The collected data is processed and transformed into metrics<\/strong> used to quantify <\/strong>and assess<\/strong> performance, progress<\/strong>,and quality<\/strong> in specific areas. Metrics are defined by whoever sets the goals: governments, corporations, researchers, or standardization bodies\u200a\u2014\u200aoften based on what they value, prioritize, or want to control. This means metrics are not neutral:<\/strong> they reflect specific interests and worldviews.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Taking into account that 90 % of the information we consume is defined by algorithms<\/strong> mainly based on engagement tactics and profit driven metrics<\/a>, it becomes imperative to demystify the data collection and decision-making process<\/strong>, regain sovereignty over our digital traces, so that we can be active and well-informed actors in shaping our public and private lives, instead of passive consumers and unpaid content providers, donating for eternity details about own personal lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Following a curated list put together for the Master’s In Design for Distributed Innovation<\/a> students, during the Fab City Round Tables<\/a>, presenting a small part of \u2018what we do not see\u2019<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Together with some of the reasons this happens, extracted from the same session<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n In some EU countries, public services\u2019 communication relies on American providers up to 70%<\/a>. We cannot outsource these tasks to private foreign companies and expect to serve the citizens, as they, by their nature, serve their stakeholders. <\/p>\n\n\n\n We need our own IT infrastructure and trained professionals<\/strong>! From physical plants, server rooms, and data centres to well-qualified people in charge of running and maintaining them, like system administrators, system integrators, cybersecurity professionals, cloud computing, data analysts, and Machine Learning developers\u200a\u2014\u200awe need to create the conditions for transparency, inclusion, and innovation driven by public wellbeing, not by private profit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Interfacer project<\/a> was at the front line of the topic, proposing alternatively run digital infrastructures<\/strong> for FabCities, Regions and Nations, starting with Fab City Hamburg <\/a>as the first pilot. The project ran for a short period of time, but benefited from all the experience of Dyne.org<\/a> and was able to lay the foundation of 2 important pillars:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Decentralised Local Nodes<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Basic and functional starting point for website, event management, local makers map, for facilitating the nodes\u2019 onboarding process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A common technological stack providing data exchange standards, principles, and frameworks, such as Open Know How<\/a> for hardware designs sharing and the Valueflows vocabulary<\/a> for coordinating the creation, distribution, and exchange of economic resources, ensuring compatibility, coherence, and interoperability between nodes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is all public and available<\/a>, ready for being adopted, studied, modified, and replicated. Contributions, ideas, and proposals are more than welcome!<\/p>\n\n\n\n A first instance of a global value exchange system: <\/strong>interfacer.dyne.org<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n The interaction of three main items is used to capture the entire product life cycle: Design <\/strong>as digital content, blueprints, recipes, etc, Service <\/strong>as a non-physical offering that provides a solution or meets a need, and Product <\/strong>as the physical manifestation of an object.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As an example, a Stool Product<\/strong> may contain: A D<\/strong>esign, connected to the git repository, a 4-hour assembly S<\/strong>ervice, another P<\/strong>roduct\u200a\u2014\u200arecycled plastic bars, added as components from the provider, recycled spruce, wooden slats, and screws.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The workflow encourages collaboration as members can:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Capturing this flow also enables a range of different options, like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Digital Product Passport & Digital Skills Passport<\/strong> They also open up a possibility for proving the skills of the collaborators as their contributions, and therefore experience, are being recorded as part of the different process and can be extracted into a Digital Skills Passport<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Creative flows<\/strong><\/a>, a basic implementation of a recognition system based on participatory economic theories and activity indicators, was also experimented as a basic step of automatic<\/strong> shared remuneration<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n W3C-DID, password-less crypto wallet as an easy entry level<\/strong>, providing end-to-end encryption and ensuring privacy by design to the users, as no personal data leaves the client side, nor is saved on the servers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the Interfacer project<\/a>, we concentrated on Open Source Hardware, but the system can be adapted and can include different workflows, sectors, and also multiple integrations\u200a\u2014\u200alike marketplaces or feeding urban planning tools, as long as the principles remain aligned. Even so, the project does not cover all the topics mentioned in the first section, and is only a possible start for the creation of a City-level Open Source Ecosystem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is not a one-project or one-foundation task; it\u2019s building an alternative and decentralized system<\/strong> with strong appliance in the local communities and a powerful global connection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Efforts are being made towards closing the EU ICT workforce gap<\/a>, but we already know it will not be enough. The contributions need to happen on a multi-level scale:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Global Solutions<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Establishing strong frameworks for data governance rooted in human rights is essential. Efforts like the automatic exchange of bank information, introduced by the OECD in 2016, have significantly reduced offshore tax evasion, showcasing the power of coordinated global action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The promotion of open digital infrastructure\u200a\u2014\u200asuch as open-source software, open standards, and open AI\u200a\u2014\u200aaligns with the Sustainable Development Goals and is supported by initiatives like the Digital Public Goods Alliance<\/a>. Global policy principles, including those laid out by the Principles for Digital Development<\/a>, can guide ethical system design. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Furthermore, governments are encouraged to implement inclusive procurement policies\u200a\u2014\u200aembodied by campaigns like Public Money, Public Code<\/a>\u200a\u2014\u200ato foster open-source alternatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Holistic policymaking that links digital transformation with sustainability, as promoted in the European Green Deal and Circularity Gap reports, will be crucial in aligning technology with broader societal goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Local Solutions<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Cities and municipalities must act as test beds for more ethical and inclusive digital infrastructures. This includes building municipal platforms based on open-source software, reducing dependency on Big Tech, and prioritizing ethical technology in public procurement. Initiatives like Smart Citizen at Fab Lab Barcelona<\/a> demonstrate how open IT can empower communities through awareness, repair culture, and experimentation, collaborating with local technical institutes through events such as hackathons fosters innovation tailored to regional challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Participatory democracy tools like Decidim<\/a> enable citizens to co-create policy and governance, promoting transparency and engagement. Moreover, encouraging inclusivity in STEM fields\u200a\u2014\u200aparticularly among youth and women\u200a\u2014\u200athrough grassroots hacker spaces supports long-term digital equity. Supporting local repair ecosystems, like the Restart Project<\/a>, also contributes to circular and sustainable digital practices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Individual Actions<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n We all play a critical role in shaping digital futures through everyday choices and awareness. Understanding how personal data is collected, processed, and shared is the first step toward digital self-sovereignty<\/strong>. The popular adage \u201cIf it\u2019s free, you\u2019re the product\u201d reminds us to critically assess the trade-offs in free digital services. Individuals can switch to open-source and privacy-conscious tools such as \/e\/OS<\/a> for de-Googled smartphones or secure communication apps like Signal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Supporting open culture\u200a\u2014\u200aby reporting bugs, requesting new features, or donating\u200a\u2014\u200ahelps sustain ethical digital ecosystems, as promoted by the Interfacer Project<\/a>. Getting involved locally, whether through maker spaces, digital repair events, or citizen initiatives, allows all of us to contribute actively to the tech landscape around. <\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/miha4d.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/image.png\")
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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nAlternatively run digital infrastructures<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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The relations of these items work as cryptographically signed certificates<\/strong> and can be formatted and aligned with the European Digital Product Passport <\/strong>(DPP) framework<\/a>, as data carriers, providing information about the product\u2019s value chain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/miha4d.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Infra_Flow.png\")
We demand multi-level actions<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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