<nettime> DECODE project redux

Hello,

Any project on the scale of DECODE is bound to be problematic and not cater to all the interest, tastes or preferred flavours of those that subscribe to this list but one would think, or hope, that the discussion around this project would not devolve so rapidly into the free form banalities that have appeared lately.

The DECODE project raises significant political and social questions… it’s not about personalities (OMG a woman is in charge here); DECODE was set in motion way before the Facebook firestorm; this fact is important; secondly, it’s political context is urban (major cities) - this implies the possibility (the possibility) that the project’s objectives can actually be tested and evaluated on the local level; thirdly, will the intended sovereignty and privacy of users be respected? These are just some of the issues raised by the project.

It seems to me, that project’s on this scale are critical in defining viable, practical and robust alternatives to the FACEBOOK et al social dystopias that have infested and inverted the public sphere. Urban environments like Barcelona or Amsterdam are important for projects - with potential for a large-scale impact - that can gestate, develop and suggest working paradigms.

best

allan