This is the map of those who fight for a free internet

Dafne Calvo, University of Valladolid and Eva Campos Dominguez, University of Valladolid

The Internet began to become popular and used for private use in the decade of the 90s of the last century.Since then, it has aroused great interest among journalists, public representatives and academics.All these dialogues discuss and discuss the possibilities of cyberspace to encourage participation in our representative systems.Sometimes, separately.On other occasions, together. Some argue that cyberspace can bring us closer to a more radical democracy. In it, citizens acquire a greater capacity to decide on the public issues that directly affect it.

Related This ideal scenario was already integrated into the first manifests and opinions on the Internet.They all interpreted decentralization and the development of Open protocols as characteristics close to the values ​​of freedom and autonomy in the network, but this hopeful vision is not going through its best moment.

From hope to criticism

In recent years, the number of opinions that have shown more pessimism has increased. There are positions against the growing relevance acquired by social networks and online services offered by Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon.

These companies are synthesized under the acronym GAFA in the various articles that refer to them together.Many of these academic and journalistic works are critical of the economic activity of these large corporations.

First, because they extract the personal data of users when they interact within their electronic platforms, and because, at the same time, this personal information is collected and processed in order to create advertising content related to the interests of each consumer concrete.

For example, if you're reading this post and you're a woman between 25 and 35 years old, you've probably seen the ClearBlue ad on YouTube more than once. All of this, regardless of whether you have a real desire to get pregnant in the short or long term.

If on the contrary you did not know this brand of pregnancy test, it is possible that your sociodemographic characteristics do not fit the target audience of the company.

data vs.free internet

Datafication and algorithm decision making are the Anglo-Saxon terms used to refer to the processes described above.In addition, these techniques for the extraction and automatic processing of personal data go unnoticed while We remain connected to the network.Even when we are aware that they exist, we ignore how they work.

In other words, we don't know what data these companies obtain from our network activity. At the same time, we don't know how they process our personal information to define how we are and how they classify us within a concrete advertising profile.

In short, Google, Apple, Facebook or Amazon know a lot about Internet users, while we have little information about them.

Why talk about digital resistors

It is in this context that terms such as electronic dissidents , digital resistors or even network counter-power make sense. It is true that technological oligopolies accumulate and control information flows online, but it is still possible to find tools to create spaces for autonomy, initiatives to defend the principles of freedom on the Internet and proposals to work for a common decision-making process.

Some of these projects are included in Digital Resistance Mapping.This online mapping identifies the groups that promote strategies and plans to reverse these unequal power relations in the network space. The map is located in Ushahidi, a free software platform originally designed for cartography of catastrophic areas.

At present, the map has 295 initiatives with various themes and focused on multiple activities.Some of them are the coding of free software , participation in peer networks and blockchain , the collaboration in mesh networks, encryption of personal communications and content creation Creative Commons .

It is not necessary to travel to the United States to know them, because all of them are located in Spain, the frame of reference of this study. The only regions that do not yet have mapped initiatives are Navarra, Ceuta and Melilla.It does not mean that they do not exist but simply are not located on the platform.

The map is open to any group that wants to be included in the enel.To do so, you only have to access the questionnaire available on the home page.

Once this small survey is completed, the organization will appear together with the rest of the groups that promote alternative ways of participating in the network. The map is an instrument for academic research, but also for the identification and recognition of projects of civil society.

Knowing these projects is the first step to be able to act politically in favor of the internet in which we want to navigate.Above all, in an increasingly private and centralized cyberspace in the platforms and services of large corporations that accumulate our data.

This text has been written by Dafne Calvo, Predoctoral Researcher in Communication, University of Valladolid and Eva Campos Dominguez, Professor of Journalism at the University of Valladolid, University of Valladolid

This article was originally published in The Conversation.Read the original.