PublicSpaces is a Dutch coalition that works to promote an internet based on public values rather than commercial data extraction. The network brings together public organisations from media, cultural heritage, festivals, museums and education, and says it aims to reclaim the internet as a space for the common good. Its focus is practical as well as political: it supports public institutions in moving away from dependency on large tech platforms and toward open, federated alternatives that are more aligned with privacy, autonomy and transparency.
The organisation was launched in 2018 and has since grown into a sizeable coalition. According to its own material, more than 35 public institutions have joined, reaching more than 70% of the Dutch population through the organisations involved. PublicSpaces frames its work as building a digital public infrastructure: decentralized, federated, plural in purpose, self-governing, and compatible with existing networks.
Its activities combine advocacy, public awareness and hands-on support. PublicSpaces publishes articles, organises events and runs an annual conference in Amsterdam. It also helps institutions make the switch to open-source tools through initiatives such as the Digitale Spoelkeuken and other workshops aimed at assessing software use against public values. The coalition also coordinates broader European mapping and collaboration efforts among public broadcasters, academics and other stakeholders interested in a more public internet.
In 2026, the PublicSpaces Conference is centred on “Technology for democracy,” reflecting the organisation’s broader concern with how digital systems shape public life, democratic debate and media circulation.