The triumph of peer production? Announcing the creation of the Digital Commons Policy Council

We believe an academic journal does not represent the most effective means to promote the societal recognition of the digital commons, or to oppose the threats they face. It is time to develop new tools. The work of the P2P Foundation, Commons Transition, Communia and Commons Network shows the way, but more organisations and initiatives that can facilitate connections between peer production and traditional institutions are necessary. In the context of widespread automation leading to increasing rates of unemployment in many sectors, there is a need to develop the means to gain more space and recognition for volunteer work and the commons sector from states and firms. Too often, unpaid digital labour producing digital commons is captured by ‘free riding’ entities who benefit without contributing to their sustainability in return. To this end, in 2021 members of the Journal of Peer Production community began working on a new ‘think tank’: the Digital Commons Policy Council. The Digital Commons Policy Council (DCPC) documents initiatives seeking to expand the digital commons and to use the digital commons to transition to a more ecologically sustainable and fair society. It also seeks to increase the recognition of the social benefits of the digital commons and of the volunteer labour which produces these common resources. It does so by producing evidence-based public reports and how-to guides, and by making submissions to government.