NETWORK PRINCIPLES

Tucson Mesh is a project to distribute internet for free or cheap to us: an ever-expanding group of people who maintain the network. The network does not make a profit, and it is not a charity.  

The purpose of the network is to increase our freedom and well-being, in the following ways:

1. To get internet access that is cheaper and more reliable than what large corporations offer

2. To free ourselves from 

a. surveillance, as when our corporate ISPs share information about us with government agencies or other corporations, and

b. controls on the internet that may be placed by corporate ISPs, such as “throttling” data or discriminating on content

3. To demonstrate to ourselves that with cooperation, we can access an important resource that people use daily like the internet, without relying on institutions such as corporate ISPs and the government.

To achieve the benefits listed above, we must build the network so that…

1. Anyone who wants to can join the network, as long as they do not jeopardize the purpose outlined above or the proper functioning of the network. 

2. As little data as possible is stored about the users’ activity by the network itself.

3. Nobody owns the network.

4. The network is as resilient as possible, both as a network of computers and as a network of people.

5. Participants are free to use the network for any purpose that does not limit the freedom of others to do the same.

Participants are encouraged and empowered to learn how the network and its components function.