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* [A seed sprouts when it is sown in fertile soil](content/04rizomatica.md)
* [COATI: Simultaneous interpreting using radio frequencies](content/05coati.md)
* [Whistleblowing: A double edged sword](content/06leaks.md)
* [Let's develop peasant computing, let's breed “kittens”](content/07chatons.md)
## Part 2: Characterising technological sovereignty
* [Encrypting mails with usable tools: The mass adoption of encryption technologies](content/08leap.md)
* [Keeping technological sovereignty: The case of Internet Relay Chat](content/09irc.md)
* [Digital Governance: Once upon a time...](content/10gamification.md)
* [From appropriate technologies to re-appropriated technologies](content/11rats.md)
* [Hacklabs to technological cooperatives](content/12cooperatives.md)
## Acknowledgements + Contributions

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# Let's develop peasant computing, let's breed “kittens”
## Introduction
In recent years, we have witnessed the widespread concentration of internet
practices among a very limited number of online service providers, represented
by what is now known as GAFAM (Google Apple Facebook Amazon Microsoft). This
centralisation, which is totally contradictory to the origins of the Internet,
which was conceived as decentralised and distributed [^1], led Tim Berners
Lee, the creator of the web, to formulate proposals for the future [^2]. So,
why should we be concerned about this? Simply because data, and particularly
our personal data, are the economic fuel of these major actors, and such an
accumulation of information about us gives them immense power, turning us into
“products” thanks to their “free” services. The questions this raises are
many and complex: generalised surveillance, artificial intelligences fed by
“*big data”*, the end of anonymity and private life, brakes on freedom of
expression and access to information, censorship or loss of data following the
closure of a service... Fortunately, a band of irascible Gauls, meeting
around the Association Framasoft [^3] is bravely trying to “*de-googlize”* the
Internet [^4] and extend this initiative so that we can “retake control” [^5].
## The dangers
### Spying
These services track us everywhere, while claiming to give us a better “user
experience”. But our behaviour is under constant surveillance. This
information can be used to display targeted adverts, but the revelations of
the Snowden case have also shown that Internet giants have been forced to
communicate this data (sometimes extremely private: emails from Gmail, photos
shared on Facebook, Skype conversations, smartphone locations, etc.) to the
authorities. Under the pretence of fighting terrorism, states are able to
gather much more intelligence than “Big Brother” could ever have dreamed of.
### Privacy
Our data is an extension of ourselves. It tells third-parties where we are,
who we are with, our political and sexual orientations, sites we have visited,
our favourite recipes, our favourite topics of interest, and so on.
While a single data point is not always sensitive, the loss of large amounts
of aggregated data can be dangerous (for example if you browse topics about
cancer before subscribing to a life insurance).
Your private life is an essential part of your individuality, and in a world
where everything has been digitized (e-books, TV, phones, music, social
networks, etc.), it would only take a malicious hacker with access to your
smartphone a few minutes to cause you serious harm (taking control of your
identity on Facebook, consulting your professional or medical information,
making purchases without your authorisation, etc.).
### Centralization
The major actors of the Internet have become real giants: Google owns YouTube
and Waze, Facebook has acquired WhatsApp and Instagram, Microsoft distributes
Skype, etc.
This concentration of actors creates multiple issues: what if Facebook were
suddenly shut down? And how could we browse the Web if Google went down? We
rely more and more on services provided by a small group of suppliers. For
example, Apple (iPhone), Google (Android) and Microsoft (Windows Phone)
dominate almost the entire mobile OS industry.
Furthermore, the size of these actors impedes innovation: it’s hard to
launch a startup that can match up to Apple or Google (the first and
second worldwide market capitalisations, respectively).
Finally, The lack of diversity of the giants means they can track many people
who are unaware that there may be alternatives, and it can influence the kind
of data you receive (a Google search will produce different results for the
term “nuclear power” depending on whether Google considers you to be an
environmentalist or pro-nuclear power).
### Termination
Web services used on your computer, smartphone, tablets (and other devices)
are usually hosted on the “cloud”: servers spread across the planet, that host
not only your data (emails, pictures, files, etc.), but also the application
code.
For your data, this raises the issue of sustainability (what would become of
your files if Dropbox were to close tomorrow?) and of your ability to switch
easily between services (how would you recover your data from Facebook or
Picasa and import it, with all the adjoining comments, into another service?).
For applications, this means that **you are completely at the mercy of your
service provider** when it comes to proliferation of advertisements, changes
to the user interface, etc., and that you have hardly any control over the way
an application works. It is a “black box” that can exhibit malicious
behaviour (sending spam SMS without your knowledge, executing malicious code,
and so on).
In short, these companies trap us in gilded cages: gilded yes, but cages
nonetheless!
## “De-googlize” the Internet
Framasoft, through the “de-googlize” the Internet initiative, wishes to
counter these threats to our digital lives by offering free, ethical,
decentralised, and solidarity-based services. They are making a list of the
most-used proprietary software, linking them to the corresponding free
software they offer for those same services [^6].
In 2017, around forty online services were offered free to internauts with a
view to meeting a variety of needs: *cloud*-type personal file storage,
calendars, contacts, collaborative document editing, video conferencing,
cartography, mind mapping, meetings and surveys, distribution lists, social
networks, online books, search engines, educational games, project management…
the list is long, but “the way is free”.
### Freedom
The story of the Internet itself is one of free software, and this goes for
standards as well as protocols. Its potential and popularity are a cause for
envy, and large companies would like nothing better than to control it by
imposing closed-source, locked-down, and non-interoperable systems.
For the Internet to stay true to its founding principles, those which have led
to its success, users must be able to choose free software. That is to say,
software whose source code remains open and accessible and is covered by a
free software license.
