135 lines
5.6 KiB
Markdown
135 lines
5.6 KiB
Markdown
---
|
|
title: Charter of the Civil Society Technology Foundation
|
|
date: 2025-07-06
|
|
weight: 100
|
|
summary: The foundational document establishing the purpose, vision, mission, principles, and strategic focus of the Civil Society Technology Foundation.
|
|
showDate: true
|
|
---
|
|
|
|
## Purpose
|
|
|
|
To empower civil society through equitable access to technology, digital literacy, and responsible innovation, advancing human rights and sustainable development in the digital age.
|
|
|
|
## Vision
|
|
|
|
A sustainable, decentralized ecosystem of people-centered technology. A world governed by user agency, not technocracy, where digital sovereignty enables rather than undermines democratic participation, personal autonomy, and collective action.
|
|
|
|
## Mission
|
|
|
|
To advance digital self-determination through the development and dissemination of open-source, self-hosted technologies. We aim to reduce structural dependency on centralized corporate or governmental platforms by enabling individuals and institutions to operate their own digital infrastructure.
|
|
|
|
Through accessible tools, educational resources, and community engagement, we cultivate practical autonomy: the capacity of users to understand, modify, and maintain the technologies they rely on.
|
|
|
|
## Core Principles
|
|
|
|
1. **Sovereignty by Design**
|
|
Users own their data and control their computing environment. Consent is explicit, revocable, and informed.
|
|
|
|
2. **Tools Before Policy**
|
|
We build alternatives rather than asking for permission. Reform is irrelevant where autonomy is possible.
|
|
|
|
3. **Open Source, Always**
|
|
Software must be libre — free to use, study, modify, and share. This is the foundation of digital freedom.
|
|
|
|
4. **Self-Hosting Infrastructure**
|
|
Individuals and aligned collectives should run their own infrastructure. Central hosting creates capture risks.
|
|
|
|
5. **AI for the People**
|
|
AI must be open, efficient, and serve civil society. Closed models and centralized control are unacceptable.
|
|
|
|
6. **Transparent Governance**
|
|
All governance must be visible, accountable, and auditable. Influence is earned through contribution.
|
|
|
|
7. **Healthy Ecosystems Win**
|
|
Projects are judged by their value to communities and civil society, not popularity or funding.
|
|
|
|
8. **Forkability is Freedom**
|
|
Divergence is a right. Balkanization is not failure — it is resilience.
|
|
|
|
9. **Interoperability via Consent**
|
|
Standards emerge from alignment, not imposition. We will propose, not enforce.
|
|
|
|
10. **Contribution Defines Membership**
|
|
Participation is earned through action. Identity is contextual and optional.
|
|
|
|
11. **Critical Adoption over Blind Use**
|
|
Pragmatism means understanding trade-offs. Users should know what rights they give up — and why.
|
|
|
|
_Expanded explanations of these principles can be found in our [Core Principles](/foundation/core-principles) document._
|
|
|
|
## Strategic Focus
|
|
|
|
The Civil Society Technology Foundation pursues its mission through five interconnected areas of work:
|
|
|
|
### 1. Infrastructure Development
|
|
|
|
- Building and distributing personal cloud infrastructure
|
|
- Creating efficient, user-friendly self-hosting solutions
|
|
- Developing reference implementations of sovereign technologies
|
|
- Ensuring solutions work on commodity hardware
|
|
|
|
### 2. Education and Capacity Building
|
|
|
|
- Creating accessible learning resources on digital sovereignty
|
|
- Educating individuals and organizations on self-hosted alternatives
|
|
- Building technical literacy and maintenance capabilities
|
|
- Documenting best practices for independent technology
|
|
|
|
### 3. Community Support
|
|
|
|
- Facilitating knowledge sharing among practitioners
|
|
- Creating spaces for collaborative development
|
|
- Supporting civil society in adopting sovereign technologies
|
|
- Connecting technologists with community needs
|
|
|
|
### 4. Standards and Interoperability
|
|
|
|
- Developing open standards that respect user sovereignty
|
|
- Promoting interoperability between independent systems
|
|
- Documenting protocols for federation and cooperation
|
|
- Encouraging critical adoption of standards
|
|
|
|
### 5. Research and Advocacy
|
|
|
|
- Documenting the impacts of centralized vs. sovereign technology
|
|
- Researching sustainable models for independent infrastructure
|
|
- Identifying barriers to digital sovereignty
|
|
- Advocating for enabling conditions for technological independence
|
|
|
|
## Organizational Structure
|
|
|
|
The Civil Society Technology Foundation is structured to reflect our principles in practice:
|
|
|
|
### Governance
|
|
|
|
- Permanently non-profit structure
|
|
- Contributors have meaningful voice in decision-making
|
|
- Transparent processes for strategic and operational decisions
|
|
- Regular public reporting on activities and finances
|
|
|
|
### Funding and Resource Allocation
|
|
|
|
- Funding accepted from diverse sources with full transparency
|
|
- No single funding source should create dependency or control
|
|
- Resources prioritized for maximum impact on digital sovereignty
|
|
- Sustainability takes precedence over growth
|
|
|
|
### Membership and Participation
|
|
|
|
- Contribution-based participation model
|
|
- Multiple pathways for meaningful involvement
|
|
- Recognition of diverse forms of contribution
|
|
- Commitment to inclusive participation
|
|
|
|
## Amendment Process
|
|
|
|
This charter establishes the foundation of the Civil Society Technology Foundation. It may be amended through a transparent process that includes:
|
|
|
|
1. Public proposal of amendments
|
|
2. Community discussion period of at least 30 days
|
|
3. Consideration of all substantive feedback
|
|
4. Formal adoption through established governance processes
|
|
5. Public documentation of changes and rationale
|
|
|
|
The core purpose and principles may only be modified when necessary to better fulfill our fundamental mission of advancing digital self-determination and sovereignty.
|