Screenshot uit de Intro video Staat van het internet 2021
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Future Internet Lab

As its name might imply, the Future Internet Lab focuses on the future of the internet. The internet is broken, but we can fix it. Large tech companies control personal data, the digital public space, and the technology that we use in our daily lives. The Future Internet Lab questions this power and looks for alternative solutions. For example, we work on the creation of the Public Stack: a collection of technologies that places public values at the centre of the design process. In this way, we are working towards a safer set of technologies that neither spies on us nor sells our data.

The Future Internet Lab questions the power of big tech and researches alternatives.

The lab also looks at digital public spaces. The places where we currently meet online are often designed from the perspective of financial profit. The Future Internet Lab researches and designs digital public spaces where the citizen is central to the design process rather than the consumer. We also consider the technologies used by our government. As more and more public services are digitised, how do we ensure that societal interests remain paramount? One way we do this is by investigating the algorithms currently in place as well as their underlying values. In our policy labs, we advise and educate government agencies in the field of technology and data.

Technology is not a black box we must accept at face value. Waag places existing technologies on the workbench, unscrews the casing, and takes a look at their inner workings. In this way, we investigate phenomena that will determine the future of the internet, such as algorithms, the internet of things, and the platform economy.

We also believe that technology can help us shape the future. We explore societal challenges of our time (like how to best organise democratic participation, how to green cities, and how to improve mobility) and investigate how we can develop technologies to help solve these issues.

Current projects

Social research agenda for AI

Screen with ChatGPT
Future Internet Lab
Making researchers in the field of AI more aware of the questions and concerns surrounding AI that exist in society.

Mobifree

Man op zijn telefoon in de metro
Future Internet Lab
Mobifree aims to bring about change in the development and use of mobile software in Europe by citizens, businesses, non-profit organisations and governments.

Grip on Own Data

Metro traffic data
Future Internet Lab
Waag Futurelab investigates how citizens can get 'grip on their own data'. We will analyse existing tools that the government currently makes available to give citizens insight into data that the government processes about them.

Digital Deal

AI Culture Lab binary code visual
Future Internet Lab
How accelerated, yet unconsidered adoption of new technologies – such as artificial intelligence and machine learning – can alter or undermine democratic processes.

Responsible Business Models

Mensen die aan een tafel met een workshop bezig zijn. Ze praten met elkaar en op tafel ligt een vel papier met stiften ernaast.
Future Internet Lab
In this project, Waag and HvA investigate the conditions for digital public spaces and the fundamental aspects of a responsible business model.

Masterclass Net Politics 2022

Masterclass Netpolitiek, Waag, 2022
Future Internet Lab
Together with ISOC, Waag organises an annual Masterclass Net Politics where people working on digital society learn about topics such as digital transparency, public values on the internet and decision-making regarding large tech platforms.

VU Humanities Lab

VU Humanitieslab, Waag, 2022, Gunnar Ridderström via Unsplash
Future Internet Lab
Commissioned by the Vrije Universiteit, Waag is conducting an exploration of the digital resources that can be used by humanities students and what digital skills students need to take advantage of these resources.

Tactical Media Room

Waag opent haar deuren
Future Internet Lab
The Tactical Media Room aims to support independent tactical media, journalists, newsrooms and civic initiatives from Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus.

Evaluation NWA-route Big Data

Big Data
Future Internet Lab
Beleidsmakers, private ontwikkelaars en wetenschappers bespreken vragen over big data van de Nationale Wetenschapsagenda.

Living Lab Open Cultuurdata

Microfoon
Future Internet Lab
Making cultural events easier to find with open-source technology. By NPO, Sound & Vision, PublicSpaces and Waag.

Police Drones and ethics

Politiedrones en ethiek - Christopher Burns via Unsplash
Future Internet Lab
The Dutch national police plans to use more drones. Waag organises citizen focus groups to research the ethical considerations necessary.

MicroMemberships

Photo by Dylan Gillis on Unsplash
Future Internet Lab
How innovative online revenue models can improve the independence of makers.

CATRIN

CATRIN project, Waaag, 2022
Future Internet Lab
Controllable, Accountable, Transparent: the Responsible Internet. Waag is working on a foundation for a new internet to increase trust in the digital world.

Proof of Provenance

Digitale Identiteit visual
Future Internet Lab
Tackling disinformation by guaranteeing the authenticity of messages? Waag is working on a way to do this through digital certificates.

ACROSS

Evening air traffic in Europe
Future Internet Lab
ACROSS improves privacy-friendly data exchange between EU member states' public services.

Public Stack Design Proces

Public Stack Summit
Future Internet Lab
Together with INFO, TU Delft (Cities of Things Lab), Waag dives into the design process of an open source service and a commercial service.

PublicSpaces

PublicSpaces_Waag Futurelab
Future Internet Lab
Waag is a co-initiator of the PublicSpaces Foundation, a coalition of now 70 public organisations working together on a digital ecosystem based on public values.

DEPS

Chris Julien bij Nieuwsuur
Future Internet Lab
DEPS (Digital European Public Spaces) has the goal to research and facilitate digital European public spaces that are open, democratic, and sustainable.