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Godfather of the free software movement now connects to websites from his own computer - via Tor and using a free software browser

According to Richard Stallman, godfather of the free software movement, Facebook is a "monstrous surveillance engine," tech companies working for patent reform aren't going nearly far enough, and parents must lobby their children's schools to keep data private and provide free software alternatives.

The free software guru touched on a host of topics in his keynote at the LibrePlanet conference, a Free Software Foundation gathering at the Scala Center at MIT. Excoriating a "plutocratic" corporate culture and warning of severe threats to freedom and privacy around the world, he nevertheless said his own positions on the technology issues of the day had evolved.

For one thing, he said, he now connects to websites from his own computer - via Tor and using a free software browser. Previously, he used a complicated workaround to more or less email webpages to himself. The announcement brought a surprised gasp and a round of applause from the 300-plus attendees.

"At one point, I used to believe that the Firefox trademark license was incompatible with free software, I found out I was mistaken -- it does allow the redistribution of unmodified copies," he said.

Stallman also walked back criticism of Google Play, saying that he'd erroneously believed that the software's automatic update feature couldn't be deactivated by the user.

But he also advocated strongly for user privacy and his own view of software freedom in his address, which covered a broad range of subjects.

On patents

"Big companies that don't really want to get rid of software patents but do want to get rid of nuisance patents have launched a competing, weak, not-worth-bothering campaign to quote 'improve patent quality,' unquote," Stallman said, presumably in reference to the lobbying group United for Patent Reform, which launched in January.

On the DMCA

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Stallman joins the Internet, talks net neutrality, patents and more

For people with incomes under $60,000, the Free File Alliance, a coalition of 14 leading tax software providers, as well as Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) centers, like the one above, provide free tax return preparation and e-filing.

But you may be able to get your taxes done for free. Here's how:

You make less than $60,000 a year: If your household income is $60,000 or less, you're eligible for free tax preparation and free e-filing of your federal return. And in some cases you may be allowed to file your state tax return gratis, too.

For federal returns, the IRS has partnered with the Free File Alliance, a nonprofit coalition of 14 leading tax preparation software companies, including H&R Block, Jackson Hewitt, TurboTax, Liberty Tax and Tax Slayer.

To make sure you're getting the brand-name online software for the Free File program, go through the IRS portal.

Some -- like H&R Block and Liberty Tax -- may even offer you help over the phone or in their offices if you have questions using their programs. Others like Jackson Hewitt will let you to submit a question and get a response within 24 hours.

Each Alliance member applies its own sub-criteria for who qualifies. For instance, some will accept all filers with AGIs of $60,000 or less, while others may only accept those making $53,500 or less. Some also set age requirements or only work with filers in certain states. (Look up the companies' criteria.)

Be aware, too, that you may be charged a "convenience" fee if you end up owing federal taxes and use a credit card to make your payment.

Related: Don't want to file your taxes? Get ready to pay ... a lot

Also, the "free file" principle may not automatically extend to your state tax return. But Free File Alliance members have struck individual agreements with 20 states and the District of Columbia that do allow for free filing. (See if your state is among them.)

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Free ways to file your taxes

The IRS has announced the availability of free tax filing software and forms through a partnership with Free File Alliance.

The Free File Alliance describes itself as a nonprofit coalition of industry-leading tax software companies partnered with the IRS to help millions of Americans prepare and e-file their federal tax returns for free.

The software is available to Americans with a 2014 adjusted gross income of $60,000 or less. It is estimated that 70% of American taxpayers are eligible for Free File. Free file offers a practical method to save money on filing your tax return.

For those with an AGI over $60,000, free file fillable forms are available. The forms handle the math calculations, but these forms are designed for taxpayers that know how to do their own taxes.

To get started or to learn all the details about thefree tax filing, visit the IRS website at http://www.irs.gov/uac/Free-File:-Do-Your-Federal-Taxes-for-Free.

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Free Tax Filing: Your Options

The IRS has announced the availability of free tax filing software and forms through a partnership with Free File Alliance.

The Free File Alliance describes itself as a nonprofit coalition of industry-leading tax software companies partnered with the IRS to help millions of Americans prepare and e-file their federal tax returns for free.

The software is available to Americans with a 2014 adjusted gross income of $60,000 or less. It is estimated that 70% of American taxpayers are eligible for Free File. Free file offers a practical method to save money on filing your tax return.

For those with an AGI over $60,000, free file fillable forms are available. The forms handle the math calculations, but these forms are designed for taxpayers that know how to do their own taxes.

To get started or to learn all the details about thefree tax filing, visit the IRS website at http://www.irs.gov/uac/Free-File:-Do-Your-Federal-Taxes-for-Free.

More:
Free Tax Filing: Easier Than Ever?

Panasonic is offering royalty-free access to some software and patents speed the development of the Internet of Things.

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Panasonic is best known for consumer electronics, has been selling IoT hardware and software for both consumer and industrial use, especially in the US, said Todd Rytting, CTO of Panasonic Corp. of North America. Opening up some of its technology will help developers find new ways to make it work with other IoT components in widely supported implementations, he said.

The company is contributing this intellectual property to the OpenDOF Project, a non-profit group created by Panasonic but open to anyone. Panasonic formed OpenDOF, which stands for Open Distributed Object Framework, to drive development of network services for devices with limited resources such as power and memory.

There are many different networks and protocols in IoT, which spans a wide range of industries. That will always be true, so there will have to be bridges between them, Rytting said. That's part of what OpenDOF will try to achieve.

Panasonic is also stepping up its work with the AllSeen Alliance, one of the major groups working on ways to connect IoT devices and services. It will participate in AllSeen's working group for gateways, which link local IoT networks with the Internet. Gateways can take the form of dedicated boxes or of functions built into appliances such as set-top boxes or TVs.

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Developers will be given access to some of Windows 10's new capabilities through the Visual Studio 2015 preview

The founder and CEO of a fintech firm tipped to be the UK's next billion dollar company is in talks with HM Treasury

Electronics manufacturer Foxconn will work with Chinese internet giant Tencent to produce electric cars

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Panasonic offers royalty-free IoT