The moment has come for us - everyone who uses a smartphone, the internet and other technologies - to stand up for our rights! Let’s make sure our digital future is fair and inclusive. Let’s put an end to user agreements that are impossible to read. No more blindly agreeing to cookies that track our activities, to not knowing what information corporations have on us or what they are doing with it. And, while we’re at it, let’s also make sure our governments are transparent and accountable in their use of technology and our data. 

At the IMPAKT Festival 2023 we will discuss how we, as digital users, can take back control over our data and get more agency over the technologies we are so dependent on. We want our conditions to apply when we use online platforms. It’s time to stand up against the way Big Tech companies are commodifying people. And when it comes to digitization, governments should be prioritizing the interests of the people – not efficiency. The IMPAKT Festival 2023 will be a platform for open dialogue with politicians and policymakers. Because they are the ones who should be developing better legislation that forces platforms to be more ethical. It’s their job to make sure our data is protected and that tech corporations operate on our terms. Let’s turn Big Tech into Fair Tech!

The IMPAKT Festival 2023: 1 to 5 November, Utrecht.
Exhibition: 1 November 2023 to 7 January 2024

Image: Nicolas Gourault, Unknown Label (2023).
Artwork realised within the framework of a European Media Art Platform (EMAP) residency programme