How Nonprofits and Academic Institutions Harness Filecoin and the Decentralized Web for Social Impact

Last week, MIT Open Learning announced it will start uploading OpenCourseWare (OCW) materials to the Filecoin network. Starling Lab used blockchain technology and cryptography as part of an Emmy-nominated investigative journalism piece by Rolling Stone. Blockchain Law for Social Good Center (BL4SG) is empowering the next generation of technology leaders. And Gray Area is helping artists distribute content and engage communities in entirely new ways. 

These are just a few of the social impact project partners Filecoin Foundation (FF) and Filecoin Foundation for the Decentralized Web (FFDW) are working with to preserve humanity’s most important information. 

Let’s dive deeper into four project partners.

MIT Open Learning 

On October 26, FFDW and Open Learning hosted “Distributing Knowledge with Decentralized Tech” an event focused on the challenge of preserving and authenticating the world’s education materials and how the DWeb can help address these issues. 

OCW offers free, accessible web-based materials from more than 2,500 MIT courses, and these materials have reached more than 500 million people worldwide since the program’s launch in 2002. As part of the collaboration with FFDW, Open Learning will start uploading OCW courses to the Filecoin network and explore how DWeb technologies can support access to the distribution of education materials. 

Learn more about MIT Open Learning.

Starling Lab 

The DJ and the War Crimes, an interactive media project produced by Rolling Stone, delves into an unresolved case from the 1990s Bosnian War. Historically, technological constraints inhibited evidence verification. Starling Lab implemented more than a dozen cryptographic technologies to authenticate and preserve hundreds of assets from the story. 

The resulting archive is the first major journalism project that allows audiences to inspect digital assets on the new decentralized web and see how they were protected using cryptography, zero-knowledge proofs, distributed storage, and blockchain registrations. The investigation's documents are registered on Numbers Protocol and securely stored via the Filecoin network and InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) for safekeeping. 

Starling Lab is kicking off its Fall Seminar Series on Authenticity-By-Design. Register to learn more about restoring trust in digital content.

Blockchain Law for Social Good Center 

BL4SG provides opportunities for people to learn about decentralized technologies and the next generation of the internet. It recently kicked off its first cohort of International Affiliated Scholars, a program empowering scholars to explore the nexus of blockchain and social good. Here’s a preview of the scholars and the topics they’ll dive into over the next year.

Learn more about the BL4SG Center.

Gray Area 

FFDW is working with Gray Area to support the development of curricula to empower creators working at the intersection of arts and technology and to help them incorporate decentralized web technology into their creative practices. 

At the Gray Area Festival in October, the team debuted its DWeb for Creators course, designed to empower emerging artists with the knowledge and tools needed to embrace decentralized technology. DWeb technology has the potential to empower creators and reshape how we think about digital content and ownership, and DWeb Course for Creators is designed to bridge this gap between artistry and technology. 

The full course kicks off in January. Sign up to be notified when the course is live. 

Network News

We're celebrating three years since Mainnet launch! Since 2020, Filecoin’s open ecosystem of developers, storage providers, storage clients, and other network participants has become the world’s largest decentralized storage network. Shout out to the thousands of builders and network participants around the world who are helping to build a better internet and preserve humanity's most important information!

Open Learning Meets the DWeb. On the latest episode of the Dweb Decoded podcast, Peter B. Kaufman, senior program officer for MIT Open Learning, and FF’s Danny O'Brien dive into the transformative potential of decentralized systems in reshaping open education. Check it out.

Build with Us 

Join Filecoin Orbit Africa in Cape Town on November 21 for the first major Filecoin community event in South Africa. Explore the intersection of technology and innovation in decentralized storage, and dive into the collaborative possibilities paving the way for an exciting new era for the Filecoin network. Register now.

Don't miss the FVM x Zondax meetup in Buenos Aires, Argentina for an afternoon of learning about the Filecoin Virtual Machine and Zondax, and networking with other tech enthusiasts, against the backdrop of LaBitConf.

Governance

After several months of in-depth research, consultations, and community engagements, Filecoin Foundation has released the FIP0001v2 draft. FIP0001v2 is an effort to improve the FIPs process. The FIP0001v2 draft is a significant milestone, representing months of input into the needs, preferences, and pain points that Filecoin community members expressed in regard to the governance process. Read the full draft of this FIP on GitHub and find out more about the process on our blog.