The 100 Theses

Core principles for a free, open and decentralized internet.

Fundamental statements about technology, power, privacy and human freedom.

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Contribute a new thesis to the manifesto – in EN, NL or another language.

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500 1 / 31

introduction

1 2 / 31

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.

2 3 / 31

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

3 4 / 31

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.

4 5 / 31

the last gate is still open

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

5 6 / 31

>Only a truly open internet provides true digital freedom

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

6 7 / 31

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.

7 8 / 31

An open internet restores privacy’s original power

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

8 9 / 31

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

9 10 / 31

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.

10 11 / 31

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

11 12 / 31

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.

12 13 / 31

Back to protocols that no one owns

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

13 14 / 31

Your data belongs to you, not to a platform

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

14 15 / 31

Portable identity and reputation

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

15 16 / 31

Social networks without a central owner

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

16 17 / 31

Messaging apps without Big Tech

Want to switch to a privacy-friendly messenger?

17 18 / 31

Video and content without YouTube or TikTok

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

18 19 / 31

Searching without Google

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

19 20 / 31

Sending money without bank or Big Tech

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

20 21 / 31

From collecting followers to building real communities<

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

21 22 / 31

Practical first step

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

22 23 / 31

Replace WhatsApp with Element

WhatsApp is not inevitable — it is just still normal.

23 24 / 31

No cloud is safer than your own cloud.

Put your photos and files under your own control

24 25 / 31

Claim your digital identity with Nostr

One key, valid everywhere, yours forever.

25 26 / 31

Join (or start) a local community node

Start small. Start local. Start today.

26 27 / 31

Pay the builders of the open internet

One euro per month from a million people changes everything.

27 28 / 31

Teach one person an open alternative this week

Your invitation today is tomorrow’s network effect.

28 29 / 31

Companies and governments: demand interoperability and open standards

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

29 30 / 31

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

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

30 31 / 31

This manifest is only the beginning

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

💸 Support the Open Internet Manifest ❤️

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

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