The Alternative Informatics Association (Turkish: Alternatif Bilişim Derneği) is an Istanbul, Turkey based civil society organization focusing on the issues of media literacy, Internet censorship, and mass surveillance.
The association organizes conferences, workshops, publishes e-books, as well as contributes to the organization of online and offline campaigns against internet censorship, mass surveillance. Members have also contributed to publications and activities concerning digital literacy and online games.
Members of the association were part of the organization committee of Turkey's largest street protests against Internet censorship which took place on July 2010 in Istanbul and May 2011 with demonstrations in 30 cities.
In recent years the Association has expanded its role in reporting breaches of digital rights in Turkey and demanding the protection of associated freedoms.
The Alternative Informatics Association organizes the annual New Media conference in Turkey which has brought together academics, activists and journalists to discuss threats against digital freedom.
Alternative Informatics Association gained its official status on December 31, 2010. However, the activities started online and offline before its inauguration.
November 2008: ozgurinternet.info establishedJune 7, 2009: Conference on the Internet Bans and Approaches to the Internet, Baro Apaydın Saloon/İstanbulNovember 21, 2009: Panel Discussion on “Hate Speech on New Media”, Tarık Z. Tunaya K.M./İstanbulMarch, 2010: Panel Discussion on “Hate Speech on New Media”, Ankara University Communication Faculty AnkaraApril, 2010: A Workshop for Discussing the Internet BEKSAV /AnkaraJune–July 2010: The Declaration of the Common Platform against the Censhorship, Taksim Protest March, Active participation in Turkish Grand Assembly VisitsJuly 1–4, 2010: Panel Discussion on Cultural Industries and Copy-Left European Social Forum, IstanbulSeptember 21–23, 2010: Participation in TBD (Informatics Association of Turkey) Informatics Convention/AnkaraSeptember, 2010: Published book Hate Speech on the New Media- Collected Work, Kalkedon PublicationsDecember 2–4, 2010: Participation in I-net, ITU (Istanbul Technical university)/IstanbulDecember 31, 2010: Alternative Informatics Association gained its official status.January 29, 2011 “Panel Discussion on WikiLeaks”, EMO (Chamber of Energy Engineers )/IstanbulFebruary 27, 2011 “Panel Discussion on Knowledge, Power, Internet Opposition”, BİLMÖK (Congress of Computer Engineering Students), Yeditepe UniversityMarch 16, 2011 “Panel Discussion on the Internet Bans”, Yıldız Technical University, Computer Education Department, IstanbulMarch 24, 2011, Panel Discussion on Hate Speech on the New Media, Anadolu University, EskişehirApril 16, 2011, Workshop on Hate Speech on the New Media, International Hate Speeches Conference, Lütfi Kırdar/İstanbulApril 28, 2011, Day for Tracking Hate Speeches on the New Media, TurkeyMay 6, 2011, Alternative Approach to ERP Processes, ERP Days Chamber of Architects and Engineers, ITU (İstanbul Technical University), Gümüşsuyu/IstanbulMay 10, 2011, Board for Information Technologies and Communication, Report against the Decision and Filter Application of the BoardMay 15, 2011, March Against the Internet Censorship called “Don’t Touch My Internet”, Istanbul/AnkaraMay 21, 2011 “Social Media” Computer Education Department Congress, YTÜ/IstanbulMay 25, 2011 “Participation in the Meeting of the Internet Board”, IstanbulJune 3, 2011, Panel Discussion: Internet Censorship in Turkey Boğaziçi Univ., İstanbulJune 4, 2011, Workshop on Moral Values on the New Media, Kadir Has University, Department of New Media, İstanbulBring the case on the prevention of the website “sites.google.com” to European Court of Human Rights,E-Book on Wikileaks and Arap Spring, titled as Courageous New Media, April 2011E-book, Politics Of E-Participation: Young People Online, ISBN 978-605-62169-1-6September 12–13, UNICEF Worhshop, Internet Usage of Youths and Children in Turkey, AnkaraSeptember 16, Seminars on Dijital Video Games, METU AnkaraSeptember 17, Internet Censorship, EMO Samsun,September 17, Forbidding Forbidden round table meeting, ISEA, IstanbulSeptember 20, discussion P2P theory with Micahel Bauwens, IstanbulOctober 14–15, Workshop on Mapping with FreeSoftwares, OpenStreetMap, IstanbulOctober 16, Alternative Media Festival, Hate Speech, Digital Activism, IstanbulNovember 10, case against the Decision and Filter Application of the Board, AnkaraNovember 18–20, LabourStart Int. Conference, Linux Workshop, IstanbulDecember 1–3, sessions on INET'11, Censorship, Law and Internet, Internet Media and DPI, İZMİRNovember 21–23, UNICEF Children Forum, Internet Usage of Youths and Children in Turkey, ANKARADecember 4 and January 21, Meetings on Internet as a Human Right on New Constitution, collaborated with Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Turkei, ISTANBULDecember 27, session on Chaos Communication Congress 28C3, BerlinJanuary 7, declaration, Academic Awareness and a Call to All University Rectorships Against The Deployment of ICTA's FilterJanuary 2012, Participating on establishing of Turkey Digital Game AssociationFebruary 18, Internet Blackout against SOPAMarch 2012, Seminar Digital Surveillance, Marmara Unv.March 2012, initiating of Istanbul HackerSpace, IstanbulMarch 2012, Seminar “Suç altette mi?” on SOPA, PIPA, ACTA, etc., Bahçeşehir Unv., IstanbulMarch 2012, Workshop: “The Future of Pardus” (Linux Distro by TUBITAK), IZMITMarch 2012, Workshop: Mind Map with VUE (visual understanding environment), Free Software Days IstanbulApril 9, Declaration of Internet Users' RightsApril 16, Statement about Internet in TurkeyMay 20, Published Book: "Digital Surveillance in Turkey: Digital Personification of Citizens in Turkey from ID Numbers to E- IDs"June 16, Panel: "Digital Surveillance in Turkey"October 23, Panel: "Surveillance, Censorship and Data Protection in Turkey", ECREA Pre-ConferenceSeptember 2014, Internet Ungovernance Forum at Bilgi University July 2015: Digital rights activist Isik Mater voted in as president of the Association