### Ethics
Framasoft is committed to only using software with “free” source code,
promoting an internet that allows exchange and independence.
We oppose the exploitation, surveillance, censorship and the appropriation of
data in favour of transparency (probity), clear presentation of a service’s
terms of use and a rejection of discrimination.
Framasoft undertakes not to exploit its users’ data, and to promote a fair and
open Web.
### Solidarity
Through the services we deploy, we promote an economic model based on sharing
costs and resources, and providing widespread access.
This model also has an educational aspect because we believe that by
documenting ways to setup services, many users will in turn be able to share
these resources.
We think that, by not infantilizing users and by sharing responsibility for
the use of services, it will be possible to regulate abuse.
Framasoft is thus committed to promoting respect and autonomy for its users
(as long as this is reciprocated).
### Decentralization
Internet intelligence must remain with each individual player on the network,
in a spirit of sharing among peers, to avoid creating Minitel 2.0 [^7] [^8].
To ensure equality for all, whether citizens or businesses, not only is it
essential to avoid monopolies, but large organizations must be prevented from
grabbing personal or public data.
Using tutorials to explain how to increase the use of free solutions that will
allow a fairer Internet, we help to distribute codes and diversify usage.
Framasoft is thus committed to facilitating self-hosting and interoperability,
so that its users don’t get “locked in”.
## The K.I.T.T.E.N.S. project[^9]
In the light of the success of their “de-googlize” the Internet campaign,
Framasoft has seen a vertiginous increase in the number of users of their
online services, with a corresponding increase in the work needed to maintain
and guarantee those services, without ceasing to propose new ones. The
Association, lead by five permanent members, relies largely on donations and
does not want to grow beyond “human” size.
To extend the dynamic and encourage the decentralisation of services,
Framasoft therefore launched the KITTENS initiative, with the aim of bringing
together different structures and initiatives hosting services, data and
content in their own way, but respecting a common manifesto and charter [^10].
Both documents are collectively written and modified by the members of the
collective, to take into account the evolution of the different structures and
the technical, social and legal context of data hosting in France.
### General policy
The KITTENS collective employs a model of governance directly inspired by Free
Software. Decisions concerning the evolution of the collective and the
charter are taken in a collegiate fashion. Like source code, the collective
model can be duplicated and modified by whoever wants to adapt it, for
example, to specific regional contexts.
Each member is invited to participate in collective decision making by
consensus, as far as is possible. In the case of conflicts of opinion,
decisions are made by a simple majority vote.
The domain chatons.org is maintained and hosted by Framasoft (as long as that
is possible and until the collective decides something else). It is made up
of a website, with a list of members, and also a distribution list that
enables members to communicate and exchange. They are invited to collaborate
in the creation of public content for the site, to inform the public of
information relating to KITTENS and its free hosting.
KITTENS has no administrative statutes as it principally consists of a public
list which determines the members and a set of documentation to facilitate the
exchange of knowledge, capitalisation on good practice, and information
sharing.
Any organisation that respects the principles of the current manifesto and the
KITTENS charter can propose itself as a member. In order to become a member,
the collective must receive contact information for the organisation and at
least one member of the organisation must be subscribed to the discussion
list. Apart from the discussion and possibly some advice, there may also be a
vote by simple majority to decide on the the acceptance of a new organisation
into the collective.
One or various members can reserve the right to request the expulsion of
another member, so long as the following conditions are met:
- the proposal must be supported by convincing arguments that are shared with
all the members;
- it must be accepted by a collective vote, with or without counter arguments.
In awareness of the fact that it is not possible to guarantee respect for all
the points in the KITTENS charter without threatening the confidentiality of
the personal data held in the member's systems, peer control will *de facto*
be imperfect. The collective therefore relies on trust and on the benevolence
of the agreements reached between members.
KITTENS should therefore meet among themselves, respecting each others’ points
of view, and find good practices and rules for inclusion, for questioning or
expelling a member, prioritising respect for fundamental freedoms and the
private lives of the users of collective services.
### Commitments
Each member, referred to below as a "KITTEN", commits herself to obey the
charter that defines the following principles:
* Transparency, non-discrimination and protection of personal data.
* Honesty is the watchword of these commitments, which seek to establish the
reliability of the proposed services and build user trust. The General Use
Conditions should be perfectly clear, accessible and non-contradictory with
the KITTENS charter.
The host should implement a transparent user account management policy,
without discrimination, whether access is free or paid for. It must respect
the jurisdiction of the country in question.
The host commits to allow all users to recover their personal data, encrypted
or not, except in the case of particular services based on the the momentary
transfer of encrypted personal data.
#### Openness, economy, protection
The services proposed should meet some technical requirements. Notably,
servers should be based on free software solutions. Such software will make
the reproducibility of the service possible, without generating additional
developments in the structure of the server, or as a contribution to free
software.
The use of open formats is obligatory, at least for all data sent to users.
This is a clear policy in favour of interoperability. When the use of open
formats is impossible, the data should be under a free license and be
available for as many operating systems as possible. The sources should be
made accessible.
Members of KITTENS commit to respecting the free licenses for the software
that they use (which includes mentioning those licenses and referencing the
sources).
In ethical terms, sponsoring is acceptable, as is patronage, donations, or
having an economic model that consists of demanding payment for some functions
or even for the entire service. The economic model of each KITTEN should be
clearly expressed on a dedicated page that is easy for users to consult and
understand. Evidently, the economic aspects of the activity of any KITTEN
should strictly conform to the legislation of the country in question.
