube, which also sideline their ad-free experience with an increased crack-down on AdBlock-usage of their users.

Smart Machines: Update of the ViOffice Cloud

It's time once again for major changes to the ViOffice Cloud, as has already been done several times in the past. The handling of the cloud remains exactly as usual, but there are a number of small improvements and additional functions that can make work easier.

Data migration and the lock-in effect

Data migration, compatibility interfaces and the so-called vendor lock-in are currently hotly debated topics in the European Union. But what is the lock-in effect in the first place and how can data migration function seamlessly in a digital world?

Programming Language R: Empowering Open Source Data Science & Statistics

ViOffice is a proud part of the Free Software movement. We rely exclusively on Free, Open Source Software (FOSS) and regularly educate about the benefits of FOSS in our blog. Personally, we, the founders of ViOffice, have a university background in statistics and data science/econometrics and use the (statistical) programming language R almost daily.

Quantum Computing and Encryption

Quantum computers have been a sometimes more and sometimes less hotly debated topic in information technology since the 1990s. The promises of the technology are many-sided, and especially because of the groundbreaking computing power a quantum computer is arguably capable of, the upcoming completion of such a computer in the future is often referred to as the next age of computing.

Digital Entrepreneurship

In a world shaped by digital technologies and the internet, entrepreneurship has also changed. Digital entrepreneurship offers many opportunities and possibilities for aspiring entrepreneurs to succeed in the digital era. In this blog article, we will discuss the basics of digital entrepreneurship, its benefits, challenges, and success factors.

GDPR: A toothless tiger?

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is one of the most important and at times also most discussed data protection laws in the European region in recent decades. Even before the GDPR was adopted, until its actual entry into force and even far beyond, advertising groups, large media houses, gig companies and many other interest groups warned of possible negative consequences for the economies of EU countries as well as the presumably extremely high burdens for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) or civil associations.

The European AI Regulation - Pros & Cons

On April 21, 2021, the European Union proposed new AI legislation called the EU Artificial Intelligence Act or the European AI Regulation. This proposed legislation is the first of its kind in the EU and is intended to regulate the use of AI.

General Data Protection Regulation - Bureaucratic Monster or Misunderstood?

Whenever it comes to data protection in an intra-European context, there is no getting around the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This regulation, adopted at EU level, has been in force since 2018 and replaced in Germany, for example, the Protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, which has been the general privacy law here since 1995.

ChatGPT about the influece of AI on Open Source Software

The generative AI ChatGPT has been the subject of everyone's attention for a few weeks and months now. What the chatbot has to say about the influence of Artificial Intelligence on Free, Open Source Software (FOSS) can be found in this article. The article is unchanged from ChatGPT. We only included images, URLs and added the paragraph at the end as a short comment from our side.

March 5, 2023

'I Love Free Software Day' - Is Free Software more important than ever before?

Today we celebrate with the Free Software Community the 'I Love Free Software Day (#ILoveFS)'. Free, Open Source Software (FOSS) enriches our lives every day and makes an important contribution to our (digital) society.

Data Protection, Data Security and Privacy

In our everyday lives, the terms data protection, data security and privacy are often used in the same context and sometimes even as synonyms for each other. Although these terms often stand for equally desirable concepts, a strict distinction should be made between them.

Welcome in 2023

Usually, new years come with many changes and reflections of the past year. ViOffice is no different. This blogpost looks at the achievements of the past year, what has changed and what is planned for 2023.

January 9, 2023

Digital Economy

Open Source Business Model

Free, open source software is something we encounter in everyday life all the time. Not only do individual open source software projects find their way to us, but there are also numerous large (and small) companies that develop and commercially distribute open source software with great success, such as Red Hat, Nextcloud or our partners at Collabora Office. In this blog post we would like to introduce you to the most successful business models for Free Open Source Software.

December 5, 2022

Open Science: Open Source in Science

As already covered several times in our blog, Free Open Source Software (FOSS) is an integral part of our everyday life. However, FOSS is not only a relevant factor in private life or in business, but of course also in science.

November 21, 2022

Digital Economy

Twitter, Facebook & Co. - Pros & Cons of Social Media

In our blog post on microtargeting, we already looked at the political dimension and the effects on our democratic system. Here, we would like to take a fundamental look at how it works and the social opportunities and risks.

Digital office without Microsoft, Google & Co.

Anyone who has ever worked productively with end devices in any way has encountered the big five of the big tech companies, i.e. Google, Amazon, Meta (formerly Facebook), Apple and Microsoft. And even if you actively try to prevent this, you inevitably come into contact with these very players on a daily basis.

2 Years of ViOffice!

It's been 2 years since we founded ViOffice. While in our blog article on the first birthday of ViOffice we mainly dealt with our founding period, today we would like to briefly report on our second year and share future plans with you.

Social Entrepreneurship

What is social entrepreneurship, how do you start a social enterprise and what does it have to do with ViOffice? We would like to clarify these and other questions for you in this post.

