Debian is a foundational project that powers a significant portion of modern IT infrastructure. It is everywhere, from servers running critical workloads to desktop systems and derivatives like Ubuntu.
And what keeps this project running smoothly are Teams, lots of them. There are teams that handle package maintenance, infrastructure management, security updates, release engineering, and more.
These specialized groups work together to ensure Debian remains stable, secure, and compliant with various legal requirements.
Recently, Debian's Project Leader (DPL), Andreas Tille, put out a call for help. The Data Protection Team, which handled the project's privacy obligations, is now defunct and needs volunteers.
New Hands Required
All three appointed members of the Data Protection Team have stepped back from their roles. Andreas thanked Jonathan McDowell (noodles), Tollef Fog Heen (tfheen), and Matthew Vernon (matthew) for their years of service.
The Data Protection Team has been around since 2018 to handle the changes brought about by European data protection legislation. The team drew up Debian's privacy policy, handled external queries about what personal data Debian holds, and advised project members on Debian's data protection obligations.
They served as a crucial point of contact for individuals and organizations wanting to know how their information was being used or stored across Debian's many services.
The new team will be expected to continue this work: maintaining and improving the existing privacy policy, working with teams that process personal data, and responding to data protection requests.
Sadly, as of now, no one has come forward to join the team. Even a discussion surrounding this at last year's DebConf didn't prove fruitful, and all data protection inquiries are being sent to Andreas, the DPL.
Needless to say, he will be overburdened with all those requests if new people aren't brought in, seeing that 2026 looks to be a busy year for Linux.
If you are interested in data protection and privacy, and want to help improve Debian's existing privacy policy while working with teams to handle data protection requests, reach out to Andreas at [email protected]g.
Just make sure you are ready for the commitment before reaching out. The team will need people who can dedicate real time to handling sensitive privacy matters. If you are confident you're the right fit and have the bandwidth to give this proper attention, then go ahead and contact him!
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Abhishek Prakash