On the other hand, no advertising coming from advertising agencies will be
accepted. Likewise, there should be no exploitation of personal data, there
will be no monitoring of user activity except for legal and statistical ends,
user addresses may not be used for anything other than administrative or
technical ends. Statistical tools should be free and meet the Collective's
conditions.
#### Solidarity and dissemination
KITTENS members owe each other assistance and mutual aid, through a discussion
list or any other means, including periodic meetings. That is how KITTENS
members can progress their services. One of the most effective means for
maintaining systematic mutual aid is by contributing to the development of
free software tools.
Nevertheless, members should not keep to themselves as that would only satisfy
a limited number of people and would create discrimination in access to
services. On the contrary, all efforts at communication with the public are
encouraged as a way of disseminating free hosting solutions and creating links
around the principles defended by the collective. The means should be shared,
through trainings, public information sessions, stalls during demonstrations,
speeches at conferences, the publication of leaflets, etc.
#### Neutrality
KITTENS services cannot be hosted by an actor who, by reputation, does not
promote the neutrality of the Net. Data packages should be transmitted by
KITTENS services without discrimination, which means the content, source or
destination should not be examined. No communications protocol can be given
priority in the way informaiton is distributed. And no data can have its
content arbitrarily altered.
The neutrality of KITTENS is therefore a political neutrality, as the
convictions of members will be neither examined nor sanctioned, so long as
they keep within the framework of current applicable laws.
#### AMIPO, an experience of a KITTENS construction in Orleans
AMPIRO, (“L’Association de Maintien de l’Informatique Paysanne Orléanaises,”
the Association for the Maintenance of Computing for Farmers in Orleans) is a
part of the French “AMAP” (Association of Organic Agriculturists who provide
their fruit and vegetables directly to subscribers), with the idea of finding
good bytes in a local association, rather than on the American “supermarket”.
A “farmer” is defined as anyone who works for self-sufficiency and contributes
to developing the environment and the countryside…
Signing up to a local KITTENS initiative starts with bringing together a group
of people motivated by the idea of practical reflections about the *why* of
the *how*. From the first prototypes of services installed on recycled
servers behind a decidedly asymmetrical internet uplink (with more download
than sending capacity via ADSL [^11]), they aim to pass to the “production”
phase on servers hosted with ethical providers in synchrony with our base
values (Such as ARN [^12] in Alsace or Tetaneutral [^13] in Toulouse).
That requires setting up a legal entity (in this case, a collegiate
association [^14], without a president or head office); opening a bank
account; organising a launch event to raise funds; creating content to raise
awareness and setting up workshops for popular education; agreeing about the
technologies used and the services proposed; deciding whether the welcome page
of the website should be in http or https; creating the necessary
communication and documentation tools; organising the installation and
administration of the servers; making sure we are in accordance with the
charter, particularly putting in place the necessary safeguards; proposing
times and channels for communications in order to respond to user's questions…
The main aim of AMPIRO is to offer a *personal cloud* service (based on
NextCloud) that allows inventories of files, contacts and calendars, for free,
with the possibility of having more space by joining the association. The
enthusiasm of the collective does not stop there, there may be a VPN (Virtual
Private Network [^15]), or work on end-to-end encryption, so that we cannot
read the data that are trusted to us, in order to be able to propose services
to local associations or to accompany cooperative projects in the IT usage.
With our calloused hands, as crude farmers in computing, we wish to plant as
many seeds as possible in the heads of our fellows so that little pixelated
*kittens* can run about on free and tree-lined roads.
[^1]: In the first instance, in order to convince CERN that a system of global hypertext was interesting enough for the research centre, this document foreshadows the World Wide Web as we know it today: https://www.w3.org/History/1989/proposal-msw.html
[^2]: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/mar/11/tim-berners-lee-web-inventor-save-internet
[^3]: https://framasoft.org/
[^4]: https://degooglisons-internet.org/
[^5]: https://framabook.org/numerique-reprendre-le-controle/
[^6]: https://degooglisons-internet.org/alternatives
[^7]: Benjamin Bayart: Internet libre, ou Minitel 2.0? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AoRGoQ76PK8
[^8]: Translator's note: Minitel was a centralised pre-Internet videotext terminal and service in France: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minitel
[^9]: Translator's note: The French initiative is called “C.H.A.T.O.N.S.” (<https://chatons.org/>). Chatons means “kittens” in French, and stands for “Collectif des Hébergeurs Alternatifs, Transparents, Ouverts, Neutres et Solidaires” (the Collective of Alternative, Transparent, Neutral and Solidarity-based Hosters). This is translated into English as “K.I.T.T.E.N.S.” (Keen Internet Talented Teams Engaged in Network Service). For more information see: https://framagit.org/framasoft/CHATONS/blob/master/docs/Charter-en.md
[^10]: https://chatons.org/charte-et-manifeste
[^11]: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/ADSL
[^12]: http://arn-fai.net/
[^13]: https://tetaneutral.net/
[^14]: http://www.passerelleco.info/article.php?id_article=103
[^15]: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/R%C3%A9seau_priv%C3%A9_virtuel

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# From appropriate technologies to re-appropriated technologies [^0]
Increased investment in knowledge related to technology development means that
much of the technology we use today are commercial goods. Acquisition and
transfer of technological knowledge ceases to be an informal process of the
commons. Instead, it is subject to the laws and interests of the market, such
as patents and intellectual property registers. It is therefore developed
mostly by large corporations and nation states. The result is excessive
automation, which causes obligatory human displacement, wastes resources and
disempowers users through decreasing social knowledge about technologies.
