Digital Independence Day: Building a global Movement for Resilience and Sovereignity

Digital Independence Day (DI.DAY) is a fast growing initiative that empowers individuals and organizations to reclaim digital freedom by switching to democracy-friendly, open-source alternatives. This talk explores how DI.DAY started in Germany in January and quickly spread across the country and beyond. DI.DAY combines practical change recipes (step-by-step guides for migrating away from Big Tech), real-life community events, and networking opportunities to drive mass adoption of Free Software. With hundreds of events organized monthly across Germany, but also in Portugal, Ireland, USA or Italy, and over 100,000 website visitors per month, DI.DAY demonstrates the scalable impact of grassroots advocacy – with a difficult line to walk: How “pure” should a recipe be (with regards to using FOSS, based in Europe etc.), but how practical and easy to follow as well to reach a wider audience? DI.DAY contributes to democratizing access to open, ethical alternatives through actionable resources and community engagement. It concentrates on user-friendly advocacy—paired with tangible switch recipes and local events—to accelerate the shift toward open technologies at scale.