Foreword:
Kiteworks Open Source Program Office for ownCloud

At Kiteworks, we believe that technology carries a profound responsibility: it must protect what matters most – our privacy, our security, and our freedom to collaborate without compromise. In an era where digital ecosystems are often defined by lock-in and opacity, we have chosen a different path. We embrace openness as a cornerstone of trust, transparency, and social responsibility.

The acquisition of ownCloud reflects this conviction. We were committed to open source from the beginning. We made bold decisions early on – such as announcing the end-of-life of the resource-intensive ownCloud 10 – and we have continued to invest in all other open source products under the ownCloud brand.

With ownCloud, we are not merely investing in software, but in an idea: that the future of collaboration should be built on federation, sovereignty, and openness. We see open source as a force for good – a way to empower communities, strengthen institutions, and ensure that innovation is accessible to all.

Kiteworks has a long history of integrating open source components into its secure platform. This is intentional. Open source allows us to innovate faster, respond to evolving security challenges, and uphold the highest standards of transparency. With the ownCloud Desktop Client, Kiteworks offers its first fully open source application to our entire customer base. By combining our expertise in controlled and compliant software design with the vibrant ownCloud community, we commit to sustaining and growing a platform that organizations around the world can trust.

This manifesto is more than a declaration. It is our pledge:

• to honor the principles of open source,
• to nurture the ecosystem around ownCloud, and
• to ensure that our technology contributes to a safer, more equitable digital society.

We will continue to invest in the development of ownCloud, support the contributors who make it thrive, and advocate for digital sovereignty as a public good.

Together, with our community, partners, and customers, we believe we can redefine how the world collaborates: responsibly, transparently, and openly.

Kiteworks is consolidating all of its open source activities under the Open Source Program Office, operating under the ownCloud brand. This manifesto marks that commitment.

Sincerely,
Tim Freestone
Chief Strategy Officer