The absence of scientific and technological capacities, the lack of economic
conditions that would encourage innovation, and inadequate introduction to
technologies generate economic changes in the realities and priorities of
countries. The imbalance in the trade in knowledge creates a great difference
between countries and individuals and puts those who are net importers of
technology – or simply consumers – at a disadvantage in the relationships of
economic exchange. The state of dependence and inequality in development is
observed when the principal source of technology in a country is located
abroad, and when there is no local capacity for generating and adapting its
own technology. The import of technologies is not, in itself, necessarily a
disadvantage (all countries do it). The bad thing is the absence of correct
policies of transferral of the associated knowledge and the dependencies that
this generates.
The introduction of an inadequate technology, one that is not understood, to a
community, or its adoption by an individual, creates a vicious circle of
technological dependence and an economic evolution incompatible with social
needs. That dependence becomes a cause, symptom and consequence of the lack
of autonomy. Thus, evolution and technical changes in the economies of the
countries of the misnamed “Global South” are substantially different from
those observed in the countries of the Global North or Western block
countries.
The technological imbalance that capitalism introduces may be key to the
creativity for meeting needs through appropriated technologies. If we make
the situation reversible again, new and unstoppable processes of autonomy
emerge. At the end of the day, what community does not need efficient
technology that is understandable and adapted to the specific environmental,
cultural and economic context?
## Interlinking concepts
Appropriate Technology [^1] means technology that is adequate, useable,
shared. Appropriate technologies can be high or low tech, they are built and
distributed with free licences, GNU GPL, free and open source software and can
occur in various fields of action from agriculture, permaculture, gardening
and construction to communications, health and education.
The term originally emerged from the Anglo-Saxon environmentalist movement
during the 1973 energy crisis. In his book, “Small is beautiful” [^2] the
British economist E.F. Schumacher promoted the value of technology as health,
beauty and permanence. In this sense, appropriate technology is best suited
to the environmental, cultural and economic context; requiring few resources;
implying the least costs; with a low environmental impact; low levels of
maintenance; created using local skills, tools and materials; and that can be
locally repaired, modified and transformed.
The term appropriate, as a synonym for adequate, can generate confusion. An
expensive technology could be the most adequate for a healthy community with
the capacity to pay for its maintenance, thus activating economic flow and
concentrating it on reinforcing the direction of those with most power.
In terms of intermediate technologies, these can also be appropriate. They
tend to be much less costly than the prevailing technology, and be built using
materials and knowledge available locally, easily bought and used by people
with little access to resources. They can increases production whilst
minimizing social dislocation.
“Slow Design” [^25] is an holistic design focus that takes into account the
broadest range of material and social factors, including short and long term
impacts. In “Slow Design, a paradigm for sustainable living”, Alistair
Fuad-Lucas develops sustainable design, balancing sociocultural, environmental
and invididual needs. The concept is applied to experiences, processes,
services and organisations. It is a road to the dematerialisation necessary
for sustainability in the long term. It seeks human well-being and positive
synergies between the elements of a system, celebrating diversity and
regionalism.
Re-appropriated technologies mean rethinking technologies we need from a
political position. It means placing technology at the centre of life, within
a transversal axis where other disciplines such as ethics, social problems or
the environment can also be found. It seeks to integrate them all into a
whole, with a view to preserving and defending life against power, so that it
is not oppressed. When we place technology at the centre we don't necessarily
build a technological world like the current one, filled with dependencies and
frustrations and ties that upset the balance between the powerful and the
oppressed.
If our desire is to bring about social change towards a more sustainable,
collective and communal society, we must change the means, the resources and
the relationships that currently sustain society based on economic interests.
We must return to ourselves, individuals and communities, women and peoples,
the part of our technological empowerment that has been expropriated from us.
We must generate a technology, a science, and the their dissemination, that is
focused on life – just as it was before the Industrial Revolution. It will be
necessary to change the structures and above all those that sustain knowledge,
because if the whole system and the processes change, but the the structures
and the relationships that form between us do not, then nothing has changed.
Re-appropriated technology has a political determination to fragment the
capitalist system, favouring the creation of small, decentralised communities
of equality and self-organisation. Re-appropriated technology calls for a
less alienated society, more integrated with natural processes.
Re-appropriated technologies are implanted by the individuals and communities
themselves, not by governments. Such policies cannot be designed without
going to the territory, and government work only happens in the management
decisions taken in offices. We need re-appropriated technology that
incorporates our ancestral traditions in the context of industrialisation, and
brings back these technologies and techniques to our daily lives. Ancestral
traditions have an already inherently environmental, sustainable and holistic
foundation. We need technologies that create well-being, beauty and
community.
## Re-appropriated Technologies from personal experience
Over the past 10 years I have tried to carry the theory into practice, I have
adapted and changed my ways, I have created protocols and free licenses that
defend our Re-appropriated technologies. I have tried to generate collective
workshops where people exchange experiences and skills and which could extend
to productive activity that will cover basic needs and enrich the communities.
I have discovered an existing market niche for Re-appropriated technologies:
one way to describe it would be “in order to be productive and sustainable, a
producer of organic walnuts or almonds has no intermediate solution between a
nut-cracker and a super machine costing thousands of Euros. Re-appropriated
Technologies would occupy that space, adapting to the user and to their
environment”.
Society as a whole, and the majority of social movements, have not defended
technology, science or technological sovereignty as a social practice, for the
individual or the collective. The debate is marginalised, and little by
little, new technologies are introduced into our daily lives, making us more
dependent and having little to do with the four freedoms. Thankfully there is
always a minority group that reverts or questions this.
