The first 30 theses are ready

This manifesto is alive — it grows through contributions from people like you.

100 theses for a free, open and unalienable internet. Start anywhere — or read from the beginning.

1

The internet is not dead; it has been hijacked by five gatekeepers

The internet promised freedom, but five gatekeepers now control access, content, and truth.

Thesis 1/30 Read full →
2

The enclosers romanticize the past to sell nostalgia instead of real freedom

Those who enclosed the open internet are now selling you the story that true freedom was something from the eighties

Thesis 2/30 Read full →
3

In the real world, no one would accept what we’ve been swallowing online for years

What is unacceptable offline has become normal online — time to stop accepting it.

Thesis 3/30 Read full →
4

the last gate is still open

The five gatekeepers are hammering day and night: app stores are becoming stricter fortresses

Thesis 4/30 Read full →
5

>Only a truly open internet provides true digital freedom

Decentralization” within their apps and stores only builds more luxurious cells with better Wi-Fi

Thesis 5/30 Read full →
6

Exit without building is fleeing; building without exit is collaborating"

Those who only complain and walk away from the big platforms disappear into a void where no one ever finds them.

Thesis 6/30 Read full →
7

An open internet restores privacy’s original power

In the real world, you assume that a conversation behind your own door remains yours.

Thesis 7/30 Read full →
8

An open internet frees your voice and creativity from arbitrary control

Imagine: you build an app that connects small farmers directly with buyers, without a big platform taking commission

Thesis 8/30 Read full →
9

An open internet makes true economic freedom possible again

In the past, you could build a website, offer a service, or start a community and earn money — without anyone skimming 15 to 30 percent of your revenue.

Thesis 9/30 Read full →
10

The digital cage is expanding into the real world

What we have accepted online for years — mandatory accounts, permanent surveillance, algorithms deciding what you may see or do

Thesis 10/30 Read full →
11

This manifesto is not a decree from above; it is a fire that burns in open conversations.

It does not arise in a boardroom, not in a government building.

Thesis 11/30 Read full →
12

Back to protocols that no one owns

Email, the world wide web, and IRC still work without a single company in charge

Thesis 12/30 Read full →
13

Your data belongs to you, not to a platform

Data sovereignty is not a luxury — it is the foundation of a free digital life.

Thesis 13/30 Read full →
14

Portable identity and reputation

You build reputation in one place and it travels with you — as it should.

Thesis 14/30 Read full →
15

Social networks without a central owner

You can always move with all your followers, posts, and media — no more hostage-taking.

Thesis 15/30 Read full →
16

Messaging apps without Big Tech

Want to switch to a privacy-friendly messenger?

Thesis 16/30 Read full →
17

Video and content without YouTube or TikTok

YouTube and TikTok are not laws of nature, but choices by a handful of companies.

Thesis 17/30 Read full →
18

Searching without Google

Google does not decide what is true — Google decides what you get to see.

Thesis 18/30 Read full →
19

Sending money without bank or Big Tech

You can already send a euro, a dollar, or a satoshi to anyone in the world

Thesis 19/30 Read full →
20

From collecting followers to building real communities<

10 million followers you don't know is not power — it is a hostage situation.

Thesis 20/30 Read full →
21

Practical first step

The fediverse is waiting for you — and it's easier than you think.

Thesis 21/30 Read full →
22

Replace WhatsApp with Element

WhatsApp is not inevitable — it is just still normal.

Thesis 22/30 Read full →
23

No cloud is safer than your own cloud.

Put your photos and files under your own control

Thesis 23/30 Read full →
24

Claim your digital identity with Nostr

One key, valid everywhere, yours forever.

Thesis 24/30 Read full →
25

Join (or start) a local community node

Start small. Start local. Start today.

Thesis 25/30 Read full →
26

Pay the builders of the open internet

One euro per month from a million people changes everything.

Thesis 26/30 Read full →
27

Teach one person an open alternative this week

Your invitation today is tomorrow’s network effect.

Thesis 27/30 Read full →
28

Companies and governments: demand interoperability and open standards

True openness requires mandatory interoperability — force platforms to play nice.

Thesis 28/30 Read full →
29

The open internet is no utopia — it is a choice we make every day

Openness is maintained through daily choices and actions, not wishes.

Thesis 29/30 Read full →
30

This manifest is only the beginning

The real work starts now — join, contribute, build together.

Thesis 30/30 Read full →
31

introduction

Read the full thesis.

Thesis 31/30 Read full →
💸 Support the Open Internet Manifest ❤️

This manifest only exists thanks to your donations.
Every satoshi or monero helps enormously (servers, domains, development).

Donate anonymously in crypto

Cryptocurrency QR-code (click to enlarge) Address (click to copy)
Bitcoin (BTC) Bitcoin QR bc1qn0wpgqc9g22hpcyeu8687tdv3gg83rnvksrydm
Monero (XMR) Monero QR 85J34VDW5wSJG6yuWXyYzB4ScedX7k4FJZktSk1VMo2uRHFWoPjB9cXKGiEkvw1SvoQrMXdxwnrVPZVzJx9MrPe4HoPYbFu

Monero tip: with Cake Wallet or the official GUI every donor automatically gets a unique subaddress → maximum privacy.

Thank you so much for your support — you keep this project alive! 🚀

🔒 Verify integrity of this page (SHA256)

How to verify?

  1. Copy the page text with the button below
  2. Go to an online SHA256 tool, e.g. this one.
  3. Paste the text and calculate the hash.
  4. Paste the hash below and click "Verify".

🗣️ Join the discussion about this page
Open Element and join the conversation
Tip: type the thesis number or topic as your first message