Posts
The launch of Threads is an opportunity for public institutions to embrace the fediverse
Meta's entry into the space and the fact that they have chosen to be interoperable with the existing fediverse could be a good thing, as it paves the way for public institutions to enter the space and reduce their dependence on private communication platforms.
Civil Society Statement on Democratic Digital Infrastructure
Today, together with more than 40 civil society organizations, we released a Statement on Democratic Digital Infrastructure. In the statement, we call on the EU and Member States to support alternatives to commercial digital infrastructure and promote interoperable, transparent digital spaces that respect privacy, democratic governance, and net neutrality by creating a European Public Digital Infrastructure Fund.
Open Future joins EDRI as a full member
Last weekend, EDRI's general assembly in Belgrade unanimously approved our application for EDRi membership. This membership is a crucial element of our strategy to forge connections between Digital Rights and Access to Knowledge movements
Small is beautiful, but can it scale?
The Initiative for Digital Public Infrastructure published the Three-Legged Stool manifesto, outlining three pillars for building digital public infrastructure.
The Path to the Digital Decade creates room for collaboration to build Digital Public Space
The 2030 Policy Programme 'Path to the Digital Decade' allows Member States to collaborate in developing the services and platforms that are essential building blocks of Digital Public Space.
Draft white paper on a European Public Digital Infrastructure Fund
Today, as a request for comments, we publish a white paper proposing a European Public Digital Infrastructure Fund to build Digital Public Spaces in Europe.
Priorities to Make the Fediverse Sustainable
The migration from Twitter to Mastodon offers a unique opportunity to build digital public space. In an article in Tech Policy Press, Alek Tarkowski points to the obstacles to materializing such an opportunity and proposes ways to overcome them.
Open Future Fellowship 2023
We are looking for two Fellows to contribute to our work on advancing digital public space and designing the future of open. The application submission deadline is 31 December 2022.
A right to participation in the Digital Public Space?
The European Declaration on Digital Rights and Principles for the Digital Decade is a good starting point for directing the EU Digital Strategy's emphasis toward societal goals, but an action plan to fulfill these promises is still lacking, says Zuzanna Warso.
The Data Commons are a key enabler of Europe’s digital transformation
The Center for European Policy Studies (CEPS) published a policy brief underpinning how a robust framework for B2G data sharing is a precondition for ensuring that public institutions and policymakers can fulfill their mandates.
The European Media Freedom Act fails to support public interest alternatives to platforms
The EC has proposed a new regulation to safeguard media independence and plurality in the EU. Unfortunately, the European Media Freedom Act fails to support public interest-driven alternatives to commercial platforms.
Publications
Regulatory requirements for the European Public Digital Infrastructure Fund
In the paper, Krzysztof investigates the characteristics of initiatives the Fund should support to create a solid foundation for the operation of the digital public space(s). He also looks into existing funding sources and how they could be used to support public digital infrastructure.
The Limits of the Fair Share Debate
This policy brief contributes to the discussion about the importance of maintaining an open internet. It posits that the struggle to maintain an unfettered exchange of information online is taking place not just at the network level but also within the domain of internet platforms and in the space occupied by content and application providers.
Generative Interoperability
The report "Generative Interoperability: Building public and civic spaces online" co-authored with Commons Network, proposes to treat interoperability as a policy principle that supports the creation of new public-civic digital spaces.
Digital Public Space – A missing policy frame for shaping Europe’s digital future
This article is Open Future's contribution to Building a European Digital Public Space - Strategies for taking back control from Big Tech platforms, a book edited by Aleksander Baratsits and Published by iRights Media in November 2021
A Vision for a Shared Digital Europe
The Vision for a Shared Digital Europe is a policy frame that can guide policymakers and civil society organisations involved with digital policymaking in the direction of a more equitable and democratic digital environment.
Events
June 20, 2023
Protocols, standards and ecosystems
Together with the critical infrastructure lab, we brought together 25 European experts working on interoperability, standards governance and identity protocols.
June 27, 2023
Public Spaces Conference 2023
The Public Spaces Conference 2023 is organized jointly by us, PublicSpaces, and Waag Futurelab. It will take place on 27 and 28 of June in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
April 13, 2023
Critical Infrastructure Lab launch: What should the next European Commission do?
At the Critical Infrastructure Lab launch event in Amsterdam, we hosted a workshop on “Imagining the future: what should the next European Commission do”.
June 24, 2022
AI Infrastructures for Civil Society and the Arts
On Friday 24 June we participated in a Workshop on AI Infrastructures for Civil Society and the Arts organized by the Hardware Medienkunst Verein. Paul's intervention was centered on the possibility of Common Data Spaces that can nurture artistic practices and civil society activism.
May 17, 2022
The EU digital strategy: how it started, how it’s going and what is missing
On 17 May 2022, at PublicSpace Conference #2, Open Future hosted a session on the state of affairs of EU digital policy-making halfway through the term of the current European Commission.
March 22, 2022
A conversation about Interoperability and building digital public spaces
On 22 March at 15 CET Alek discussed with Sophie Bloemen, Amandine Le Pape and Ian Brown the role that interoperability can play in a transformation of the digital environment towards more public-civic spaces.
November 17, 2021
Policy Forum: Initiative for European Public Space
Public conversation: How can EU policy foster digital European public spaces?
