Movement infrastructure network: What we do and how to be part of it
Note taker: Abraham
Overview of Network infra idea.
starting at devcon and in Montreal, meetings started the idea of federated infa group
Started with idea of cloud platform proposal.
Another meeting in Valencia, met there things went off track
The idea still has no name. Still trying to define the network. What do we do? What are our political values?
How to decide who is in and who is out?
Silver bullet tech product could not be found. Still trying to dispel myths that there is ONE solution.
Who are the people/groups who are already participating?
Most are hosting providers.(mayfirst,riseup, greenhost), 1984 (hosting in Iceland). Imirda, sisterly (DE), APC (has many orgs), others.
Debate between large/small - different funding models eg membership, paid service, solidarity funding, relationship with movements, informal arrangements.
What is autonomous server? many came from squatter movement. DIY servers.
What would make a given provider aligned? Privacy? Hiring practices? Environment?
Where there are tensions - anti-capitalism, some groups did not want to say they were, but could not say it.
What is the purpose of the network?
goal is to help each other.
Many orgs are not sustainable.
New tech is emerging and not able to keep up.
Building control panel for users.
There have been other attempts at building this
Low hanging fruits - capacity building and documentation. Describing how the infrastructure works.
NOT trying to do the corporate infrastructure model -(JUST TRUST US)
Want people to have more control of their tech/data
Might find One thing we want to do together, but more about the community building.
[read description of the “who are we document”]
Have done more than just create the document. Working to create the space to build the network.
Security dynamic of what can be public and what needs to remain private makes it difficult.
Working on basic governance of the initial group.
Dynamic where original group creates the document, but what happens when new groups come in.
What are the working groups?
Capacity building.
Fundraising.
Movement outreach.
Technology platform.
What about rural areas?
That is an infrastructure issue. Wifi network in Spain.
How to get off corporate infrastructure.
Corps are throwing cheap resources at orgs. What happens if/when this goes away.
APC - was originally a network of access providers. Once ISPs became corporate, indy providers could not adapt.
With community wireless networks, it has come full circle.
What does infrastructure mean?
Can mean a lot of things?
How does someone contribute to the project. important to build redundancy.
What are you going to offer as a network? What are the material results for real people.
What type of infrastructure do you want to provide.
Want to see alternatives.
Re-engaging in the community platform. Want to invest in portfolio that does not harm. Offer to work with Bay Area indigenous network. Bridging the new and the old practices.
They are going to pull the plug on us. Getting de-platformed. Vital to have own infrastructure. Platform monopolies are poison pill.
How to politicize the movements. how do we overlap with existing work. There is
Awareness. What does it mean. How do people find the things that is not defined as a space?
Communal building cultural norms and practices. Shunning practices. If other communities saw them. Community security practices.
How can I help?
Contact Jaime, agree to norms.
What do you mean by infrastructure?
There is funding to provide software for infra (not hardware) next cloud. If you are an organization. How can you make the container system work. Getting orgs on the new tech. What is cybernetics (computing clustier.
The process of creating the network.
Platform idea started slowly. But google throws hardware and people at it.
Mukurtu
Permanent cloud (new project)