[FOSDEM] Cfp for the Decentralised Communication Devroom

[Thibault Martin]

Hi all,

You can find a copy of this CfP on the matrix.org website
<https://matrix.org/blog/2025/11/fosdem-cfp/>.

The Matrix.org Foundation will coordinate the FOSDEM 2026 Decentralised
Communication Devroom, and is requesting submissions for talks!

One of the most important roles for Free & Open Source Software right now
is liberating users from being trapped and exploited by Big Tech. This is
especially true of the fundamental need for humanity to communicate safely
and securely, without being dependent on gatekeepers who pose a single
point of control and failure.

We'd like to *invite you to propose technical talks covering the very
latest progress across the whole space of Decentralised Communication* -
whether that's messaging/VoIP projects built on Matrix, XMPP, DeltaChat,
ActivityPub, ATProto, Automerge etc. This isn't just about open standards
or realtime communication: this is ensuring that we as individuals have
full sovereignty over our ability to communicate - and can do so safely
across fully open networks, decentralised across the whole Internet,
protected from propaganda and the whims and vicissitudes of today's tech
giants and their stakeholders.

*We're particularly interested in technical talks on:*

   - Providing mainstream-usable alternatives to centralised proprietary
   platforms
   - Projects and protocols highlighting approaches which other projects
   and protocols can learn and benefit from
   - The enormous challenge of safety in decentralised communication:
   mitigating spam; identifying and filtering slop; sharing blocklists without
   creating echo-chambers or enabling meta-abuse; protecting E2EE and fighting
   ChatControl; T&S tooling; etc.
   - The challenge of verifying E2EE identity (decentralised key
   transparency etc)
   - Local-first / P2P communication systems without any point of
   serverside failure.

Marketing talks are not welcome.
Key dates

Please note the following deadlines, that are global for FOSDEM and that we
can't extend.

   - Conference dates: 31 Jan and 1 Feb 2026
   - Submission deadline: 30 November
   - Announcement of selected talks: 15 December

You must be available in person in Brussels
<https://fosdem.org/2026/practical/transportation/> to present your talk.
Talk Details

The talks can follow one of the two formats:

   - 20 min talk + 10 min Q&A, for topics that can be covered briefly
   - 50 min talk + 10 min Q&A, for more complex subjects which need more
   focus

We strongly encourage you to prepare a demo when it makes sense, so people
can actually see what your work looks like in practice.

Of course, the proposal must respect the FOSDEM terms as well:

The conference language is English. All content must relate to Free and
Open Source Software. By participating in the event you agree to the
publication of your recordings, slides and other content provided under the
same licence as all FOSDEM content (CC-BY).

Code of Conduct

All speakers and attendees agree that all of the presentations and
discussions in our Devroom are held under the guidelines set in the FOSDEM
Code of Conduct <https://fosdem.org/2026/practical/conduct/>. We expect
attendees, speakers, and volunteers to follow the CoC at all times.

If you have any questions about the CoC or wish to have one of the Devroom
organisers review your presentation slides or any other content for CoC
compliance, please email us and we will do our best to assist you.
Submitting a Proposal

Proposals must be submitted on FOSDEM's conference management system
<https://pretalx.fosdem.org/fosdem-2026/cfp>. When submitting a proposal
make sure to select the Decentralised Communication Devroom.

We expect to receive more requests than we have slots available. The
Devroom organisers will be reviewing the proposals and accepting them based
on the potential positive impact the project has on the Decentralised
Communication space.

No particular project or protocol will be favoured or prioritised in
selecting talks; instead the most interesting talks will be selected from
across all parties, favouring project diversity wherever possible.

If a project proposal has been turned down, it doesn't mean we don't
believe it has good potential, and we strongly encourage you to highlight
it within your ecosystem's news bulletins to give it some visibility.
Fringe Event

We are currently organising a Fringe Event that will take up the whole day
on Friday January 30. If you book your travel and accommodation for FOSDEM,
try to arrive on Thursday night to enjoy the full Friday!

You can follow our activities on our socials (Fediverse
<https://mastodon.matrix.org/@matrix>, LinkedIn
<https://www.linkedin.com/company/matrix-org>, Bluesky
<https://bsky.app/profile/matrix.org>), you can follow our blog via RSS/atom
<https://matrix.org/atom.xml>, or join the Events Working Group Matrix room
<https://matrix.to/#/%23events-wg:matrix.org> for updates and to get
involved.
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