474 lines
14 KiB
Markdown
474 lines
14 KiB
Markdown
---
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header: "Digital Independence Day - Reclaiming Our Digital Autonomy"
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footer: "Michał Czechowski"
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title: Digital Independence Day - Reclaiming Our Digital Autonomy
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---
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<style>
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# Digital Independence Day
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## Reclaiming Our Digital Autonomy
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**Michał Czechowski**
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University Lecturer & Open Source Enthusiast
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Stuttgart, Germany
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*Science in the City Festival Malta – September 17, 2025*
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---
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# About Me
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**Michał Czechowski**
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- University Lecturer at DHBW Stuttgart & LFH Hannover
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- 20+ years software engineering experience
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- FOSS transformation specialist
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- Polish-German background: generational experience with authoritarian control
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- Passionate about empowering digital independence through democratic technology
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*"From surviving authoritarianism to building digital freedom"*
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---
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- **2014**: Oracle aquires a marketing tech start-up based in Cupertino, California, for around **$400 million**.
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- **2016**: Oracle bragged about profiling 5 billion people worldwide, creating detailed cohorts from **sensitive web browsing activity, names, home addresses, email addresses, and cross-device tracking data**
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- **$42.4 billion annual revenue** from their BlueKai data brokerage operations, selling personal profiles to advertisers and third parties without consent
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- **2024**: Oracle forced to pay $115 million settlement after class action lawsuit led by privacy researchers Michael Katz-Lacabe (USA), Jennifer Golbeck (USA), and Johnny Ryan (Ireland)
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<!-- A class action lawsuit is a legal case where one or more people sue on behalf of a large group, or "class," of others who have suffered similar harm from the same defendant. -->
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---
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# What is Digital Independence?
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---
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# Digital Independence
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## Democratic Control Over Information Systems
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**Digital Autonomy**: The capacity for individuals and societies to make informed, voluntary decisions about their digital tools and data
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- **Individual Level**: You control what software runs on your devices
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- **Societal Level**: Communities govern their digital infrastructure
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- **Democratic Level**: Transparent, accountable technology governance
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*Democracy enhanced by autonomy leads to better societal outcomes*
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<!-- Original thought: democracy minus (some) freedom - but we mean democratic control over technology, not corporate freedom -->
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---
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# Why Does Digital Autonomy Matter?
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---
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# The Fourth Revolution: Living in the Infosphere
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**Luciano Floridi's Core Thesis**: We now inhabit a "hyper-historical" world where the distinction between online and offline life has collapsed.
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The **infosphere** - our combined digital and physical reality - means:
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- Information systems ARE the infrastructure of modern society
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- Digital dependencies create systemic vulnerabilities
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- Control over information systems equals control over society itself
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*We are no longer users of digital tools - we are inhabitants of digital reality*
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<!-- Floridi, "The Fourth Revolution: How the Infosphere is Reshaping Human Reality" - this is the foundational argument for why digital autonomy matters existentially -->
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---
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# Critical Infrastructure Dependencies
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**When information systems control:**
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- **Healthcare**: Electronic records, diagnostic systems, life support
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- **Logistics**: Supply chains, transportation networks, food distribution
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- **Finance**: Payment systems, banking infrastructure, economic stability
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- **Democracy**: Media platforms, electoral systems, public discourse
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- **Education**: Learning platforms, research access, knowledge distribution
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**Single point of failure = societal breakdown**
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---
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# When Digital Systems Fail, Society Fails
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**Recent Systemic Failures:**
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- Hospital ransomware attacks → patients die from delayed care
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- Social media manipulation → electoral interference, democratic erosion
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- Supply chain attacks → economic disruption, infrastructure breakdown
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- Platform censorship → suppression of legitimate discourse
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- Algorithmic bias → systemic discrimination at scale
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*Digital dependence without democratic control = societal vulnerability*
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---
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# Who Opposes Digital Autonomy?
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---
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# The Opposition Alliance
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**Surveillance Capitalism Model:**
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- Extract behavioral data at unprecedented scale
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- Manipulate user behavior through algorithmic control
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- Create dependencies to maintain market dominance
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**Authoritarian State Interests:**
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- Monitor and control population behavior
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- Suppress dissent through platform manipulation
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- Weaponize civilian technology infrastructure
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**Shared Goal: Centralized control over information systems**
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---
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# Real-World Digital Attacks
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**Cambridge Analytica (2018)**: 87 million Facebook profiles harvested for election manipulation
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**Meta's Teen Depression Experiments (2021)**: Deliberately harmful algorithms tested on adolescents
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**Israel-Lebanon Pager Attack (2024)**: Consumer communication devices remotely weaponized
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**Palantir Surveillance Infrastructure**: Military-grade population monitoring sold to corporations and governments
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**TikTok Algorithmic Influence**: Foreign state influence over domestic youth culture and political discourse
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<!-- Additional examples: NSA PRISM program, Chinese social credit system, Russian election interference, facial recognition deployment -->
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---
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# Who's Fighting Back?
