News and Research articles on Open science

Volume 9, Issue 4

Digital commons

Mélanie Dulong de Rosnay, French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS)
Felix Stalder, Zurich University of the Arts
PUBLISHED ON: 17 Dec 2020 DOI: 10.14763/2020.4.1530

Digital commons, understood as shared information, culture and knowledge resources created and maintained online, are a crucial concept to think about the development of the digital sphere beyond surveillance capitalism and steer it toward a more socially inclusive and sustainable economy and a renewal of democracy.

KEYWORDS: Commons, Commoning, Commons-based peer production, Digital resources, Governance, Community, Open data, Open access, Open science, Open licensing, Openness, Democracy, Inclusion
Open access

Wikimedia and the (political) meaning of free knowledge

Nikolas Becker, Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society (HIIG)

PUBLISHED ON: 2 Apr 2013

In Europe, education and free knowledge are subject to political restrictions that can only be effectively changed on the EU level. Wikimedia, the not-for-profit organisation behind the online encyclopaedia Wikipedia, believes this. The organisation could therefore soon open an office in Brussels to participate in the future debates about a European knowledge society. Nikolas Becker is a member of the board of Wikimedia Germany. Using three concise examples, he explains why and where he sees need for action.