These services are software, but this software is set up on someone else’s computer (on what’s called "servers"). Using services offered by Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft… ("GAFAM") means giving them your data, the parts of your life that you put on the Internet. So it’s a matter of trust.
This trust has allowed a handful of companies (GAFAM) to centralize data from a huge part of the population, holding a near-monopoly on our digital lives (an oligopoly). The <strong>dangers and stakes</strong> are threefold: economic, technological, cultural…
[Framaforms](@:link.forms) will soon be [celebrating its 10th anniversary](https://framablog.org/2016/10/03/degooglisons-saison-3-30-services-alternatifs-aux-produits-de-google-co/). However, [Yakforms](https://yakforms.org/), the software that powers the service, is coming to the end of its life. We therefore need to find a replacement. Especially as Framaforms is one of Framasoft's most-used services (we also devoted considerable energy in 2023 to fighting spam). After looking at a dozen or so open-source software packages, we settled on [Liberaforms](https://liberaforms.org), a Spanish software package that may not be the prettiest (but we're going to work on it :) ) but which we felt was the most in line with our values. For the moment, [we're offering the software on a trial basis](https://beta.framaforms.org?mtm_campaign=Dorlotons&mtm_source=Soutenir%20Dorlotons&mtm_content=forms&mtm_placement=Detail), and if the tests are conclusive, we'll start looking at migrating the Framaforms engine.
<strong>Our approach</strong> is simpleand consists in determining the self-imposed conditions that may justify such trust. We aim to offer alternatives that respect people and diversity while making it impossible to reproduce such monopolies.
In order for you to determine whether you can trust us, we have published an introduction to our Framasoft network (and to the non-profit that supports it), together with our reports and administrative documention under <strong>Who are we?</strong>