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---
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# Digital Independence Success Stories
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**🇩🇪 Schleswig-Holstein**: Complete state migration to Linux and LibreOffice, ending Microsoft dependency
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**🇫🇷 Lyon**: 17,000 government computers migrated to Ubuntu, saving €2M annually in licensing costs
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**🇪🇸 Extremadura**: 200,000 students educated on Linux-based systems, creating digital literacy without vendor lock-in
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**🇮🇹 South Tyrol**: Government-wide OpenOffice deployment, demonstrating scalable alternatives
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**🇧🇷 Brazil**: Constitutional requirement for open standards in government systems
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<!-- Additional: Barcelona's decidim platform, Estonia's X-Road infrastructure, Taiwan's vTaiwan digital democracy -->
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---
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# FOSS vs. "Open Source" vs. Proprietary
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---
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# Software Models Compared
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**Proprietary Software:**
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- Black box code, vendor control, only licenses
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- Surveillance capabilities built-in
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**"Open Source" (Silicon Valley):**
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- Source visible but corporate-controlled
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- "Open washing" marketing tactics
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**Free & Open Source Software (FOSS):**
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- Community governance, transparent code
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- Privacy by default, no surveillance by design
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---
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# How to Gain Digital Autonomy
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---
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# Your Liberation Toolkit
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| Category | Proprietary Tool | FOSS Alternative | Implementation Notes |
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|----------|------------------|------------------|----------------------|
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| **Communication** | WhatsApp | Signal | End-to-end encrypted, normie-friendly |
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| | | Element (Matrix) | Decentralized protocol, tech-savvy users |
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| | Twitter/X | Mastodon | ActivityPub federation, choose instance wisely |
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| | Discord | Element/Matrix | Bridges available for Discord migration |
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| **Web Browsing** | Chrome/Chromium | Firefox | Mozilla Foundation, privacy-focused |
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| | | LibreWolf | Firefox without telemetry, hardened |
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| | | Ladybird | Complete rebuild browser from scratch (summer 2026) |
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| | Plugins | Block Origin, Privacy Badger etc. | Useful firefox/chromium extension for increased security |
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| **Productivity** | Microsoft Office | LibreOffice | Full office suite, document compatibility |
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| | Notion | Logseq | Local-first knowledge graphs |
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| | Slack | Mattermost | Self-hosted team communication |
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| **Video Conferencing** | MS Teams, Zoom | Jitsi Meet | Self-hostable, browser-based meetings |
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---
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# Your Liberation Toolkit (continued)
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| Category | Proprietary Tool | FOSS Alternative | Implementation Notes |
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|----------|------------------|------------------|----------------------|
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| **Cloud & Storage** | Google Drive | Nextcloud | Complete cloud replacement |
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| | Google Photos | Immich | Self-hosted photo management |
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| | Dropbox | Syncthing | P2P file synchronization |
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| **Media** | YouTube | PeerTube | Federated video hosting |
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| | | NewPipe | Android app, no Google Services needed |
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| **Email** | Gmail | Proton Mail | Swiss privacy laws protection |
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| **Mobile OS** | Android (Google) | GrapheneOS | Pixel devices only, maximum security |
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| | | LineageOS | Wider device support |
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| **Desktop OS** | MS Windows | GNU/Linux | Hundreds of different distributions like Ubuntu, Arch etc. |
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| | macOS | Asahi Linux | Apple Silicon Macs, experimental support |
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<!-- Full table available in presentation notes with password managers, maps, video conferencing, etc. -->
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---
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# Implementation Strategy
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**1. Kyū (yellow belt 🟡):**
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Communication tools, Browser, Search, Office suite
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**2. Kyū (orange belt 🟠):**
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Operating system, Cloud storage, Email communication
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**3. Kyū (green belt 🟢):**
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Cloud storage, Self-hosting, Complete sovereignty
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---
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# Workshop Implementation Guide
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**Today's Focus:**
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- GNU/Linux hands-on exploration
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- First terminal commands
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- Building your personal migration roadmap
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**Take Home:**
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- Bootable Linux USB drive
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- Curated software recommendations
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- Community connection for ongoing support
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*Each participant leaves with practical next steps*
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---
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# Call to Action
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**Digital Independence is Democratic Necessity**
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In Floridi's infosphere, our digital choices are political choices.
