Xnet

Xnet is a Spanish nonprofit activist platform working at the intersection of digital rights, cultural policy, democratic participation, transparency, and freedom of expression. Formerly known as eXgae, the collective developed as a critic of restrictive copyright practices and the role of collecting societies in the digital environment. It promotes alternative approaches to cultural dissemination, licensing, remuneration, and access to knowledge, while also participating in legislative advocacy and public campaigns concerning the Internet and networked society. Its work extends beyond cultural policy. Xnet has addressed Internet neutrality, privacy and secure communications, mass surveillance, whistleblower protection, citizen journalism, technology governance, and the effects of Spanish and European legislation on civil liberties. The organization prepares policy recommendations, participates in public debates, and campaigns for regulatory approaches that preserve the open circulation of information and protect individual rights online. It has also provided legal information concerning copyright, private-copying levies, peer-to-peer technologies, broadcasting rights, licensing options, and disputes involving collecting societies such as SGAE. Xnet is known for combining advocacy with practical civic projects. Its FCForum brings together activists, researchers, cultural producers, and civil-society organizations to coordinate strategies around free culture and knowledge. The oXcars event uses a noncompetitive, performative format to showcase cultural work distributed through shared or alternative models. In 2010, the D'Evolution Summit was organized as a counter-event to official discussions on cultural industries and intellectual property, opposing Spain's proposed anti-downloads measures and the concentration of copyright management. The platform also became prominent in anti-corruption activism. Following the publication of the so-called Blesa's Emails, Xnet helped establish initiatives designed to expose alleged misconduct associated with Caja Madrid and Bankia. Its 15MpaRato campaign, launched in 2012, sought legal accountability for Rodrigo Rato and other Bankia executives and contributed to the wider public profile of the Bankia case. Xnet later developed an anonymous reporting channel, Xnet Leaks, through which people could submit information about suspected corruption for journalistic and legal review. The collective also coordinated citizen working groups against corruption in Catalonia and across Spain, bringing together activists, journalists, legal actors, and civil-society organizations. Since 2019, Xnet has worked with families and education stakeholders on a Plan for Democratic Digitalization of Education. The initiative advocates open, auditable, interoperable, and democratically governed digital tools rather than dependence on proprietary platforms. Its Digital Democratic tool was implemented in schools in Barcelona from 2021, in collaboration with municipal and educational authorities. The project also produced an international conference on democratic digital education and open educational technology and informed a report on sovereign and democratic digitalization in Europe prepared by Simona Levi for the Publications Office of the European Union. Xnet remains principally an advocacy and civic-action platform rather than a conventional commercial brand. Its public identity is associated with direct political engagement, legal and policy intervention, open culture, and technology as a field of democratic accountability. It was a member of European Digital Rights until 2023; EDRi's board temporarily suspended Xnet from the network in December 2021. The collective's work continues to combine research, public communication, campaign organizing, legal support, whistleblower channels, and proposals for institutional and technological reform.

