Framer Framed joins PublicSpaces, a network of organisations committed to a fair and independent digital domain

Symposium: Dit is ons publiek. Foto: Framer Framed / Maarten Nauw

Framer Framed joins PublicSpaces, a network of organisations committed to a fair and independent digital domain

On the Ringvaart in Amsterdam East you’ll find Framer Framed, the newest partner in the alliance of PublicSpaces; a network of public organisations, such as broadcasters, heritage institutions, festivals, libraries, museums and education organisations. Collaboratively, these institutions work towards a solution for a common problem: our dependency on ‘big tech’.

Below is an interview with Stefan Wharton, Head of Communications & PR, who oversees the digital strategy and development of the online communication channels, including the digital archive: ‘In the coming year, we want to further develop our digital archive into a truly public tool.’

25 August 2025, Amsterdam

Hi Stefan, why did you decide to join PublicSpaces?

Our affiliation with PublicSpaces comes from a shared conviction that digital spaces, just like physical public space, must be protected and strengthened by public values. We see how the internet is becoming increasingly dominated by a small number of Big Tech companies. These parties have unprecedented economic and infrastructural power, making public organisations and citizens increasingly dependent on their services and conditions. Their revenue models are often based on the collection of personal data, which leads to a shift in control from the user to the provider. Framer Framed doesn’t want to be a part of that. We would rather build a digital infrastructure that protects our audience and our partners and offers space for autonomy and collective ownership. PublicSpaces offers us a network of like-minded institutions that are developing and promoting alternatives together, so that we as a cultural sector can become less dependent on commercial tech giants and retain more control over our own digital spaces.

The manifesto of PublicSpaces that you signed consists of a number of public values. What are the public values that are particularly important to your organisation?

For Framer Framed inclusivity, justice, autonomy and transparency are core values – both in our physical programme and our online activities. We strive to create spaces where people feel safe to meet, share and reflect.

Digital autonomy plays a key role here. Public organisations must have a say in their use of technology, infrastructure and data. For us that means developing and maintaining our own systems, instead of relying on commercial platforms that don’t share our values. These principles also guide how we make our archives accessible and how we actively involve our community in the creation of knowledge.

Our digital archive is an important tool: an online knowledge database where information about exhibitions, events and publications can be saved and reused. Visitors, researchers and artists can make their own connections and bring about new results. The archive is closely connected to our Hybrid Publication Tool, developed in collaboration with Archival Consciousness, which can convert content from the archive into online publications and physical books or catalogues simultaneously. This means that not only can our programmes be carefully documented, but also experienced and shared in new ways – independently of commercial publishing and distribution platforms.

Photo: Laura Ponchel

What do you hope to achieve with the PublicSpaces coalition?

With the PublicSpaces coalition we want to contribute to a robust and ethical digital ecosystem in which cultural and social organisations collaborate on technology that puts public values first. We hope to share knowledge and resources, and exert joint pressure to create frameworks for policy that protect public interest against the concentration of power in Big Tech. This concerns the infrastructure and standards that determine our digital lives, which are largely in the hands of private companies with little democratic oversight. By working with PublicSpaces we would like to show that there are alternatives to our dependency on these groups, and that public organisations can determine their own technological course. Therefore its important for us to not only develop internally but also to make our audience aware of these choices, so that they are actively involved in the discussion about what digital future looks like.

What changes have you already set in motion?

Framer Framed has been working to bring our digital production resources under our own management since 2014 – the year we acquired our first server. We initially ran it on the open-source platform OwnCloud, and have since moved several generations forward to NextCloud. Today, the server supports not only document storage but also our shared calendar and an in-house messaging service, offering an alternative to WhatsApp or Signal.

Since 2024, our mail has run on Dutch-developed open-source software, and we now use this server for video conferencing as well, via BigBlueButton – an open-source tool originally created for educational use at Carleton University in Canada. We are also reducing our dependence on Google by encouraging the use of alternative search engines across the organisation. In 2025, we transitioned from Google Analytics to Matomo, an open-source and privacy-friendly analytics platform.

On social media, we stopped contributing to X (formerly Twitter) at the beginning of 2025 and will officially deactivate our account. Under Elon Musk’s ownership, X has deteriorated into a platform fostering disinformation, discrimination and political interference; in the Netherlands, too, it undermines the democratic constitutional state. With only one Dutch-speaking moderator left, online hate and intimidation now go largely unchecked.

What would you first like to work on in the coming year in the digital sphere and around public values?

In the coming year, we would like to further develop our digital archive into a truly public tool: not only through accessibility, but also usable as a source for research, inspiration and new creation, allowing visitor to make their own connection and construct their own stories. Additionally, we’re concentrating on strengthening our presentation and communication channels, and distribution networks, with a focus on open source technology and privacy-by-design. Finally, we want to experiment with new forms of digital community engagement that doesn’t revolve around data extraction or advertising but building long-lasting relationships. With these steps, we are increasing our digital independence and embedding public values in everyday practice.