In the majority of technological spaces, the majority of participants belong
to the patriarchal male gender. This situation has not changed yet and often
that machismo gets more ferocious, because it is not only present in the
content, but also in the ways of doing things, in the treatment received, in
the general atmosphere, in the working environment. These are marked by
competitiveness and egos that are touched only at great risk of being
victimized. These macho attitudes are all the more significant because we
come from a scene with an understanding of questions of gender, yet people
simply don't want to change the existing privileges, or they are afraid of
reconsidering them because sometimes it is easier to defend oneself than to do
the internal work required. I will give you a real example of a case that
happened to me with two crane drivers.
**Situation A:** We had finished working with an oxygen trailer [^35] and they
had to take it away with a crane. A man arrives. He puts some straps around
the tank which, when they are tightened, mark a small bulge in the trailer,
which is made of multiwall polycarbonate. I said to him:
> “Excuse me, it would be better to put a cloth under the straps so that they
> don't mark the trailer. That way it will arrive to my client in a perfect
> condition.”
> “Don't worry, it is fine like that. It's fine” He says, without listening
> to me.
> I wait 30 seconds to answer him.
> “Hey, put a cloth, it's no trouble.”
> “You'll see how much they mark it in the ferry. This is nothing” He is
> still not listening to me.
> A minute of deep breathing, and I think, I am the client, if I tell him to
> put a cloth under it, he should just put a cloth under it. Why so stubborn?
> “I'm sorry, but it is better if we put a cloth”. Finally, with gritted
> teeth, he does it.
**Situation B:** My car broke down in the middle of the mountain when it was
terribly cold, and I was waiting for the tow truck to arrive. The truck
driver arrived and she told me that my breakdown could be fixed if we took out
a tube. She could not get it off because her hands were freezing, and my hand
unconsciously moved to help her. OK, perfect. She was not shocked, she did
not say I was getting in the way, she just said thank you and we tried to
remove it together.
The intransigent attitude in situation A does not happen with all men, nor the
contrary with all women. Rootless, competitive, intransigent, oppressive,
unequal attitudes belong to patriarchy and we can all be victims of them
whatever our gender. Technology and science, as tools of power, advance
according to the directives of patriarchy and capitalist society.
Thus re-appropriated technologies should be something more than the
technological objects and the sciences in themselves, they should also be the
set of relationships that emerge around those objects. Could re-appropriated
technologies be manufactured in a workshop with totally patriarchal ways and
attitudes? I think not. It makes no sense.
It is necessary to put technology at the centre of life, speak of cranks and
pistons, as we would speak of kitchen recipes. That is what Jineology does
[^33], it does not separate the object from the subject, it mixes them within
a healthy relationship, not as something external, but as something that is
mutable and can always be improved upon.
Another nuance of re-appropriated technologies lies in how they are applied.
If we take similes from everyday life, we can simply make our bed, or we can
shake the blankets out of the window, leave them to air in the sun, brush the
mattress to remove creases. Behind all these steps are techniques to improve
our lives. Another example would be in the application of moisturising cream.
It is one thing to just wipe over it with your hand, and a very different
thing to carefully apply it with small gestures, the effects are far greater.
It is the same with everything. Everything has techniques and science behind
it. Learning these small habits is not so hard. In order to incorporate
sciences that improve our lives, and make them habits, it is necessary not
just to do, but also to understand why we are doing it that way...
## Naming some re-appropriated technologies
In the field of **construction** there are a wide diversity of techniques: Adobe,
Super Adobe, Clinker bricks and Corncob insulation among others. All are made
with local materials that are relatively cheap. Architecture for Humanity
[^10] follows consistent principles with appropriate technologies, aimed at
people affected by natural disasters.
In the field of **energy**, Amory Lovins' term “soft energy” [^12] describes
renewable and appropriate energies. These tend to be introduced into isolated
communities and places with low energy requirements. There are off-grid
designs [^11] that are not connected to mains electricity. The high costs of
the initial investments and training for maintenance need to be taken into
account. They use solar panels, which are initially expensive but simple,
wind generators or microturbines in waterfalls, and this energy is stored in
batteries. Biobutanol, biodiesel and vegetable oil can be appropriate in
areas where vegetable oil is abundant and cheaper than fossil fuels. Biogas
is another potential source of energy, particularly where there is an abundant
supply of organic waste.
In **lighting**, the Light Up World Foundation [^13] uses LED and renewable
energy sources, such as solar cells, to provide light to people with little
resources in remote areas, to replace dangerous kerosene lamps. The Safety
Lamp [^14] is a kerosene lamp designed in Sri Lanka, that has a metal top and
two flat sides to stop it rolling if it is knocked over.
In **food preparation**, intermediate technologies are used to reduce the
labour required by traditional methods, for example, the Peanut Peeler in
Malaysia. In kitchens, fair kitchens, smoke reducers and efficient stoves
save time, reduce deforestation and are beneficial for health. Briquettes
[^15], developed by the Legacy foundation [^16], transform organic waste into
fuel. Solar Ovens are appropriate in some areas, depending on the climate and
on local cuisine.
In **refrigeration**, the pot-in-pot refrigerator [^17] is an African
invention that enables them to keep things cool without electricity for far
longer. This is of great benefit to the families that use it. For example,
the girls who sell fresh shellfish in the market can leave the shellfish in
the device while they go to school and go to the market later.
In **water**, the Hippo Water Roller [^18], enables more water to be carried
with less effort. The Rain Water Harvester requires an appropriate storage
method, particularly in dry areas, and the Cloud Collector is excellent for
areas where rain is scarce. In Water Treatment, high standards must be
applied when water must be purified before use. Ground water could be could
be clean enough, depending on the depth and the distance from sources of
contamination such as latrines; rain water can be clean if the area where it
falls is free of waste. Nevertheless, it is advisable to treat it to remove
possible contamination. The principal processes are: filtering, biofilm,
sedimentation, heat, UV light, and chemical disinfection using chlorine.
