PublicSpaces wants to get things done. We think, but like to act as well. That’s why we’ve gone ahead, visited a notary public and started our PublicSpaces Foundation, that will lay the groundwork for the reconquista of the public domain on the internet. The aim of this Foundation is (translation from Dutch): 'to investigate and develop a concept and a prototype for a connecting, autonomous, online public platform in a way that prioritizes the public interest and serves no commercial or political goals, as well as the possible operation of such a platform.'
However, we also know that this is a very temporary structure, mainly for the purpose of kickstarting the project. In the long term, we need a governance model that is open, transparent, efficient, democratic in regards to the founding partners and the public, and diverse in terms of interests and cultures. We are currently studying the options, and we will publish them here soon.
What follows is to be seen very much as an interim structure.
The Foundation is governed by a board of six people:
- Marleen Stikker — founder and director of Waag
- Egbert Fransen — founder and director of Pakhuis de Zwijger (link in Dutch)
- Wilko van Iperen — head of Digital at BNN-VARA
- Johan Oomen — manager R&D at the Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision
- Roel van Veggel — independent adviser and manager
- Geert-Jan Bogaerts — initiator of PublicSpaces, head of Innovation & Digital Media at VPRO
Furthermore, the Foundation can also rely on a Board of Advisors that consists of experts and ambassadors in their own field. These advisors function as a sounding board, so PublicSpaces will rely on their extensive knowledge of relevant fields, but also on their network to reach other people and organizations as well.
- Marietje Schaake — member of European Parliament
- José van Dijck — Distinguished university professor at Utrecht University, specialized in media studies and digital societies
- Bart Jacobs — professor of computer security at Radboud University in Nijmegen and chairman of the Privacy by Design Foundation
- Marco Derksen — advisor on digital transformation (link in Dutch)
- Eric Kluitenberg — theorist and writer on culture, media and technology
- Ouke Arts — strategy consultant at Thaesis Consultancy
- Babette Aalberts — Media lawyer in Amsterdam
- William Uricchio — professor of comparative media studies at MIT, founder & principal investigator of the MIT Open Documentary Lab
