NEXT GENERATION INTERNET: HUMAN-CENTRIC TECH IN TIMES OF CRISIS

We are currently protecting ourselves against the Coronavirus, but are we protecting our data? Now is the time to switch to the privacy-protecting communication and collaboration tools developed by Europe’s top Internet researchers and innovators.

The European Commission has launched the Next Generation Internet initiative (NGI) to fund and mentor talented researchers and innovators, in order to develop the technologies needed for the Internet of tomorrow. After one year of operation, the first developments are available, offering trust, privacy-protection, security and inclusion, and a European open-source alternative to commercial off-the-shelf products.

Nowadays, many of us are working from home to slow down the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. The NGI initiative develops and promotes open-source tools, well suited to our current situation of remote working and interactions.

The great thing about such tools is that they are under full control of the end-user whilst protecting our data, so we can discuss anything confidential to our business or intimate to our family. Even if parts of the Internet have become disconnected, these apps do not rely on the connection to a single provider, and many of them can run uninterrupted on our end-devices.

Here is a selection of solutions supported by NGI that can be used by anyone, anywhere.