Open Future – Open Future Foundation (original) (raw)

Our new report

Policies for the Digital Commons

Interventions in Support of the Digital Commons

At the turn of the century, the internet gave birth to the Digital Commons — collectively created and managed resources open to the public. Numerous initiatives placed their bets on the combined power of networked information services and new governance models for the production and sharing of content and data.

Challenges Arise

Over the last decade, we have witnessed a wholesale transformation of the digital ecosystem. The web moved away from the ideals and the open design of the early internet. Today, a small number of companies control and exploit this ecosystem. In this digital landscape, openness serves as both a challenge and an enabler for these concentrations of power.

Sustaining the Open Promise

We recognize the great promise of the Digital Commons and how open sharing serves the public interest. The open internet must be preserved in order to maximize the societal benefits of shared data, knowledge, and culture. We only need to reimagine open and make it resilient against abuse and exploitation.

The New Open

To this end, our team is focused on solving challenges that the digital world currently faces while strengthening open ecosystems. Together with European Union institutions, and civil society, we put our knowledge and experience to work to ensure that the principle of openness is reflected in the EU’s digital policies. We also work with partners to support Digital Commons globally.

The Paradox of Open

In today’s digital environment, openness serves as both a challenge to and an enabler for those who wish to control digital resources. Solving this paradox means promoting openness while tackling power concentrations.

Digital Commons

Collectively created and shared resources can be managed in a way that prioritizes public access and use over private commodification. Treating digital resources as commons simultaneously serves the public interest, protects fundamental rights, and generates economic value.

The Digital Public Space

Our commitment to digital rights and to safeguarding Europe's digital sovereignty underpins our support for the Digital Public Space – an ecosystem built on Public Digital Infrastructure.