For a Sovereign Internet: Why the Fediverse Needs State Funding and Support Now

Our digital public sphere is stuck: a few large corporations, some of which are controlled by individual tech oligarchs, control what we see, how we communicate, and ultimately how democracy works online. Non-transparent algorithms reward outrage, hate, and disinformation. And they steer the processes how opinions are formed. Data is collected, processed, and monetized on an unprecedented scale.

Politicians often seem overwhelmed by this situation: hard-won digital laws such as the GDPR, DSA, and DMA are not being enforced with sufficient vigor. This is either due to inadequately equipped supervisory authorities or fear of backlash in trade talks, such as higher tariffs for the automobile industry.

Regulation is important, but it is not enough on its own. If we want to secure our digital sovereignty, we need real alternatives to Big Tech. Only if we support those today, will we have freedom of choice and sovereignty over digital platforms and data flows tomorrow.

An alternative to Big Tech platforms already exists: the Fediverse. A network of free, decentralized platforms such as Mastodon, Pixelfed or PeerTube , based on the open standard ActivityPub and open source code. In the Fediverse no one decides alone on visibility or moderation. Here, the common good counts instead of profit maximization—and at the same time, business models are not mutually exclusive, but interoperable.

Open standards create new opportunities for innovation, communication, and value creation. The free internet itself, based on open standards, is the best example of this.

We can already see the opportunities:

• Mastodon already reaches millions of users today – made in Germany.

• Pixelfed and Loops are small projects that show how image and video communication can also work.

• WordPress (with over 40% market share in the CMS sector) and Ghost are already integrating the Fediverse with ActivityPub – a model for how things can continue in the digital space.

• Bluesky is also taking a similar direction with its decentralization strategy, with new applications on the platform such as the alternative to Instagram called Flashes . This ecosystem, based on the ATProtoprotocol, could also be included in a funding scheme.

One thing is clear: for the Fediverse to become a serious alternative to Big Tech, it needs targeted funding by governments. Many open-source projects still have some catching up to do, especially in terms of user-friendliness and user experience. This is where politics can provide crucial support to ensure that open, public-interest platforms really become suitable for mass use.

That is why we at the Center for Digital Rights and Democracy (Zentrum für Digitalrechte und Demokratie) are proposing a concept to fund the Fediverse with tax money: a structured innovation funding program that enables the federal and state governments to build targeted structures for a sovereign digital public sphere.

The European Summit on Digital Sovereignty on November 18 in Berlin offers an excellent opportunity to set joint impulses. Friedrich Merz and Emanuel Macron should announce a "booster" for open infrastructure and launch it together. Following the summit, the German and French cabinets could get down to business in a joint meeting – and bring other states on board.

We understand that parliaments and ministries want clarity and targeted funding: Where does the Fediverse stand and where are the sticking points? We propose the following options for one or more feasibility analyses to dispel reservations and better understand the technical and legal background.

• Market analysis: Who is active in the Fediverse? How have players financed themselves so far? Which strategies and mechanisms of Big Tech can serve as models or anti-models? What synergy effects exist and have not yet been sufficiently used?

• Economic and social potential: Where can the Fediverse drive innovation, enable business models, and strengthen democratic discourse—for greater participation, but also against disinformation?

• Technical analysis: What infrastructure, software, UX, and governance are needed to make the Fediverse even more suitable for mass use?

• Legal issues: From non-profit status to data protection, subsidy and procurement law, content moderation, and use by public authorities: a legal study should provide clarity and identify the need for reform.

The feasibility analyses are not a first step that must be completed before the state begins funding – they should not precede the funding program, but rather be woven into it. We propose that the entire package be placed in a separate innovation unit of the federal government, e.g., at the Sovereign Tech Agency or the Center for Digital Sovereignty (ZenDiS). We need to get started as soon as possible – the clock is ticking!

To move quickly from analysis and planning to action, the German federal government should set up a funding program with a fixed budget and clear responsibilities. This should be implemented in the budget for 2026, because time is running fast. A budget allocation in 2027 or 2028 would mean that funding cannot start until then at the earliest – that’s too late. We need the political will for digital sovereignty and a quick way to move the Fediverse forward.

We propose

• A public procurement and funding body within an existing innovation unit that specifically promotes projects, stakeholders, and technology. With SPRIND, the Sovereign Tech Fund, and the Prototype Fund, there are already concrete role models. But non-governmental stakeholders such as SWR X Lab in cooperation with Media Lab Bayern with their "Reinvent Social Platforms" initiative could also be integrated into the funding logic.

• Fixed quotas: funding should focus both on basic technical work (maintenance, care, security) and new features, UX, and innovation following fixed quotas.

• Participation: Structural and mandatory involvement of researchers, civil society, and business in strategy and funding decisions.

