Nederlands, English
Donate to ASK-Solutions (IRADIS Foundation), Watch our videos, Support us at Patreon
Logon

Pictogram of a bookArticles, notes, and project documentation

ASK-Solutions publishes articles to share practical knowledge, document our projects, and add context to topics that affect privacy, repair, and digital freedom. Some pieces are written because participants or clients asked us the same question more than once. Others exist because we believe certain developments deserve explanation beyond the headline.

To make browsing easier, we publish our work in three categories:

Technology & Society

Articles about external developments in technology, policy, repair, and digital rights — with our context and practical implications. This includes opinion pieces and explainers that help communities and organizations make informed choices.

Announcements

Updates from ASK-Solutions and our initiatives. This includes service notices, availability updates, workshop news, and other time-related messages.

Project notes

Project notes and technical documentation around concrete work. Here we share smaller project-related articles, build logs, experiments, repairs, design notes and technical solutions that help others learn, replicate, repair and improve.

Latest articles

Below you’ll find our most recently published articles. New pieces appear here as they are added, ranging from short updates to longer technical write-ups and project notes.

When phone records become an attack on press freedom

The Trump administration's effort to obtain phone records of New York Times journalists and relatives in the Air Force One leak investigation shows why source protection is not a professional perk, but a First Amendment safeguard.

How to preserve your digital collection

A practical guide to preserving lawful digital collections across films, series, e-books, games, music and software, with attention to DRM, metadata, backups, physical media and account dependence.

Right to Ownership: why streaming should not make films and series disappear

Streaming made film and television easier to access, but not easier to own. Right to Ownership means that a lawfully acquired movie or series should not depend entirely on a platform, account, licence window or corporate content strategy.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 🌟

December 23rd, 2025

ASK-Solutions works on free software, documentation, hosting, web service support, repair, digital autonomy and the sharing of practical technical knowledge. Much of this work happens online, or is documented in a way that can also be useful beyond Haarlem and the Netherlands.

Is Android Becoming iOS? The End of Sideloading

Starting in 2026, Google will require every Android developer to verify their identity and register through the Android Developer Console — even if they never publish apps on the Play Store. This move threatens to fundamentally change sideloading, F-Droid, and third-party APK installation, making Android look more like iOS than ever before.

Browse by topic

Looking for a specific subject? Browse our topics and tags — such as 3D Printing & Fabrication, Automotive, CAD & Digital Design, Community & Operations, Consumer Rights, Digital Media, Electronics, Free Software & Open Knowledge, Hardware Design, Health & Safety, Materials & Chemistry, Nocterra, Ownership & Control, Preservation, Press Freedom, Privacy & Security, Repair Skills, Right to Repair, Software Development, Systems & Administration or Tools & Sourcing.

ASK-Solutions complies with ISO 9001:2008 quality assurance