festival an extra boost. Inclusion, equality, openness, are all things that align with our city’s focus. The Netherlands are well known for fostering these areas and we embody these values in our city.”
- Paul Suijkerbuijk, Open Data Advocate from the Netherlands
When Paul saw a tweet about MozFest moving to a new city, he enthusiastically tweeted back: “You should come to Amsterdam!” This festival advocate was the spark that kicked off many months of exciting conversations between the MozFest team, the city of Amsterdam, and key potential partners.
The role of “the city” is ever more powerful, as our urgency regarding the issues of the digital world grows. There are several cities with significant power to improve the health of the internet ecosystem, and Amsterdam is one city that is setting a model for other cities to follow.
“... the chief technology officers of Amsterdam, Barcelona and New York together launched the Cities Coalition for Digital Rights in partnership with UN-Habitat, a United Nations program to support urban development. Cities who join the coalition agree to a declaration of just five principles that center on respect for privacy and human rights in use of the internet… these cities aim to sow the seeds of a movement whereby cities decisively claim digital rights. By working together and establishing best practices they will attempt to win a race against technological progress that is not centered on principles of human dignity and inclusivity.”
- Mozilla’s Internet Health Report, The Power of Cities
Amsterdam exudes the MozFest spirit by championing digital rights globally, extolling solid principles to protect data transparency, privacy, and internet access for citizens.
Our partnership will tap into the local robust and eclectic community of creative thinkers to enhance the maker vibe, the creative energy, the organised chaos, and the unexpected and beautiful collaborations that define the festival.
To learn more about the work happening in Amsterdam and the power a city can have in the internet health movement, read more from The Power of Cities in Mozilla’s Internet Health Report.
MozFest is part art, tech and society convening, part maker festival, and the premiere gathering for activists in diverse global movements fighting for a more humane digital world. To learn more, visit www.mozillafestival.org.
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