Soft-sand filters provide high quality treated water through a simple
operation, used both in healthy nations and poor communities. Crushed
*Moringa oleifera* or *Strychnos potatorum* seeds can be used as coagulants,
impurities are easily removed by sedimentation and filtration. Ceramic
filters, made of clay mixed with an organic material such as coffee, are found
in many homes in South America. The LifeStraw [^19] is a small device that
allows the user to drink directly from dirty water. Cloth filters or solar
disinfection are useful at a small scale that requires few jars or bottles.
In **accesibility**, the Whirlwind wheelchair [^23] provides desirable mobility
for people who cannot buy the chairs used in developed countries.
In **sanitation**, BiPu [^20] is a portable latrine system appropriate for
disasters. The Orange Pilot project [^21] was a solution for the sanitation
crisis of urban neighbourhoods, and the low-cost latrines developed in
villages in Bangladesh responded to health problems caused by open sewers.
Reed beds [^22] purify grey water. Ecological sanitation treats human waste
in order to protect both human health and the environment, with water being
used for hand (and anus) washing, while nutrients are recycled to help reduce
the need for artificial fertilizers.
In **healthcare**, the phase-change incubator created in the late 1990s is a
low cost way to create microbiological samples. A number of appropriated
technologies exist to benefit public health, particularly the use of clean
water in sanitation.
Finally, in the area of **Information and Communications Technologies**, we
have the 2B1 [^5] and the Simputer [^6] computers aimed at developing
countries, where the principal advantage is low costs, resistance to dust,
fidelity and local language support. ILDIS OnDisc [^7] uses CDs and DVDs in
areas without a reliable connection to the Internet nor sufficient money.
Wind-up [^8] by Jhai Foundation, makes radio, computer and communications
systems autonomous. Mobile telephones can also be re-appropriated
technologies in places where commercial providers cannot or does not want to
ensure widespread coverage. Loband [^9], developed by Aidworld, strips all
bandwidth intensive content from Internet traffic and converts web pages to
simple text, increasing transmission speed, making it appropriate for slow
connections.
## Conclusions
No technology is adequate in absolute terms. According to the UNIDO [^26] it
is a case of “the technology that best contributes to the economic, social and
environmental objectives, taking into account the development challenges,
resources and conditions for application in each territory”.
Adequate technology makes optimum use of available resources in a territory to
maximise the well being of the population. Economic sectors with different
characteristics make different technologies. Ideally there should be patterns
of balanced development, where extracted resources can gradually replenish
themselves in equilibrium. Products should be developed to account for income
levels and for the different lifestyles that exist. Needs should be met, not
generated. Small scale is preferable to large.
Adequate management is associated with the generation, transferral,
adaptation, assimilation and internal dissemination of the necessary
technologies to meet social and economic needs, without ignoring the
ecological balance. To reach this, there must be consensus, and an
organisation capable of integrating a continuous process of technological
management, guided by a strategy that harmonises the functioning of the
techno-scientific system with the transformation and development of the
productive system. This organisation must constantly question and it must be
particularly involved in dissemination and education. It is therefore
important to be based on local needs, decentralised structures, small nuclei,
and communities with stable networks of trust and reciprocity. If there is a
major management structure in a country, it should incorporate the needs of
these nuclei, from the bottom up. Poor individuals and countries should
remember that they have the possibility to have their own voice, and take
responsibility for ensuring that their decision making power in terms of their
own economic and social evolution is respected in this interdependent world.
[^0] There is a longer version of this text available in Spanish
here:
http://elleflane.colectivizaciones.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Tecnologias_reapropiadas2017.pdf
[^1] Appropriate technology:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appropriate_technology
[^2] E.F. Schumacher: *Small is beautiful*.
[^5] 2B1: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2B1_conference
[^6] Simputer: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simputer
[^7] ILDIS OnDis:
http://books.google.es/books/about/The_Transfer_of_Technology_to_Developing.html
[^8] Wind-up radio: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_power
[^9] Loband: http://www.loband.org/loband/
[^10] Archuitecture for humanity: http://architectureforhumanity.org/
[^11] Off-grid design:
http://www.off-grid.net/energy-design-service-questionnaire-spanish/
[^12] Soft Energy: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soft_energy_technology
[^13] Light Up World Foundation: http://lutw.org/
[^14] Safety Lamp: http://tecno.sostenibilidad.org
[^15] Briquette http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biomass_briquettes**
[^16] Legacy Foundation: http://www.legacyfound.org/
[^17] Pot-in-pot refrigerator:
http://www.mienergiagratis.com/energias/mucho-mas/mas-proyectos/item/66-p000028.html**
[^18] Hippo Water Roller: http://www.hipporoller.org/
[^19] LifeStraw: http://eartheasy.com/lifestraw
[^20] BiPu: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BiPu
[^21] Orange Pilot.
[^22] Reed beds: http://www.wte-ltd.co.uk/reed_bed_sewage_treatment.html**
[^23] Whirlwind: http://www.whirlwindwheelchair.org/
[^24] Cloth Filter: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloth_filter
[^25] Slow design: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slow_design
[^26] UNIDO, United Nations Industrial Development Organisation:
http://unido.org/
[^27] *A Guide for the Perplexed*:
http://www.appropedia.org/A_Guide_for_the_Perplexed
[^28] Alternative technology: http://www.ata.org.au/
[^29] Eco-village: http://www.ic.org/pnp/cdir/2000/08ecovillage.php**
[^30] StewartFrances: *Technology and underdevelopement*, 1983.
[^31] Isaías Flit: *Tecnologías apropiadas o manejo apropiado de las
tecnologías*.
