What is Digital Independence Day?
Digital Independence Day (or in German der Digitale Unabhängigkeits Tag) is a day of action (at least) Germany wide, on which we want to take small steps to become more independent from “Big Tech” companies like Meta (Facebook, WhatsApp or Instagram), Google, Apple, or Amazon.
The idea for Digital Independence Day came from, among others, author and artist Marc-Uwe Kling. He has published a YouTube short presenting the idea (Link to the video).
As a suggestion the first Sunday of the month would be designated as Digital Independence Day to make it easier for all of us. To document our collective efforts and motivate each other, we can post our accomplishments on social media (for example on Mastodon) with the hashtags #iDIDit or #DUTgemacht.
What can you do?
As an example, you could discover what local alternatives to Amazon exist where you could order (for example) books or clothing.
Another possibility could be to try out a different messenger like Signal or Matrix so that you could do without WhatsApp.
It’s probably impossible to compile a complete list of things you could do. Some goals are easier to achieve than others, and in all likelihood complete independence will be unrealistic for many people. But, by taking several small steps, you can achieve a lot and make a difference.
Digital Independence Day at the µC³
Here in our hackspace, we want to help you along your journey towards digital sovereignty. In the afternoon of the first Sunday of the month we will assist you with taking small steps in a laid-back environment.
What alternatives are there to WhatsApp? Can you find happiness without Windows? We would be glad to discuss these and other questions with you. You can find more details about the events in our calendar.
More Information
In addition to our hackspace, there are several other hackspaces and organizations participating in Digital Independence Day. For more information, please visit the website di.day.