[NLnet Press] Press release: Hackers donate 90% of profit to charity

[NLnet foundation press list]

HACKERS DONATE 90% OF PROFIT TO CHARITY

                     This press release online:

                     https://nlnet.nl/press/20190613-ROS-donation.html

Post-growth startup ROS makes landmark 140k donation to NLnet

Amsterdam, June 13th 2019

A Netherlands based security company (Radically Open Security) is
donating 90% of its net profit to an internet charity that supports open
source technology and internet R&D. NLnet was set up by the earliest
internet pioneers in Europe in the eighties, to improve the development
of the internet.

The landmark donation from the startup made this week is a milestone to
both organisations, in a number of ways. Radically Open Security is a
not-for-profit computer security company legally established as a
'Fiscaal Fondsenwervende Instelling' (fiscal fundraising institution) in
the Netherlands. This enables 90% of all profits to go tax-free to the
NLnet Foundation in support of open source technology, digital rights
and open internet research.

“This is the single largest donation made to NLnet in recent years”,
states Bob Goudriaan, general director of NLnet. "The NLnet Foundation
is thankful for Radically Open Security's sustained support in helping
to fix the internet. As an independent grantmaker for over 20 years
NLnet has funded a lot of valuable initiatives in terms of internet
infrastructure, privacy and security and many key application. This
includes amazing projects like Wireguard, ARPA2 and Searx that make the
internet more open, secure and privacy-friendly. Only through donations
can we support projects and ideas that rely on public funding and look
beyond short-term benefit to build a better internet. Radically Open
Security helps us fulfil this mission in a sustainable way."

As the company continues to grow year over year, these donations
increase in size and meaningfully support NLnet as a leading independent
grantmaker of core internet technology research, software development
and standards efforts.

“Radically Open Security is extremely proud to support the amazing work
of the NLnet Foundation!” states Melanie Rieback, ceo and co-founder of
Radically Open Security. “Giving 140k euro after our third book year,
which is ROS's first profitable year, as the first of our annual (!)
donations validates the concept of post-growth entrepreneurship. I hope
that this donation will inspire both entrepreneurs, NGO's and charities
alike, to view nonprofit business as a potential new revenue stream for
funding impact, social and ecological projects. Anyone who wants to
brainstorm about this is welcome to reach out to me.”

About NLnet Foundation

NLnet Foundation is an independent organisation whose means come from
donations and legacies. The history of NLnet goes back to 1982 when a
group of Europeans led by former NLnet director and member of the
Internet Hall of Fame Teus Hagen announced the European Unix Network
(EUnet) which became the first public wide area network in Europe and
the place where internet was introduced to Europe. NLnet also pioneered
the worlds first dial-in and ISDN infrastructure with full country
coverage. In 1997 all commercial activities were sold to UUnet (now
Verizon) and since that time NLnet has focused on supporting the open
internet and the privacy and security of internet users.

Its private capital ensures an absolute independent position. The
articles of association for the NLnet Foundation state: "to promote the
exchange of electronic information and all that is related or beneficial
to that purpose". NLnet's core business is to support independent
organizations and people that contribute to an open information society
and to a safe, secure and open internet.

A number of times a year NLnet organises a worldwide open call for
projects to be supported. The long list of NLnet-funded projects
includes NLnet Labs, Tor project, Unhosted, Qubes, NOMA, Wireguard,
Koruza, Serval, Jitsi, ARPA2, CeroWRT and GNUnet. NLnet currently
spearheads NGI Zero, a unique consortium that includes Radically Open
Security and funds privacy and trust enhancing technologies and improves
search and discovery as part of the Next Generation Internet initiative
of the European Commission.

For further information contact: bureau at nlnet.nl or +31627050947

About Radically Open Security

Radically Open Security (ROS) is the world's first not-for-profit
computer security consultancy company. ROS is an award-winning social
enterprise with 40+ staff members and 80+ customers, serving the
following sectors: government/police, financial, insurance,
internet/hosting, energy/water, retail, media, software development,
universities, SMEs, startups, and NGOs/nonprofits/civil society (for
whom we work on a nonprofit basis). ROS' core values have birthed the
"Peek Over Our Shoulder" style of penetration testing, bringing
unprecedented transparency to a traditionally "black box" service offering.

ROS is also a highly successful prototype of a Nonprofit Business. We
are providing an example of non-extractive "post growth
entrepreneurship" with ethics by design — prohibiting dividends,
investors, and exits, and re-envisioning business as a vehicle for pure
positive impact. In 2018, we started Nonprofit Ventures, the world's
first post-growth startup incubator, where we are working with
(aspiring) social entrepreneurs to bootstrap their own post-growth
startups. We also co-developed a "Post-Growth Entrepreneurship" course
(piloted, June 2019) in the School of Business and Economics of the
Vrije Universiteit (Free University of Amsterdam).

The Chamber of Commerce ranked Radically Open Security as the 50th most
innovative SME in the Netherlands. CIO Magazine called ROS's CEO, Dr.
Melanie Rieback, the "Most Innovative IT Leader" of the Netherlands (TIM
Award 2017). The European Council also named Dr. Rieback one of the 8
Most Innovative Women in the European Union (EU Prize for Women
Innovators 2019).

For further information contact: info at radicallyopensecurity.com