Who We Are

We are the Free Network Foundation - builders and advocates of distributed and decentralized communication systems. We believe that the Internet should be used to connect people, not to spy on them, oppress them, or turn a profit. We envision technologies that will transform the network into something owned and operated by humanity itself, rather than by governments or profit-driven corporations.

Our Struggle

It's hard to state the importance of this project accurately without sounding alarmist. Still, you deserve to know what's at stake. In the immediate sense, it's our ability to communicate with one another without being listened to by plutocrats. In the global sense, it's our essential freedom, and the future of our civilization.

Make no mistake - our civil liberties, especially as they pertain to digital communications, are being quickly eroded. There are countless examples in recent days, of governments and corporations that have taken it upon themself to police and regulate the transmission of data on political grounds. From the Great Firewall of China, to the Egyptian blackout of the network, to Bay Area Rapid Tranit's cellular shutdown, to the silent and insidious use of Deep Packet Inspection that is practiced in secret by many of our Internet Service Providers - the signs of erosion are all around us. We have only to take heed.

In response to these developments, we're building and deploying open source hardware and software solutions that allow people to cooperatively own and operate networks. These networks have the intelligence to route local traffic locally, without using the global internet - that way, there's never the opportunity for snooping.

We won't go into technical details here. The specifics of our architecture are available here if you would like to know more. In essence, though, we are developing three pieces of technology that will enable people to grow their own networks - connected to the Internet, but capable of operating autonomously. The first is FreedomNode, a small-form, low-power server that would enable a household to own their own data, and connect to the Free Network. The second is FreedomTower, which connects FreedomNodes together at a neighborhood level, allowing communities to form Internet co-ops. The third is FreedomLink, which connects FreedomTowers together so that the cooperative purchasing of bandwidth can grow.

Where We Come From

What We Need & What You Get

We are asking the world to fund us to the tune of $75,000. This amount will allow us to build the first three FreedomLinks, and operate them for a year. It will enable us to support the growing number of FreedomTower operators around the world. It will allow us to buy the hardware that we need in order to prototype the FreedomNode. $75,000 won't allow us to liberate the net completely, but it will give us a good start.

This is not a struggle that can be won overnight. It will take years, if not decades, to retrofit the internet with technologies that allow us to communicate directly with one another. Still, it is a struggle that must be begun. There is too much at stake to do nothing, and the events of the past few years clearly show that the time for action is now.

How To Get Involved

We don't just need your money, we need your help. Once you've made your donation, share this campaign with anyone you know who uses the Internet. This is their struggle, too. Join our discussion list, here, to stay informed, and contribute to the conversation.

Aside from material support, we have need for systems, network, and software engineers. We need community organizers, advocates of liberty, and freedom fighters of every stripe. If you would like to make a freer network, and a freer world, join us.