The Future of the Internet: Fighting for Digital Freedom and Democracy
The Future of the Internet: Fighting for Digital Freedom and Democracy
21 Nov
Written By Andreas Rossmann
The internet is at a crossroads. What once began as a space of freedom, innovation, and equal participation is increasingly dominated by a handful of tech giants. But resistance is forming worldwide: organizations and projects are fighting to preserve the internet in its original spirit – as an open, democratic medium for everyone.
The Vision: A Free and Open Internet
The idea of a decentralized, user-friendly internet is not new. It was part of the DNA of the World Wide Web from the very beginning. But today, algorithms, data monopolies, and commercial interests threaten to suffocate this vision. The digital public sphere is increasingly controlled by a handful of platforms that determine which content gains visibility and which disappears into algorithmic darkness.
Mozilla and the Mozilla Manifesto: Principles for a Better Internet
One of the best-known initiatives is the Mozilla Foundation with its Firefox browser. Since 1998, Mozilla has been working to ensure that the internet evolves in ways that benefit everyone. The Mozilla Manifesto formulates core principles for the future of the web:
The internet is a global public resource that must remain open and accessible
The internet must enrich the lives of individual human beings
Individuals' security and privacy on the internet are fundamental
Individuals must have the ability to shape the internet and their own experiences on it
Mozilla implements these principles concretely: Unlike Chrome-based browsers, Firefox continues to support Manifest V2 for browser extensions. This means that powerful privacy tools like uBlock Origin will continue to work in the future – while Google is restricting this functionality in Chrome. Mozilla stands by its position: users should retain control over their online experience.
Solid: Tim Berners-Lee's Radical Fresh Start
Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the World Wide Web, goes even further. With his Solid Project (Social Linked Data), he wants to fundamentally reshape the internet. The core idea is revolutionary: user data should no longer reside with Facebook, Google, or Amazon, but in personal "Pods" (Personal Online Data Stores) that everyone controls themselves.
Berners-Lee explains it this way: "Solid enables you not only to control who has access to your data – you can also revoke that access at any time with a switch."
The Solid Project, which started at MIT in 2016 and is now managed by the Open Data Institute, has already found prominent users: The BBC uses Solid for personalized media recommendations, the UK's NHS (National Health Service) for patient data management, and the Belgian region of Flanders for citizen services.
The vision: Applications only access user data with explicit permission. If you switch apps, you simply take your data with you. Vendor lock-in – being trapped with one provider – becomes impossible.
Markus Beckedahl and the German Digital Rights Movement
In Germany, Markus Beckedahl has significantly shaped the digital civil rights movement. In 2003, he founded netzpolitik.org, now the most important medium for digital rights in the German-speaking world. He also co-initiated re:publica, Europe's largest festival for digital society, which has been attracting thousands of visitors to Berlin annually since 2007.
After more than 20 years at netzpolitik.org, Beckedahl launched his latest project in 2025: The Center for Digital Rights and Democracy (Zentrum für Digitalrechte und Demokratie). The organisation, founded together with Campact, sees itself as a civil society counterweight to the tech industry lobby.
"I watch with concern as the major platforms become political actors – without democratic control, but with enormous power over opinion formation and debates," Beckedahl explains the motivation. The centre focuses on "rapid response" – quick, well-founded reactions to current developments to counter Big Tech's interpretive dominance with alternative narratives.
The Digital Society Association and re:publica
Beckedahl also founded the Digitale Gesellschaft e.V (Digital Society Association), which advocates for civil rights in the digital space. re:publica, originally started as a blogger meetup, has become the most important gathering place for net activists, creatives, scientists, and politicians with over 20 stages, 1,000 speakers, and thousands of visitors. Topics from net politics to media and culture to technology and democracy are discussed here.
Xnet: Spain's Pioneer for Digital Rights
In Spain, Xnet (formerly eXgae) has been fighting for digital rights and democracy in the digital age since 2008. The organisation, founded by activist Simona Levi, is a member of European Digital Rights (EDRi), the Europe-wide network for civil rights in the digital space.
Xnet works on multiple fronts:
Net Neutrality: Fighting to ensure all data on the internet is treated equally
Data Protection and Privacy: Criticising excessive identification requirements by authorities
Whistleblower Protection: Operating secure reporting systems (like XnetLeaks)
Free Culture: Promoting alternative copyright models
Anti-Corruption: The 15MpaRato platform led to the conviction of 65 politicians and bankers, including former Minister of Economy and IMF President Rodrigo Rato
Particularly noteworthy: Simona Levi published a report on "sovereign and democratic digitisation of Europe" in 2021 commissioned by the President of the European Parliament. Xnet now advises government agencies in Spain and Catalonia on digital rights.
The organisation also hosts the FCForum (Free Culture Forum), an international conference bringing together experts and organisations for free culture and knowledge, and the oXcars, an award for projects created under open culture paradigms.
Why These Organisations Matter
What connects Mozilla, Solid, the Center for Digital Rights, and Xnet? They all fight for the same goal:
Preserving the internet as a public good – not as a playground for commercial data collectors and manipulators, but as a space for free opinion formation, creativity, and democratic participation.
Their most important demands:
Data Sovereignty: Users must have control over their own data
Decentralisation: No dependence on a few tech giants
Transparency: Algorithms and business models must be comprehensible
Digital Rights: Freedom of expression, privacy, and protection from surveillance online too
Net Neutrality: Equal treatment of all data, no preferential treatment for commercial services
The Challenges
The fight is not easy. Big Tech has enormous financial resources, political influence, and power over the infrastructure that billions of people use daily. The challenges are manifold:
Network Effects: People stay on Facebook or WhatsApp because everyone else is there
Lobbying Power: Tech corporations invest millions in political influence
Convenience: Alternative services are often less comfortable than established platforms
Knowledge Gap: Many users don't understand how their data is being used
What Can Each Individual Do?
The good news: everyone can contribute to the success of this movement:
Use alternative browsers like Firefox instead of Chrome
Support common-good oriented projects through donations or active participation
Inform yourself about digital rights at netzpolitik.org, Xnet, or EDRi
Demand from politicians clear rules for tech corporations
Share your knowledge and raise awareness in your environment about these issues
Try decentralised alternatives: Mastodon instead of Twitter, Signal instead of WhatsApp
Outlook: What Internet Do We Want?
The question about the future of the internet is ultimately a societal one: Do we want a digital world where a handful of oligarchs control information flows, opinion formation, and public discourse? Or do we fight for an internet that lives up to its original promise – as a tool for emancipation, education, and democratic participation?
Projects like Mozilla, Solid, the Center for Digital Rights, and Xnet show: there are alternatives. There are people and organisations that don't give up. They prove that a different, better internet is possible – if we're willing to stand up for it.
The digital revolution is far from over. It's up to us to steer it in the right direction.
Further Information:
Mozilla Manifesto: mozilla.org/manifesto
Solid Project: solidproject.org
Center for Digital Rights and Democracy: digitalrechte.de
netzpolitik.org: netzpolitik.org
re:publica: re-publica.com
Xnet: xnet-x.net
European Digital Rights (EDRi): edri.org
FCForum: fcforum.net
