May First/People Link

May First/People Link is a nonprofit membership organization focused on technology, communications infrastructure, and digital organizing for progressive movements. It operates as a collective alternative to a conventional internet service provider: members contribute dues and participate in a shared system in which equipment, hosting capacity, software, and technical knowledge are treated as common resources. Its services have included web hosting, email, mailing lists, domain-related support, website development, and other infrastructure used by unions, grassroots groups, independent media, social-justice organizations, schools, and activist networks. The organization traces its roots to People Link, which began providing internet hosting to organizations in 1995. A related May First initiative supported progressive organizations with technology needs by 1999. In 2005, the two progressive internet service providers merged, creating the organization commonly known as May First/People Link. Its development took place alongside the growth of alternative media and the global-justice and anti-globalization movements, when community organizations increasingly needed communications systems independent of commercial providers and mainstream media institutions. May First/People Link combines infrastructure provision with a political and educational program. Members, directors, and leaders are expected to work within principles associated with progressive technology use and a Statement of Unity. The organization emphasizes collective ownership, mutual aid, privacy, free expression, fair use, democratic participation, and free and open-source software. It has participated in the Association for Progressive Communications and has worked with organizations such as independent media centers, trade unions, advocacy groups, and community-based networks. Its project work has extended beyond routine hosting. May First/People Link contributed to technology organizing around the United States Social Forum in Atlanta in 2007 and Detroit in 2010, and it organized collaborative technology for the 2009 World Social Forum in Belém, Brazil. It also developed and used Collaborative Democracy software for participatory workshops and transnational discussions involving participants in North America, Latin America, and elsewhere. The organization has supported members in disputes involving copyright takedown demands and online free-expression issues, including a 2010 legal action supported by the Electronic Frontier Foundation after hosted websites were temporarily disabled. The collective is also associated with Drupal and other free and open-source software communities. Its model differs from a standard commercial hosting company because members are both users and stakeholders in the infrastructure. The membership has included groups such as The Yes Men, Independent Media Centers, Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, Left Turn magazine, food cooperatives, Indigenous networks, grassroots organizations, and schools. By 2024, the organization reported approximately 850 member organizations in the United States and Mexico. Around that period, it adopted or operated under the name May First Technology Collective, while the May First/People Link name remains the principal historical and Wikipedia identification.

May First/People Link emerged from the progressive internet and alternative-media movements of the 1990s. People Link began hosting websites and related communications services for organizations in 1995, at a time when many activist groups, independent publications, labor organizations, and community networks were seeking an online presence without relying entirely on commercial providers. A May First initiative was providing technology support to progressive organizations by 1999. These activities connected the organization to the expanding global-justice movement and to the alternative communications infrastructure that developed around opposition to corporate globalization. In 2005, May First and People Link merged. The resulting organization combined internet-service operations with a membership and mutual-aid model. Rather than treating hosting as a conventional vendor relationship, May First/People Link presented members as participants in a shared system: members paid dues, helped sustain equipment and services, and used collective resources according to organizational needs. This model also created a political community around technology governance, digital rights, and the use of communications infrastructure for social change. The organization’s work expanded through partnerships, events, and movement infrastructure. It participated in technology organizing for the United States Social Forum, including work related to the 2007 Atlanta event and the planning of the 2010 Detroit event. It also organized collaborative technology for the 2009 World Social Forum in Belém, Brazil. Its Collaborative Democracy software enabled large groups to participate in structured, simultaneous discussions. The system was used in workshops addressing issues such as economic rights, technology principles, participatory governance, and an Internet Bill of Rights. Implementations connected participants across locations including New York, Guatemala, Quebec, and Brazil. Digital rights and free expression became another important part of the organization’s public role. May First/People Link supported fair-use and free-speech protections for its members and worked with the Electronic Frontier Foundation in response to copyright enforcement actions. In 2010, a copyright takedown notice resulted in the temporary removal of websites hosted by the collective, prompting legal action supported by the EFF. The episode illustrated the vulnerability of activist organizations when essential communications systems are controlled through centralized legal and commercial platforms. Technologically, May First/People Link has maintained a strong commitment to free and open-source software. It has participated in the Drupal community and has described its infrastructure as relying on commons-based software rather than proprietary systems alone. This technical approach is tied to its broader institutional principles: members and allied organizations should be able to inspect, adapt, and collectively govern the tools on which their communications depend. The membership has included unions, independent media projects, food cooperatives, Indigenous networks, grassroots organizations, schools, and groups associated with progressive activism, including The Yes Men, Independent Media Centers, Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, and Left Turn. Leadership and member participation have also involved organizations such as The Praxis Project, NACLA, Progressive Technology Project, and The Brecht Forum. By 2024, the organization was reported to have approximately 850 member organizations in the United States and Mexico. It was also described under the name May First Technology Collective, continuing the institution’s evolution while preserving its focus on collective technology, mutual aid, and movement communications.