[^32] Fuad-Luke Alistair: *Slow Design' - un paradigma para vivir de manera
sostenible?*.
[^33]
https://comitesolidaridadrojava.wordpress.com/2015/02/19/por-que-jineology-reconstruir-las-ciencias-hacia-una-vida-comunitaria-y-libre/
[^34] Heberto Tapias García: *Tecnología adecuada*.

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% Changelog
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# 01_prefacio_soberania_tecnologica_EN_FINAL.md
Thus, to resist technological submission, I propose that in your technological choices, that you value the following: → Thus, to resist technological submission, I propose that in your technological choices, you value the following:
since in order to save it there must be a server → since in order to save it, there must be a server
However there are many other things you can do → However, there are many other things you can do
# 02_intro_dossier_soberaniatech-2.0_EN_FINAL.md
away form the screen → away from the screen
Walidah Imarisha, adrienne maree brown → Walidah Imarisha, adrienne maree brown, editors
Escape from Pretoria → Escape from Pretoria Prison
# 03_Souveraineté-algorithmique_EN_FINAL.md
Wikipédia → Wikipedia
Recommandations → Recommendations
behaviour/based advertising → behaviour based advertising
Kafkean → Kafkaesque
financial digital creatures → digital financial creatures
to been overtaken → to be overtaken
bitcoin → Bitcoin
libertarian principal → libertarian principle
ultimately swelling the ranks of post-truth → ultimately swell the ranks of post-truth
for for → for
API → APIs
Interface → Interfaces
API → APIs
rôle → role
# 04_rizomatica_EN-FINAL.md
talked of the idea → talked about
https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sistema\_global\_para\_las\_comunicaciones\_m%C3%B3vile NO EXISTE PAGINA → https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sistema_global_para_las_comunicaciones_m%C3%B3viles
never completely managed to subject → never completely managed to subjugate
Today this social movement continued to struggle → Today this social movement continues to struggle
Elena Nava has called the “grassroots native analitical theories” → Elena Nava has called
“grassroots native analytical theories”,
Comunality → Communality
maximum decision-making body → highest decision-making body
This movement give life → This movement gave life
reclaim access to GSM band frequencies; [^3] however, that petition was refused. → reclaim access to GSM band frequencies [^3]. However, that petition was refused.
The enabled the creation of a legal framework → This enabled the creation of a legal framework
The authorisation of the project is minuted and a committee is named for the operating and an administration of the network → The authorisation of the project is minuted and a committee is named for operating and administering the network.
which will receive training from TIC A.C. which has responsibility for supporting communities for importing, installation, training and accompaniment in legal matters, as well as managing its own networks. → TIC A.C. provides training and support in importing, installing, operating and managing their networks, as well as accompaniment in legal matters.
in purchasing and installing equipment and training → in equipment and training
Beneifts → Benefits
Due to regulation, there is no numbering system for each device connected, a public number is contracted which received the calls from outside and through a voice menu, which in some cases is in the mother tongue of the locality, the extension number of the network user is dialled. → Due to regulations, there is no public telephone number assigned to each device. Instead, a single number receives all the calls from outside. Then the extension number of the network user is dialled through a voice menu, which in some cases is in the local language.
responsabilities → responsibilities
a system for prevention against → an emergency response system for
the communally owned territory, that also needs to be decolonised → the communally owned territory that also needs to be decolonised
Decolonising communal territories implies understanding them as an inseparable whole, that includes the electromagnetic spectrum → Decolonising communal territories implies understanding them as an inseparable whole that includes the electromagnetic spectrum
We have also learnt that not all words have the same meaning. → We have also learnt that the same words can mean different things.
We have found that the same sign can have different significance and it is in that sense → It is in this sense
In 1994, when the neo-Zapatista movement became public → The neo-Zapatista movement went public in 1994,
subverting the Marxist idea of the national revolution for a revolution for autonomy → subverting the Marxist idea of the national revolution and turning it into a revolution for autonomy
, the indigenous peoples of South east Mexico's demands for self-government were recognised through creation and the creative use of tactics and communications technologies for those ends → , demands for self-government by the indigenous peoples of South East Mexico were recognised. The creative use of communications technologies played a significant role in the process.
To better understand this idea → In order to better understand the idea of autonomy
Power emanates form the territory → Power emanates from the territory
We are in a good moment to table a dialogue → We are in a good moment to open a dialogue
Minerva Cuevas and her work in Finland????? → http://contemporaryartarchipelago.fi/exhibition/artwork/15
# 07_Chatons_EN_FINAL.md
government services → the authorities
Finally, The lack of diversity → Finally, the lack of diversity
wishes to face these threats to our digital lives → wishes to counter
these threats to our digital lives
for those same services → with equivalent functionality
For the Internet to stay true to its founding principles, those which have led to its success, users must be able to choose free software, that is to say, software whose source code remains open and accessible and is covered by a free software license. → For the Internet to stay true to its founding principles, those which have led to its success, users must be able to choose free software. That is to say, software whose source code remains open and accessible and is covered by a free software license.
clear presentation of a services’ term of use → clear presentation of a service’s term of use
We think that, by not infantilizing users → We think that by not infantilizing users
In order to continue to be a member → In order to become a member
respecting each others points of view → respecting each others’ points of view
Each member of the Teams → Each member
the charter the principles of which are the following → the charter that defines the following principles
The General Use conditions (GUC) → The General Use Conditions
(for example, if it is necessary to download a programme
to install it in a proprietary system) →
on on a dedicated page → on a dedicated page
asymmetrical internet access → asymmetrical internet uplink
Such as ARN → such as ARN
preconfigures → foreshadows
Chatons is kittens in French → Chatons means “kittens” in French
# 11_Tecnologias_reapropiadas_EN_FINAL.md
those who are net importers of technology or simply consumers at a disadvantage → those who are net importers of technology – or simply consumers – at a disadvantage
, all countries do it, → (all countries do it).
the bad thing → The bad thing
The investment of resources in the development of knowledge directly orientated to the production or development of new processes and products, converts the current technology that we consume into commercial goods. → Increased investment in knowledge related to technology development means that much of the technology we use today are commercial goods.
