At beginning of the conference, Markus Beckedahl, founder of netzpolitik.org and the re:publica, warned the audience not to leave the digital development of the economy and society solely up to politics and industry.

The rows of seats are filled. As expected, the interest in the talk is high. Markus Beckedahl steps to the speaker's podium, begins with a quiet "Hello" and then hauls off for an anniversarial sweeping blow in a loud voice: A look back at the net-political debates of the past years, an outlook on possible topics of the future and, to wrap it up, tips for each and every one to help move the development of the internet in a direction that would be desirable for citizens and consumers alike.

Telecommunications data retention, net neutrality, Snowden revelations – Beckedahl recapped the most important net-political topics of the past, ones which always seem to keep creeping up in the present as well. He sharply criticized the work of the German Federal Government, stating that "the digital agenda is far below par".

Looking to the future, Beckedahl warned the audience about leaving the digital development to politics and the industry. "We need to be able to see how our devices function, be able to repair them ourselves and tell others about it" he said. Life is increasingly based on the decisions of algorithms, and one should be able to understand and comprehend how these decisions are made. In the background a meme appears with the text: "The Internet of Things is when your toaster plays off its debt to your fridge in Bitcoins."

In conclusion, Beckedahl demanded his listeners should consciously decide to go with providers who take data protection issues into account, just as much as they should support Open Source projects and donate to them. "We've learned to love the open internet, but at the moment, we're in the process of losing it", he appealed to the audience. "Please stand with us so that we can keep it."

Image: re:publica/Gregor Fischer (CC BY 2.0)