Our current, advertiser-supported Internet is broken. The business models underpinning data brokers, tracking, and programmatic advertising are predatory, and the tiny percentage of revenue that flows back to content creators often makes their work unsustainable. New technologies, like open payment networks that support micropayments and drip-style donations, are fostering more equitable alternatives for funding the work of individual creators and collectives. More democratic governance mechanisms and processes are able, or have the potential, to scale and support new forms of collective decision-making and digital participation. But how can early adopters ensure that these technologies are used for the public good, rather than supporting hyper-capitalist systems that have made the current digital landscape so inequitable? And what best practices can be learned from existing open source projects that operate in the public interest?

This session includes panelists from industry, civil society, and academia who will discuss the challenges and opportunities that exist in an alternatively-funded online world.

Moderator:

Ayden Férdeline, public interest technologist

Panelists:

Xiaoji Song, interdisciplinary researcher and artist

Dr Stephanie Perrin, past winner of the Electronic Frontier Foundation ‘Pioneer Award’

Ellen Magallanes, counsel, Wikimedia Foundation