By Sophie Bloemen, Alek Tarkowski
Today, we proudly announce the publication of our new report about generative interoperability. To launch the report officially, we will host a live event on the 22nd of March at 3pm (CET).
Generative Interoperability: Building public and civic spaces online is a collaborative effort between Commons Network and Open Future, developed with the generous support of Nesta and the Next Generation Internet programme of the EU.
The report builds on the earlier work on a ‘Shared Digital Europe’, a new frame for digital policymaking in the EU that gives guidance towards a more equitable and democratic digital environment, beyond the market logic.
For Generative Interoperability, we investigated what the role of interoperability can be in a transformation of the digital environment towards more public-civic spaces. Our research led us to find a new conceptualization of the term interoperability: generative interoperability as a positive norm that is the foundation for an open online ecosystem. This norm is part of a larger approach to building more democratic digital spaces.
Interoperability is one of the original design principles underpinning the internet, allowing the internet to grow to its current size. But what kind of interoperability would serve as a solution to the problems of today’s internet? Discussions around interoperability often focus on what we call ‘competitive interoperability’. It’s necessary that we shift our perspective, from a single platform to an ecosystem view. Public policies should actively co-create other ecosystems and the new economy.
On 22 March at 15:00 CET, Sophie Bloemen (Commons Network) and Alek Tarkowski (Open
Future) will discuss this in a conversation with Amandine Le Pape (COO and co-founder
of Element, co-founder and Guardian of the Matrix Foundation) and Ian Brown (visiting
CyberBRICS Professor at FGV Law School) while presenting the findings of the report
“Generative Interoperability: Building public and civic spaces online”.
Click here to register for
the live event
Click here to download the full report