FreeCom

FreeCom is an app letting people communicate with secure encrypted connections so no third party can observe or control data. FreeCom was primarily developed for countries having disasters, regions suffering war, or simply for places without internet access. Given that over 50% of the world population lacks the telecomunication to communicate without limitations, FreeCom offers a potent answer to common methods of oppression in the digital era, using every possible technology the smart device offers to send text messages, make calls, and broadcast news, even where no internet is available. With FreeCom, users can also get updates or notifications. FreeCom’s most innovative feature lets users create their own network by connecting to each other: each person acts as a postman giving messages to either the next person until everyone is reached or to just a single targeted person, by mixing people’s physical movements with technologies to achieve connectivity. FreeCom is an astonishingly creative and promising new tool.

Jury Evaluation:

“The Internet is not anymore what it was intended to be 25 years ago when Tim Berners Lee invented it: A free network to exchange information. Nowadays a few big companies run the internet, online communication is controlled, every step is constantly watched. FreeCom is a fresh new approach to communication technology and a potent answer to common methods of oppression in the digital era. It uses the whole variety of potential communication tools within a smartphone to provide offline messaging. This goes even back to the invention of the morse code. An astonishingly creative and promising new tool, we are looking forward to the future of FreeCom and are proud to support this idea.” – EYA Grand Jury Report