I refuse to accept a censored Internet. Join Me at FOSDEM 27

A new room for digital freedom

The organizers of the Digital Dissident Devroom at FOSDEM want developers, researchers and activists to join them. The room focuses on tools that help people communicate safely, share the truth and get around censorship. They want real solutions and honest lessons, not sales pitches. Speakers can apply through FOSDEM's call-for-proposals website and choose the "Digital Dissident" track.

Why people under threat need a chain of tools

A person living under a strict government does not use just one app. They need several tools that work together. They must reach the internet, talk without leaking data about who they talk to, save evidence safely, publish it without showing who they are, and use devices that may themselves be risky. If one link in this chain is weak, the whole system can fail. Few talks look at how these tools fit together, so this room aims to fill that gap.

Key facts

• The room focuses on the people under threat and the full chain of tools that protect them.
• Censorship has become more advanced in Russia, Iran and China.
• Examples of new censorship include whitelist-only internet shutdowns, deep packet inspection and app-store removal of circumvention tools.
• Speakers must accept the FOSDEM Code of Conduct when they submit a proposal.

Why it matters

Censorship and surveillance are growing, and many good tools are built separately. Bringing developers from different projects into one room can help them share lessons and design tools that work together. This could help people who need safe ways to speak and to reach information.

What to watch

• Whether developers submit talks to the Digital Dissident track.
• How the room's talks link the work of different privacy and anti-censorship projects.
• How the room differs from the Decentralized Internet and Privacy devroom, which covers decentralized technology more broadly.