PublicSpaces

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. The coalition is working towards an alternative software ecosystem that represents the public interest and is not for profit. PublicSpaces works towards a new platform for social interaction, where users are not viewed as exploitable assets or data sources, but as equal partners that share a common public interest.

Annual international conference

Every year, PublicSpaces organises an international conference. With this conference, the foundation facilitates public debate around a healthier digital ecosystem. We get together with more than 300 people on behalf of public culture, media, education, health and government organisations, who want to contribute to a safe and accessible public space on the internet.

PublicSpaces conference 2023: The Commons

On Tuesday 27 and Wednesday 28 June 2023, Waag Futurelab and the PublicSpaces Foundation will organise the third edition of the PublicSpaces conference. This edition is entirely dedicated to The Commons. The Commons are traditionally the cultural and natural resources accessible to all members of a society, including natural materials such as air, water and a habitable earth. The internet should also be part of these commons. There is still much work to be done before this can become a reality. With this third conference, we look at the solutions being developed to strengthen the public domain online.