More Security through Multi-Factor Authentication

For several years now, the consensus in IT security has been that the simple login procedure with name and password alone is neither up-to-date nor secure enough for an increasingly networked and thus more attack-prone online world.

Faster, Higher, Further, Smarter: ViOffice Cloud Update

It's time for a new, major update of the ViOffice Cloud! Already a few days ago we updated our plattforms and this blogpost shall highlight the new changes, which came about thanks to the work of many software developers and volunteer hobby programmers.

Jan Weymeirsch

August 12, 2022

Free software in Administrations

Free, Open Source Software (FOSS) has been playing an increasingly important role in the economy for decades, especially in the context of companies that offer digital services.

European Courts increasingly insist on Compliance with the GDPR

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has been in force in the European Union, Iceland, Lichtenstein and Norway for more than 4 years. Since then, this regulation has set a uniform data protection framework by regulating the handling of personal data.

European Digital Sovereignty

Our daily life in the digital space is determined by American and increasingly Asian companies and platforms. So what about European digital independence and European sovereignty? Do we need more European global players like Google, Microsoft & Co. or can't a European solution be designed differently? In this article, we would like to take a closer look at these and other questions.

EU Chat-Control & Upload-Filter

On 11 May this year, the European Commission published a draft law on the protection of children. In fact, behind this vague wording lies the plan to make internet platforms and especially chat & messaging services responsible for checking messages sent by users for potentially child-endangering content.

7 Reasons Why You Should Use ViOffice Core instead of Google Drive

ViOffice Core is a cloud-based office platform and personal cloud for individuals or small groups. In this blog post, we will limit ourselves to the core function of ViOffice Core's online file storage: ViOffice Cloud.

6 Reasons why You Should Use ViOffice Sheets instead of Microsoft 365

Microsoft Office is the leader in German offices, with a market share of around 85% of office software. The situation is similar in the rest of Europe and the USA. In addition to the classic offline version, the online version Microsoft 365 has also existed since 2011. So what do alternatives have to offer?

Why you should use Open Document Formats

The last Wednesday in March was, as every year, Document Freedom Day. We would like to use this opportunity to raise awareness about open document standards and to show how easy it is to stand up for digital self-determination and against monopolistic behaviour of companies.

7 Reasons why You Should Use ViOffice Analytics instead of Google Analytics

Google Analytics is the most widely used tracking tool worldwide, accounting for an estimated 50-80% of all websites. From the perspective of data protection and privacy, however, its use has always been subject to strong criticism.

Cyber War, Hacking & Fake News: How Secure is Germany in the Digital Age?

On February 24, 2022, the day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, there was a simultaneous hacker attack on a satellite that caused disruptions in thousands of wind turbines in Germany. Experts have long warned of cyberattacks on Germany's critical infrastructure.

March 28, 2022

Surveillance

Face Recognition and its Impact on Privacy

Almost everyone in the world will be identifiable - This quote comes from an investor meeting of the US company Clearview AI, which specializes in face recognition using artificial intelligence (AI). Furthermore, they are developing tools to scan car license plates in public or people's public behaviour.

February 25, 2022

February 14 - Let's celebrate 'I Love Free Software Day'

On February 14 we show our love not only to our beloved ones, but also for Free, Open Source Software (FOSS) and the Free Software Community.

February 14, 2022

Why Free, Open Source Software is more secure than Proprietary Counterparts

Free, Open Source Software is often times labeled as %22unfit for critical infrastructure%22 by those not working in the field or by stakeholders of proprietary software companies. Contrary, Open Source advocates would reply with the exact opposite, so which one is true?

Why Digitization is essential for Associations and how ViOffice can help

ViOffice as a sustainable Open Source alternative to Google, Microsoft and others - Our Mission in 2022

After we recently outlined our technical improvements for the new year in a blog post, we would also like to transparently announce our focus in marketing this year.

Welcome in 2022

Just like last year, we would like to use this beginning of the year to introduce some major improvements in the ViOffice Cloud. Here, many smaller details have been changed, which clearly simplify the handling and the daily work with ViOffice.

Habemus Coalition Agreement: The New German Government and Open Source

The new 'traffic light' coalition between the Social Democrats (SPD), the Greens and the Liberals (FDP) has presented its coalition agreement. It also contains a commitment to open source in several passages. In this blog post, we would like to explain to you why it makes sense to focus on open source projects, both from a technical point of view and politically.

Why Privacy is an urgent Social Issue

Privacy is generally perceived as a problem on individual level, although it has an important, often neglected social component. We highlight the central issues and how they can be solved.

Guest Article: Digitization in Human Resources

Ida Manko has already gained many years of experience in the HR departments of large companies. In a guest article, she talks about her day-to-day work and describes the changes brought about by digitization and the generational transition.

Encryption of E-Mails

E-mail is one of the oldest, most widely used and widespread messaging and web protocols on the internet. But how can communication via e-mail be securely and reliably encrypted?

1 Year of ViOffice!

Exactly one year ago, on October 06, 2020, we officially presented ViOffice to the public. What started as an evening idea in a student flat-share is now a growing start-up in the Trier IT scene. We would like to share with you our experiences.