Basic infrastructure: The federal government should provide funds and infrastructure so that public bodies – from ministries to universities – can easily set up their own instances in the Fediverse. The state of Schleswig-Holstein, for example, offers its own Mastodon server to its authorities.

For funding to be effective and impactful, support is needed on a day-to-day basis:

• Support Hubs for public authorities, media, NGOs, and educational institutions on matters of technology, data protection, and moderation.

• An advisory board for public welfare-oriented platforms ("Fediverse Board Germany") as a permanent point of contact and advisory body for politics and administration.

• Network meetings under the auspices of the German federal government to bring stakeholders together.

• Accompanying research and evaluation by independent scientific institutions to continuously review effectiveness and impact-orientation.

In addition, we propose:

• Establishment of a European and German Fediverse Association as umbrella organization. The German federal government should support the initiative financially and organizationally, and propose the same to be done by other Members States and the EU Commission.

• Funding programs for media, publishers, and journalists who use decentralized platforms (similar to industrial programs from TikTok or Meta – but oriented toward the common good and open-source-solutions).

• Funding for universities, libraries, and educational institutions to operate their own instances in the Fediverse.

• Connecting municipal city information systems to the Fediverse.

The German federal government should not only promote the Fediverse, but also use it itself. Specifically, this means

• Introduction of a +1 principle: When ministries use social media for public outreach, at least one decentralized, public-interest-oriented, and open platform shall be included. The +1 principle should be specifically enshrined in the German federal government's rules of procedure. 

To quote Digital Minister Karsten Wildberger: "We talk so much about digital sovereignty. And that also means actively using and actively contributing to the good, strong platforms we have in Germany and Europe. [...] Because only together, through technological development and, at the same time, through use and mutual exchange, will we achieve digital sovereignty." 

Our proposed wording: New paragraph 6 in § 25 (Press and Public Relations) Gemeinsame Geschäftsordnung der Bundesregierung (GGO). "If the Press and Information Office of the Federal Government and the federal ministries use the services of third-party providers for public relations work on the internet, in particular digital platforms or social media, they shall ensure that at least one of these providers uses open-source decentralized infrastructures and is operated independently of economic influences from abroad." (Otherwise, internal ministry guidelines or similar would also be conceivable, yet only as second best solution.)

• Uniform guidelines: Content should also be stored in the Fediverse and embedded from there—for example, videos via PeerTube. This would also enable the privacy-friendly integration of government content. The federal government should provide the necessary infrastructure to embed content from the Fediverse into public websites with just a few clicks.

• The federal government should host its own instances, e.g., mastodon.bund.de, and create technical framework conditions for states and municipalities. Schleswig-Holstein is already setting a good example here.

• Integration into the European Digital Infrastructure Consortium (EDIC) in order to lead the way in Europe.

The Fediverse has so far thrived mainly on voluntary work and civil engagement. The open infrastructure is backed by citizens, not large corporations. In order for this delicate plant to continue to flourish, it needs legal and financial security:

• Non-profit status for open source: Organizations that develop, maintain, service, and further develop open source infrastructure for free use by third parties on a voluntary and free of charge basis should be eligible for non-profit status. We propose the following possible wording in Section 52 (2) of the German Tax Code (Abgabenordnung): "Under the conditions of paragraph 1, the following shall be recognized as promoting the common good: (...) the development, maintenance, and operation of free and open-source software, as well as the operation of open-source infrastructure and software for free use by third parties."

• Digital volunteering: Creation of a legal basis and promotion of lifelong engagement. Those who volunteer their free time to public welfare-oriented platforms and infrastructures should enjoy the same benefits as, for example, training group leaders in sports clubs or lecturers at universities. 

It is not only the federal government that is called upon to act. Federal States and other actors can make a decisive contribution:

• Inclusion of a provision in the Interstate Broadcasting Treaty (Rundfunkstaatsvertrag) requiring public media to also publish their content in the Fediverse.

• Establishment of a PeerTube instance for media libraries (Mediathek) of broadcasting stations.

• Interfaces between media libraries and the Fediverse via open standards.

• The Federal and State Data Protection Conference (Datenschutzkonferenz - DSK) should develop a legal framework for hosting and operating decentralized instances.

Our proposal to fund and promote open infrastructures and platforms shows: It does not take billions to bring the Fediverse to a next level – but above all political will. Even with budgetary resources in the range of 20 millions, it would be possible to strengthen a digital infrastructure that is independent, democratic, and innovative.

Germany and Europe should become pioneers—and show that there are alternatives to Big Tech. The Fediverse could then set an international precedent – without profit orientation and government surveillance.

Now is the time to promote the Fediverse. Let's put pressure on politicians and administrators to act – for a sovereign, democratic internet.

Do you have more ideas or just want to share our plan? #foefed_digitalrechte