Xnet emerged in Spain as eXgae, a collective challenging dominant approaches to copyright administration and cultural distribution in the digital age. Its initial public profile was connected with free culture, alternative licensing, peer-to-peer communication, and criticism of collecting-society practices. Rather than treating digital copying solely as a threat, the collective argued for cultural and economic models adapted to networked circulation, including greater use of free licenses, direct relationships between creators and audiences, and reduced dependence on intermediaries. The organization expanded its agenda into broader digital-rights advocacy. It supported Internet neutrality, freedom of expression, privacy, secure communications, and resistance to laws that could restrict online publication or information sharing. After the disclosures concerning mass surveillance associated with Edward Snowden, Xnet increased its public work on communication security and the ability of ordinary Internet users to protect their rights independently of the laws governing their communications environment. It also produced legislative recommendations and participated in national and European advocacy over copyright, digital regulation, whistleblower protection, and civil liberties. A notable early cultural project was the oXcars, a noncompetitive public event held in Barcelona that presented works and symbolic categories through parody and performance. The event was designed to demonstrate practical alternatives to conventional cultural-industry and royalty structures. In 2008, a related collective publication, Parents are the Pirates, assembled short contributions from numerous authors on copying, digital culture, peer-to-peer communication, public domain principles, and the changing economics of cultural production. The book was launched at the first oXcars and distributed under a free-license model. Xnet also became associated with the FCForum, an international Barcelona-based gathering for groups and experts working on free culture and knowledge. The forum provided a venue for strategic coordination and public discussion. In 2010, Xnet organized the D'Evolution Summit as a civil-society counter-event to official meetings on cultural industries and intellectual property. The summit criticized Spain's proposed anti-downloads legislation, opposed monopolistic copyright management, broadcast portions of the official proceedings, promoted free-licensed music, and used public demonstrations and viral communication to challenge the cultural-policy consensus. The collective's anti-corruption work grew substantially after the circulation of the Blesa's Emails in 2013. The documents were associated with Miguel Blesa, former president of Caja Madrid, and helped bring public attention to alleged irregularities involving the bank and its successor Bankia. Xnet created or supported Xnet Leaks, an anonymous reporting mailbox designed to receive information from people with evidence of corruption. Submissions were intended to receive initial journalistic examination followed by legal analysis. The platform reported that the channel contributed to disclosures concerning Caja Madrid's opaque cards and other alleged irregularities. In May 2012, Xnet launched 15MpaRato, a citizen campaign and lawsuit directed at Rodrigo Rato and other Bankia managers. The complaint was accepted by Spain's National Court and became part of the proceedings commonly referred to as the Bankia case. Xnet subsequently coordinated working groups against corruption in Catalonia and across Spain. These networks connected citizen groups, journalists, legal participants, public officials, and anti-corruption activists. Their activities included proposals for whistleblower protection, monitoring public transparency structures, and supporting citizen participation in corruption cases. From 2019, Xnet applied its technology and democratic-governance ideas to education. Its Plan for Democratic Digitalization of Education sought to reduce school dependence on proprietary platforms by creating an open, auditable, agile, and interoperable system known as Digital Democratic, or DD. The tool was implemented in schools in Barcelona from 2021 with cooperation from municipal and educational bodies. The broader program included teacher training, an international congress on democratic digital education and open educational technology in 2022, and policy work on European digital sovereignty. Simona Levi also prepared a report on sovereign and democratic digitalization for the Publications Office of the European Union. The collective's history has included disputes with established institutions. In 2010, after SGAE lawyers demanded that eXgae cease using its domain and alleged trademark and unfair-competition violations, the organization adopted the name Xnet while continuing its substantive work. Xnet was also part of European Digital Rights until its temporary suspension by EDRi's board in December 2021; by 2023, it was no longer a member. Despite these developments, Xnet's public identity remains that of a nonprofit activist platform combining cultural experimentation, legal advocacy, technological proposals, political lobbying, and citizen-led accountability.

• 2022

  International Congress on Democratic Digital Education

  [1]Xneten.wikipedia.org

  Xnet's education program held its first international congress on democratic digital education and open educational technology.

• 2021

  Digital Democratic tool enters Barcelona schools

  [1]Xneten.wikipedia.org

  The DD system was implemented in 11 Barcelona schools in cooperation with city and education authorities.

• 2021

  EDRi suspension

  [1]Xneten.wikipedia.org

  European Digital Rights temporarily suspended Xnet from its network on 9 December.

• 2019

  Plan for Democratic Digitalization of Education begins

  [1]Xneten.wikipedia.org

  Xnet began developing a democratic, open, and auditable alternative to proprietary educational technology.

• 2015

  Citizen anti-corruption working groups expand

  [1]Xneten.wikipedia.org

  Xnet coordinated working groups against corruption in Catalonia and across Spain and promoted proposals for whistleblower protection.

• 2013

  Blesa's Emails become a major anti-corruption disclosure

  [1]Xneten.wikipedia.org

  Emails linked to Caja Madrid's former president became central to public reporting and legal scrutiny supported by Xnet-related initiatives.

• 2012

  15MpaRato is launched

  [1]Xneten.wikipedia.org

  The citizen platform began its campaign and legal action concerning Rodrigo Rato, Bankia, and alleged responsibility for the Spanish banking crisis.

• 2010

  eXgae becomes Xnet

  [1]Xneten.wikipedia.org

  The collective changed its name after a legal demand from SGAE concerning the eXgae name and domain.

• 2010

  D'Evolution Summit

  [1]Xneten.wikipedia.org

  Xnet organized a counter-summit in Barcelona opposing restrictive copyright proposals and the concentration of royalty management.

• 2008

  First oXcars and Parents are the Pirates publication

  [1]Xneten.wikipedia.org

  Xnet's predecessor organized the first oXcars and launched the collectively produced book Parents are the Pirates, presenting free-culture approaches to copying, licensing, and digital distribution.

A Spanish civil-society platform advocating free culture, digital rights, democratic technology, transparency, and citizen-led accountability.

• Whistleblower platform

  Xnet Leaks

  An anonymous mailbox and related reporting channel for information about suspected corruption. Xnet describes a process in which submissions are first examined by journalists and then reviewed by a legal team. The initiative was developed after the Blesa's Emails disclosures and was intended to give citizens a safer route for sharing material of public interest.