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**Today's Workshop**: Hands-on GNU/Linux exploration
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**Your Mission**: Begin your liberation journey
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**Our Goal**: Build digitally sovereign communities
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*The future of democracy depends on who controls our information systems*
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---
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# Trade-offs of Using FOSS
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**Everything Comes with a Price:**
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- **Self-Responsibility**: No one to blame except yourself when things go sideways
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- **Accessibility Over Polish**: "Not so smooth" interfaces, therefore highly accessible
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- **Modular Solutions**: Rarely "All-in-One"-Solutions, mostly a potpourri of multiple solutions to meet your needs
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---
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# References (1/3)
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**Core Theory:**
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- Floridi, L. (2014). *The Fourth Revolution: How the infosphere is reshaping human reality*. Oxford University Press. ISBN: 9780199606726
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**Digital Attacks & Surveillance:**
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- Cadwalladr, C. & Graham-Harrison, E. (2018, March 17). Revealed: 50 million Facebook profiles harvested for Cambridge Analytica in major data breach. *The Guardian*. https://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/mar/17/cambridge-analytica-facebook-influence-us-election
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- Wells, G., Horwitz, J., & Seetharaman, D. (2021, September 14). Facebook knows Instagram is toxic for teen girls, company documents show. *The Wall Street Journal*. https://www.wsj.com/articles/facebook-knows-instagram-is-toxic-for-teen-girls-company-documents-show-11631620739
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<!-- https://web.archive.org/web/20220831224342/https://www.wsj.com/articles/facebook-knows-instagram-is-toxic-for-teen-girls-company-documents-show-11631620739 -->
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- Frenkel, S., Bergman, R. & Saad, H. (2024, September 18). How Israel Built a Modern-Day Trojan Horse: Exploding Pagers. *The New York Times*. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/18/world/middleeast/israel-exploding-pagers-hezbollah.html
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<!-- https://web.archive.org/web/20250912012501/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/18/world/middleeast/israel-exploding-pagers-hezbollah.html -->
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# References (2/3)
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**Government FOSS Success Stories:**
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- The Document Foundation (2024, April 4). German state moving 30,000 PCs to LibreOffice. https://blog.documentfoundation.org/blog/2024/04/04/german-state-moving-30000-pcs-to-libreoffice/
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- Gascó, M. (2003). New technologies and institutional change in public administration. *Social Science Computer Review*, 21(1), 6-14. [Extremadura case study]
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- Camara, G. & Fonseca, F. (2007). Information policies and open source software in developing countries. *Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology*, 58(1), 121-132. [Brazil open standards]
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**Digital Democracy Platforms:**
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- Aragón, P., et al. (2017). Deliberative Platform Design: The Case Study of the Online Discussions in Decidim Barcelona. *Social Science Computer Review*, 39(6), 1139-1162. https://decidim.barcelona/
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- vTaiwan Project Documentation. (2023). Digital Minister of Taiwan. https://vtaiwan.tw/
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---
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# References (3/3)
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**Infrastructure & Surveillance Systems:**
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- Kotka, T., Vargas, C.A. & Korjus, K. (2015). Estonia's blockchain-based e-Residency program. *Computer*, 48(9), 106-108. [X-Road infrastructure]
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- Greenwald, G. (2014). *No Place to Hide: Edward Snowden, the NSA, and the U.S. Surveillance State*. Metropolitan Books. [PRISM program]
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- Liang, F., et al. (2018). Constructing a data‐driven society: China's social credit system as a state surveillance infrastructure. *Policy & Internet*, 10(4), 415-453.
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---
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# Questions & Discussion
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**Additional Resources:**
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- Open Source Alternative Directory: https://www.opensourcealternative.to/
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- OSS Malta Community: https://ossmalta.eu/
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- Presentation Materials: https://dailysh.it/malta
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- Contact: malta@dailysh.it
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*"The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now."*
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*- Chinese Proverb*
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---
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<!-- header: "Digital Independence Day - Workshop" -->
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<!-- title: Digital Independence Day - Workshop -->
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# Digital Independence Day - Workshop
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## Hands-On Exploration
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**Michał Czechowski**
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University Lecturer & Open Source Enthusiast
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Stuttgart, Germany
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*Science in the City Festival Malta – September 17, 2025*
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---
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# 1. Kyū
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## yellow belt 🟡
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# 2. Kyū
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## orange belt 🟠
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# 3. Kyū
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## green belt 🟢
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