The combination of open source technology and legacy technology makes it possible to setup networks that are affordable and offer quality that is good enough for the needs of users who otherwise might have nothing.
People should have greater agency and control over their data. Can the collection and use of data be democratized? Can a democratic society collect and use data responsibly, and with the consent of citizens? Can people have greater access and input on how their data is used and why?
Digital decision making tools are becoming increasingly accessible and applicable to our societies. Decidim (meaning “to decide” in Catalan) is a free and open source platform developed by and for the city of Barcelona, that is now being adapted and used by communities around the world.
AI is tyrannical by default, due to the false assumption that it has to be centralized, unresponsive, unaccountable, and inevitable. Yet there’s no reason why AI can’t be democratized. Imagine for a moment that we live in such a world. What would that look like?
In this issue let’s take a look at the platform pol.is and the growing role it is playing in changing politics and legitimizing the use of digital tools for democracy.
What if democracy was translated from an idealized metaphor into a technical tool that made voting and decision making easier? That is the hope of democracy.earth, an organization, philosophy, and suite of (blockchain based) software.
Automation as a concept can be applied to just about anything. As software plays a growing role in how we organize ourselves, and automated communication increases in sophistication and nuance, the opportunity arises for the automated organization.