• Education technology · 2021

  Digital Democratic (DD)

  An auditable, agile, and interoperable digital tool developed through Xnet's Plan for Democratic Digitalization of Education. The project seeks to provide schools with a democratically governed alternative to proprietary education platforms and was implemented in Barcelona schools from 2021.

• Conference and advocacy network

  FCForum

  An international conference organized by Xnet and partner groups to connect activists, cultural producers, researchers, and civil-society organizations working on free culture, open knowledge, and digital policy. It functions as a forum for strategic discussion and coordination rather than as a commercial product.

• Cultural event · 2008

  oXcars

  A noncompetitive Barcelona cultural showcase using symbolic awards, presentations, and parody to highlight creative work distributed through shared-culture and alternative licensing models. Its categories have included music, animation, theatre, future markets, and other experimental areas.

• Citizen legal campaign · 2012

  15MpaRato

  A citizen platform launched by Xnet to seek accountability from Rodrigo Rato and other Bankia managers. It combined public campaigning, evidence gathering, and legal action and became associated with the Bankia case in Spain's National Court.

• 2021

  Temporary suspension from European Digital Rights

  EDRi's board temporarily suspended Xnet from its network on 9 December 2021. The available reference does not state the reason for the suspension.

  Source

• 2013

  Blesa's Emails and the Caja Madrid controversy

  Xnet-related channels helped publicize emails associated with Miguel Blesa and Caja Madrid. The disclosures contributed to public scrutiny of alleged opaque-card use and other suspected irregularities involving Caja Madrid and Bankia.

  Source

Read more

• 2019Plan for Democratic Digitalization of Education

  Spain · Catalonia

  A program developed with families and education stakeholders to create democratic, auditable, interoperable digital infrastructure for schools and to reform digital-training policy.

  Outcome. The DD tool was implemented in Barcelona schools, while the program expanded into teacher training, public policy, and an international congress.

  Source
• 2015Catalonia's Working Group Against Corruption

  Catalonia

  Xnet coordinated a network of citizen groups and individuals working on corruption, transparency, and public accountability in Catalonia.

  Outcome. The group advised Barcelona's transparency and good-practices office and monitored its work.

  Source
• 2015Spanish Working Group Against Corruption

  Spain

  A state-level network of anti-corruption organizations, activists, and experts presented during the Free Culture Forum period.

  Outcome. The network promoted a decalogue proposing stronger legal protection for whistleblowers and corruption reporters.

  Source
• 201215MpaRato

  Spain

  A public campaign and citizen lawsuit targeting Rodrigo Rato and other Bankia board members over alleged wrongdoing connected with the bank's collapse.

  Outcome. The lawsuit was accepted by Spain's National Court and became part of the proceedings known publicly as the Bankia case.

  Source
• 2010D'Evolution Summit

  Spain · European Union

  A civil-society counter-summit held alongside official discussions on cultural industries, intellectual property, and European cultural policy. Xnet used broadcasts, concerts, public actions, and online communication to oppose restrictive anti-downloads legislation and copyright-collection monopolies.

  Outcome. The summit amplified free-culture arguments and provided an alternative public platform during Spain's EU Council presidency period.

  Source

• 2019

  Build democratic digital infrastructure for schoolsStrategy

  Background

  Xnet identified dependence on proprietary education platforms as a governance, privacy, and democratic-accountability problem.

  Action taken

  It created the Plan for Democratic Digitalization of Education and developed the Digital Democratic tool.

  Aftermath

  The tool was implemented in 11 Barcelona schools from 2021 and the program expanded into policy work and teacher training.

  Source

• 2012

  Launch 15MpaRato as a citizen legal campaignStrategy

  Background

  Xnet sought a direct accountability mechanism for the conduct of Rodrigo Rato and other Bankia managers following the Spanish banking crisis.

  Action taken

  It launched a public campaign and submitted a lawsuit against Rato and the Bankia board.

  Aftermath

  The complaint was accepted by Spain's National Court and became associated with the Bankia case.

  Source

• 2010

  Adopt the Xnet nameOther

  Background

  SGAE lawyers demanded that eXgae stop using its domain and alleged trademark infringement and unfair competition.

  Action taken

  The collective changed its name to Xnet while maintaining its focus on free culture and digital rights.

  Aftermath

  Xnet became the platform's continuing public identity and expanded its work into privacy, anti-corruption, democratic technology, and education.

  Source

1. 1Xneten.wikipedia.org
2. 2Xnet official websitexnet-x.net