For the last 20 years, notorious activists the Yes Men have staged outrageous and hilarious hoaxes to draw international attention to corporate crimes against humanity and the environment. Armed with nothing but quick wits and thrift-store suits, these iconoclastic revolutionaries lie their way into business events and government functions to expose the dangers of letting greed run our world. In their third cinematic outing (after The Yes Men and The Yes Men Fix The World), they are now well into their 40s, and their mid-life crises are threatening to drive them out of activism forever—even as they prepare to take on the biggest challenge they’ve ever faced: climate change. Opens theatrically at IFC Center following the festival screening.
James, Jaromil and Adnan joined a 2-day London FLOSSP2P workshop, gathering FLOSS projects that are building software for peer production and organization, with a focus on distributed platforms. *Scholarships* to attend are offered to grassroots communities. We met with participants of the Off Networks mailinglist.
We know that the Internet was originally decentralized, with protocols and services built by hackers. However, with the arrival of the celebrated Web 2.0, centralization and corporations proprietary platforms seem to have taken over. Moreover, this centralized structure is used by governments to increase surveillance (following Snowden’s revelations), to blackout internet whenever it is needed (e.g. Egypt, Syria, or San Francisco’s BART) or to choke annoying activist organizations (such as Wikileaks).
On the other hand, in the last few years we have seen the emergence of Internet-enabled collaborative communities building shared libre/open resources. Commons-based Peer to Peer Production (CBPP) is rapidly growing: not just for software and encyclopedias, but also for information (OpenStreetMap, Wikihow), hardware (FabLabs, Open Source Ecology), accommodation (Couchsurfing) and currency (Bitcoin, Altcoins).
In the last few years, it has become clear to many that it is not enough to develop free/libre/open source (FLOSS) alternatives, but we also need to re-decentralize the Internet. Many initiatives are being undertaken under this premise (e.g. Ethereum, Diaspora, OwnCloud, MediaGoblin, Sandstorm). These new software tools may also be useful to boost CBPP communities further. In this workshop, we will gather those working around the decentralized FLOSS that could help CBPP/P2P communities. Hackers, academics, activists and interested stakeholders are welcome.
Today our friend Jaromil chaired a panel discussion on “Blockchain: How Encryption Will Shape The Economics and Politics of the future” @ FutureFest.
Denis “Jaromil” Roio (chair), Brett Scott, Jorge Timón, Stacy Herbert
FutureFest is a multi format event which gives visitors ample opportunity to take self-guided journeys. This year’s speakers include the visionary musician George Clinton, NSA whistle-blower Edward Snowden, fashion designer and activist Vivienne Westwood, and journalist/best-selling author Jon Ronson, among others.
Networks, Movements and Parties: D-Cent and the challenges of net-era politics
Francesca Bria (chair), Birgitta Jonsdottir, Davide Barillari, Fabrizio Sestini, Miguel Arana Catania
Blockchain: How Encryption Will Shape The Economics and Politics of the future
Denis “Jaromil” Roio (chair), Brett Scott, Jorge Timón, Stacy Herber
Worth mentioning is Vivienne Westwood’s engagement in the protest against TTIP in the campaign Artists against TTIP.
What is Artists Against TTIP?
Artists Against TTIP is a growing group of performers, musicians, designers, visual artists, directors and thinkers who have come together to raise awareness of the threats posed by TTIP.
BUT WHAT IS TTIP?
The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP, pronounced tee-tip) is a comprehensive free trade and investment treaty currently being negotiated – largely in secret – between the European Union and the USA.
The scope of the negotiations is very broad. The stated goal is to reduce “barriers to trade” between the EU and US. In practice TTIP would lead to a huge transfer of power from democratically elected governments to large corporations. The implications for public health, the environment, public service provision, financial regulation, labour standards and social protections are profound. On top of this, research produced for the European Commission estimates that TTIP will lead to the loss of 1 million jobs.
