---
author: christel
date: 2017-04-12 20:03:34+00:00
slug: pia-fn
title: PIA and freenode joining forces
category: community
category: general
category: freenode
---

I am incredibly excited to be able to share some amazing news with you today.
For the last few years, Private Internet Access has been a dedicated supporter
of the freenode project and we are delighted to be able to announce that
freenode is now officially part of the PIA family.

freenode has been providing services to Free and Open Source Software projects,
peer-directed projects and other projects that have a broadly licensed output
for the past 18 years, and there is a great deal of overlap between the visions
and missions of the two organisations, as well as the projects and
organisations the two organisations have supported, albeit in very different
ways over the years.

Rob (lilo) founded freenode with the aim of providing a useful service to Free
and Open Source Software communities, peer-directed projects and others and I
think he would be proud of the growth we have experienced over the years if he
were still here to see it.

When I took over freenode following his death, my personal circumstances were
very different from what they are now. I had time—oodles of it—and volunteering
for freenode was very much a pleasure (by all means, it still is! Otherwise I
wouldn't be here). However, over the years, times changed, the project grew,
demands grew, my own responsibilities changed, both professionally and
personally and I, along with several other senior freenode volunteers, found
that we no longer had quite the same amount of time and energy to dedicate to
the project.

Following discussion and deliberation we have decided to formally (and
legally) ally ourselves with PIA. Freenode will continue to operate as a
not-for-profit entity under the same management, with the same principles,
but PIA's involvement going forwards will provide us with opportunities and
resources that we could previously only dream of. PIA will provide an operating
budget, mentorship and support that will allow freenode to implement some of
the projects and ideas that have previously been on the backburner due to
constraints in terms of volunteer time and resources.


# Why? What is the incentive for PIA?

Private Internet Access is committed to bringing the internet back to its
original state, where being online meant being in your own private world,
exploring, learning and creating. PIA is serious about supporting organisations
and individuals that it considers to be in alignment with its mission and
freenode is one such project.

The founders of PIA feel that freenode has helped a number of open source
projects progress, that freenode helps the community produce the pieces that
make the internet work smoothly, piece by piece, and that it empowers people.

For PIA, this is about giving back, giving back to freenode and to the
communities that they consider vital to their success and to their mission.

The freenode project would be nothing without its communities. All of our
volunteers come from projects that use freenode, projects we are passionate
about and projects we want to see continue to succeed.

As part of the PIA family, we can guarantee that the freenode project will
continue to operate and that we will have the support and resources to further
improve the services that we offer to FOSS communities and others, doing our
bit to ensure that you can all continue doing what you do best—making the
internet and the world a better place.


# What next?

There will be few noticeable changes in terms of day-to-day operations, the
freenode project will continue to operate with much the same structure and
volunteer base as it does now. We anticipate that group registration will
become a quicker process and we look forward to implementing and announcing new
features in the future.

On a personal level, I have joined PIA as a full-time employee and I will be
holding a dual role. I will continue to head up the freenode project and you
will no doubt see and hear more of me as my availability and involvement
increases. Some of you might also find yourselves dealing with me in my new
role as Director of Sponsorship and Events at Private Internet Access, where I
will be heading up the work we undertake to support organisations, campaigns
and events globally.

This means that you may bump into me at various conferences throughout the
year, and if you do, please do come have a chat—whether about PIA, freenode or
the weather!

On the subject of conferences, I am also extremely happy to announce that
freenode #live will be taking place at At-Bristol in Bristol, UK on 28-29th
October 2017. We will shortly be making a separate announcement as we open up
registration and call for papers and I look forward to seeing you there.

Please do not hesitate to drop me a line (`/msg christel`) on IRC if you
have any questions.

Do keep an eye out for more exciting news!