Its acquisition, transmission and transferral ceases to be an informal process of the commons, becoming a formal process, subject to the laws and interests of the market, patents and intellectual property registers. → Acquisition and transfer of technological knowledge ceases to be an informal process of the commons. Instead, it is subject to the laws and interests of the market, such as patents and intellectual property registers.
It is therefore developed mostly by large companies, corporations, states and governments, and the fruits are an excessive mechanisation, that promotes obligatory human displacement, wastes resources and increases absolute disempowerment, and a lack of social knowledge about technologies among those who use them. → It is therefore developed mostly by large corporations and nation states. The result is excessive automation, which causes obligatory human displacement, wastes resources and disempowers users through decreasing social knowledge about technologies.
and the use of an inadequate process of introduction to technologies in the productive apparatus, generate economic changes in the realities and priorities of countries and also inefficiencies in the use of resources. → and inadequate introduction to technologies generate economic changes in the realities and priorities of countries.
These inequalities, above all the technological imbalance that capitalism introduces, may be key in providing an incentive for creativity and for meeting needs through the use and development of appropriated technologies, we make the situation reversible again and new and unstoppable processes of autonomy are created. → The technological imbalance that capitalism introduces may be key to the creativity for meeting needs through appropriated technologies. If we make the situation reversible again, new and unstoppable processes of autonomy emerge.
Western-Block → Western block
Appropriate Technology [^1] means technology that is adequate and also
appropriated, copied, obtained. → Appropriate Technology [^1] means technology that is adequate, useable, shared.
Appropriated technologies can be high or low tech → Appropriate technologies can be high or low tech
the British economist, E.F. Schumacher, promoted → the British economist E.F. Schumacher promoted
describes that technology that →
to environmental, cultural and economic situation → to the environmental, cultural and economic context
without needing high levels of maintenance → low levels of maintenance
skills, tools and materials from the area → local skills, tools and materials
, which can lead increases in production whilst minimizing social dislocation. → They can increase production whilst minimizing social dislocation.
rance of material and social factors → range of material and social factors
plus the relevant impacts in the short and long term → including short and long term impacts
Alistair Fuad-Lucas, → Alistair Fuad-Lucas
balancing with the individual and their sociocultural and environmental needs → balancing sociocultural, environmental and individual needs
It is a road to the dematerialisation necessary for sustainability in the long term, it seeks human well-being and positive synergies between the elements of a system, celebrating diversity and regionalism. → It is a road to the dematerialisation necessary for sustainability in the long term. It seeks human well-being and positive synergies between the elements of a system, celebrating diversity and regionalism.
Re-appropriated technologies mean returning to provide us with the technologies we need starting from a political position. → Re-appropriated technologies mean rethinking technologies we need from a political position.
If our desire is to bring about social change towards a more sustainable, collective, communal and not purely society, we must change the means, the resources and the relationships that currently sustain a society based on economic interests, → If our desire is to bring about social change towards a more sustainable, collective and communal society, we must change the means, the resources and the relationships that currently sustain society based on economic interests.
return to ourselves → We must return to ourselves
and the dissemination of the same → and their dissemination
expropriated from us, → expropriated from us. We must
generating a technology → generate a technology
focussed → focused
, just as it was → – just as it was
but the the structures → but the structures
Re-appropriated technology has a political determination that serves as a rift to fragment the capitalist system, favouring the creation of nuclii and small, decentralised communities that favour spaces for equality and self-organisation help to develop less alienating society more integrated with the natural processes. → Re-appropriated technology has a political determination to fragment the capitalist system, favouring the creation of small, decentralised communities of equality and self-organisation. Re-appropriated technology calls for a less alienated society, more integrated with natural processes.
We need technology re-appropriated to the context of industrialisation, which incorporate our ancestral traditions → We need re-appropriated technology that incorporates our ancestral traditions in the context of industrialisation, and brings back these technologies and techniques to our daily lives. Ancestral traditions have an already inherently environmental, sustainable and holistic foundation.
the majority of participants belongs → the majority of participants belong
follows consistent principles with appropriate technologies → follows principles consistent with appropriate technologies
, that are not connected to mains electricity → that are not connected to mains electricity
great benefit to the families that use it, for example, → great benefit to the families that use it. For example,
Ecological sanitation, taking charge of human waste in order to protect human health and the environment, with water being used for hand (and anus) washing, and nutrients are recycled to help to reduce the need for artificial fertilizers. → Ecological sanitation treats human waste in order to protect both human health and the environment, with water being used for hand (and anus) washing, while nutrients are recycled to help reduce the need for artificial fertilizers.
created at the end of 1990 → created in the late 1990s
the destination language → local language support
make radio, computer and communications systems autonomous → makes radio, computer and communications systems autonomous
the commercial infrastructure → commercial providers
web developed by Aidworld → developed by Aidworld
removes all intensive content from band widths and converts to simple text, increasing the processing speed, making it appropriate for use with low Internet connections. → strips all bandwidth intensive content from Internet traffic and converts web pages to simple text, increasing transmission speed, making it appropriate for slow connections.
Ideally there should be patterns of balanced development → Ideally, there should be patterns of balanced development
, , → ,

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