• 2024

  Organization described as May First Technology Collective

  [1]May First/People Linken.wikipedia.org

  The organization is reported under the updated May First Technology Collective name and has approximately 850 member organizations in the United States and Mexico.

• 2010

  Copyright takedown dispute receives EFF support

  [1]May First/People Linken.wikipedia.org

  The EFF supports legal action after a copyright notice temporarily takes hosted websites offline.

• 2009

  World Social Forum technology collaboration

  [1]May First/People Linken.wikipedia.org

  May First/People Link organizes collaborative technology for the World Social Forum in Belém, Brazil.

• 2008

  Collaborative Democracy spans Guatemala City and New York

  [1]May First/People Linken.wikipedia.org

  The organization uses its participatory software in simultaneous Social Forum of the Americas discussions in Guatemala City and New York.

• 2007

  United States Social Forum technology work

  [1]May First/People Linken.wikipedia.org

  The organization participates in technology organizing for the United States Social Forum in Atlanta and in national planning for the later Detroit event.

• 2005

  May First and People Link merge

  [1]May First/People Linken.wikipedia.org

  Two progressive internet service initiatives combine to form May First/People Link.

• 1999

  May First supports progressive organizations

  [1]May First/People Linken.wikipedia.org

  May First is supporting the technology needs of progressive organizations and social-movement groups.

• 1995

  People Link begins organizational internet hosting

  [1]May First/People Linken.wikipedia.org

  People Link starts providing internet hosting and related services to organizations.

A cooperative, politically progressive alternative to commercial internet service providers, centered on mutual aid, member governance, digital rights, privacy, free expression, and free and open-source technology.

• Internet infrastructure · 1995

  Collective web hosting

  Shared hosting infrastructure for progressive organizations, independent media, unions, schools, grassroots groups, and other members. The service is embedded in a mutual-aid membership structure rather than being positioned solely as a commercial hosting package.

• Communications services

  Email and mailing-list services

  Email accounts, mailing lists, and related communications tools form part of the organization’s shared internet infrastructure. These services support internal coordination, public outreach, and movement communications for member organizations.

• Participatory software · 2007

  Collaborative Democracy

  An interactive participation system developed for workshops on subjects including economic rights, technology principles, participatory governance, and an Internet Bill of Rights. It has been used across multiple locations and countries to enable large groups to contribute to discussions at the same time.

• Web development and support

  Open-source website and Drupal support

  Website development and technical support grounded in Drupal and other free and open-source software. This offering reflects the collective’s preference for tools that can be shared, adapted, and governed by communities rather than locked into proprietary platforms.

• 2010Digital fair-use and free-expression defense

  United States

  May First/People Link worked with the Electronic Frontier Foundation in response to a copyright takedown affecting websites hosted for members.

  Outcome. The matter produced legal action and highlighted the collective’s willingness to defend member communications and online expression.

  Source
• 2009World Social Forum technology collaboration

  Brazil · Guatemala · Canada · United States

  The collective organized collaborative technology for the World Social Forum in Belém and used its software to link young participants in Guatemala, Quebec, New York, and Brazil.

  Outcome. The initiative extended the organization’s role from hosting provider to international movement-technology partner.

  Source
• 2008Social Forum of the Americas Collaborative Democracy workshop

  Guatemala · United States

  Collaborative Democracy was used to connect participants in Guatemala City and New York in a simultaneous discussion and participatory workshop.

  Outcome. The project demonstrated the software’s ability to support distributed participation across national borders.

  Source
• 2007United States Social Forum technology organizing

  United States

  May First/People Link participated in organizing communications and technology for the United States Social Forum in Atlanta and in the event’s broader technology-planning structures.

  Outcome. The organization became part of the movement infrastructure supporting the forum and its national planning process.

  Source

• 2024

  Operate under a collective technology identityStrategy

  Background

  The organization continued to emphasize member ownership, mutual aid, and commons-based software.

  Action taken

  By 2024, it was described as May First Technology Collective.

  Aftermath

  The updated naming continued the organization’s positioning as a movement-oriented technology collective serving members in the United States, Mexico, and wider networks.

  Source

• 2007

  Develop Collaborative Democracy softwareProduct launch

  Background

  A United States Social Forum workshop required a way to facilitate interactive participation on technology and governance issues.

  Action taken

  May First/People Link developed Collaborative Democracy for collective, real-time or simultaneous participation.

  Aftermath

  The software was subsequently used in international workshops and multi-country youth discussions.

  Source

• 2005

  Merge May First and People LinkM&A

  Background

  Two progressive internet service providers had developed overlapping roles in supporting organizations and movements.

  Action taken

  The organizations merged, creating the May First/People Link structure.

  Aftermath

  The merged collective became a longstanding provider of shared infrastructure and technology support for progressive networks.

  Source

1. 1May First/People Linken.wikipedia.org
2. 2May First/People Link official websitemayfirst.org