Call for a public service Internet

The statement calls for a Public Service Internet (PSI) designed around democratic principles, privacy, and social needs rather than profit. It proposes a system featuring open-source algorithms, sustainable funding through models like license fees or taxes, and a commitment to 'design justice' to ensure accessibility and accountability for marginalized communities.

• The current state of digital technologies and the Internet is viewed as a threat to democracy because it undermines trusted information, rational debate, and diversity of representation, while being dominated by monopolies, commerce, and surveillance.
• A proposed Public Service Internet (PSI) would prioritize social needs over profit, utilize open-source and transparent algorithms, and treat software and content as a common good for non-commercial use.
• The long-term viability of a PSI would depend on sustainable funding mechanisms—such as license fees, transnational agreements, or the Nordic tax-financed model—and potentially a global oversight body independent of political obstruction.

APA

Rowley, S. (2021). Call for a public service Internet. World Association for Christian Communication. https://waccglobal.org/37550/

Chicago

Rowley, Saskia. Call for a public service Internet. World Association for Christian Communication, 2021. https://waccglobal.org/37550/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Rowley |first1=Saskia |title=Call for a public service Internet |publisher=World Association for Christian Communication |date=26 July 2021 |url=https://waccglobal.org/37550/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{rowley2021call, author = {Rowley, Saskia}, title = {{Call for a public service Internet}}, publisher = {World Association for Christian Communication}, year = {2021}, month = jul, url = {https://waccglobal.org/37550/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }