Beyond the Walled Gardens: What the Fediverse Is and Why You Belong There [Located in ESB 1013]
| Sat 08 Aug 9:45 a.m.–10:30 a.m.
Presented by
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Anthony Zone
@ozoned@btfree.social
@btfree_org
https://anthonyzone.com/
With over fifteen years of experience spanning the healthcare and finance industries, he has built a distinguished career in information technology. His seven-year tenure at Red Hat solidified his commitment to open-source solutions and collaborative development practices. Throughout his professional journey, he has consistently championed transparency, security, and user autonomy in digital infrastructure.
In recent years, he founded BT Free (Big Tech Free), a public charity dedicated to advocating for decentralized and open platforms. The organization promotes alternatives to centralized tech ecosystems, with particular focus on the fediverse and community-driven technologies. He also operates tubefree.org, providing resources and support for those seeking privacy-respecting, non-corporate online experiences.
His work reflects a belief that technology should serve individuals rather than extract value from them. Through BT Free, he continues to educate communities about the importance of open standards, data sovereignty, and sustainable digital independence. His advocacy bridges technical expertise with grassroots organizing, helping people transition away from proprietary platforms toward more equitable internet infrastructure.
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Django Doucet
@django@social.coop
https://mediaformat.org
Django is a Social Web Developer and Instructor of Digital Design at NAIT (Northern Alberta Institute of Technology). He has contributed to various ActivityPub projects over the years, notably WordPress-ActivityPub, and is currently developing a Progressive Web App to push forward the unrealized potential of the ActivityPub Client API.
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Karen Sandler
@karen@floss.social
@o0karen0o
Karen M. Sandler is an attorney and the executive director of Software Freedom Conservancy, a 501c3 nonprofit organization focused on ethical technology. As a patient deeply concerned with the technology in her own body, Karen is known as a cyborg lawyer for her advocacy for free software as a life-or-death issue, particularly in relation to the software on medical devices. She co-organizes Outreachy, the award-winning outreach program for people who face under-representation, systemic bias, or discrimination in tech. She is an adjunct Lecturer-In-Law of Columbia Law School and a visiting scholar at University of California Santa Cruz.
Prior to joining Software Freedom Conservancy, Karen was the executive director of the GNOME Foundation. Before that, she was the general counsel of the Software Freedom Law Center. She began her career as a lawyer at Clifford Chance and Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP.
Karen received her law degree from Columbia Law School where she was a James Kent Scholar and co-founder of the Columbia Science and Technology Law Review. She also holds a bachelor of science in engineering from The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art.
Sandler has won awards for her work on behalf of software freedom, including the O’Reilly Open Source Award in 2011. She received an honorary doctorate from KU Leuven in 2023.
Anthony Zone
@ozoned@btfree.social
@btfree_org
https://anthonyzone.com/
With over fifteen years of experience spanning the healthcare and finance industries, he has built a distinguished career in information technology. His seven-year tenure at Red Hat solidified his commitment to open-source solutions and collaborative development practices. Throughout his professional journey, he has consistently championed transparency, security, and user autonomy in digital infrastructure.
In recent years, he founded BT Free (Big Tech Free), a public charity dedicated to advocating for decentralized and open platforms. The organization promotes alternatives to centralized tech ecosystems, with particular focus on the fediverse and community-driven technologies. He also operates tubefree.org, providing resources and support for those seeking privacy-respecting, non-corporate online experiences.
His work reflects a belief that technology should serve individuals rather than extract value from them. Through BT Free, he continues to educate communities about the importance of open standards, data sovereignty, and sustainable digital independence. His advocacy bridges technical expertise with grassroots organizing, helping people transition away from proprietary platforms toward more equitable internet infrastructure.
Django Doucet
@django@social.coop
https://mediaformat.org
Django is a Social Web Developer and Instructor of Digital Design at NAIT (Northern Alberta Institute of Technology). He has contributed to various ActivityPub projects over the years, notably WordPress-ActivityPub, and is currently developing a Progressive Web App to push forward the unrealized potential of the ActivityPub Client API.
Karen Sandler
@karen@floss.social
@o0karen0o
Karen M. Sandler is an attorney and the executive director of Software Freedom Conservancy, a 501c3 nonprofit organization focused on ethical technology. As a patient deeply concerned with the technology in her own body, Karen is known as a cyborg lawyer for her advocacy for free software as a life-or-death issue, particularly in relation to the software on medical devices. She co-organizes Outreachy, the award-winning outreach program for people who face under-representation, systemic bias, or discrimination in tech. She is an adjunct Lecturer-In-Law of Columbia Law School and a visiting scholar at University of California Santa Cruz.
Prior to joining Software Freedom Conservancy, Karen was the executive director of the GNOME Foundation. Before that, she was the general counsel of the Software Freedom Law Center. She began her career as a lawyer at Clifford Chance and Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP.
Karen received her law degree from Columbia Law School where she was a James Kent Scholar and co-founder of the Columbia Science and Technology Law Review. She also holds a bachelor of science in engineering from The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art.
Sandler has won awards for her work on behalf of software freedom, including the O’Reilly Open Source Award in 2011. She received an honorary doctorate from KU Leuven in 2023.
Abstract
Big Tech platforms build walls; the Fediverse builds bridges. Join key developers from the open social web to discover how decentralized platforms work, why user-owned networks matter, and how you can reclaim your digital footprint. Step outside the walled gardens and see why you belong in the Fediverse.
Big Tech platforms build walls; the Fediverse builds bridges. Join key developers from the open social web to discover how decentralized platforms work, why user-owned networks matter, and how you can reclaim your digital footprint. Step outside the walled gardens and see why you belong in the Fediverse.