Mozilla’s Giant, Distributed, Open-Source Hackathon

Your skills and expertise are needed to help combat fake news, empower people to protect their privacy online, and build a healthier Internet.

This Thursday and Friday, we're hosting a giant, distributed, open-source hackathon. We want to fuel the network of people who are rolling up their sleeves to make the web a safer, more secure, more inclusive place.

Will you join us?

Mozilla's annual Global Sprint is scheduled for June 1 and 2. It's an international public event: an opportunity for anyone, anywhere to energize their open-source projects with fresh insight and input from around the world.

Participants include biostatisticians from Brazil, research scientists from Canada, engineers from Nepal, gamers from the U.S., and fellows from Princeton University. In years past, hundreds of individuals in more than 35 cities have participated in the Global Sprint.

You. And anyone else who wants to make the web a better place. The Global Sprint isn't just about open source code-teachers, artists and activists will share their ideas and projects, too.

So far, attendees span more than 20 countries. Come June 1, we will assemble on GitHub, on Twitter, in Gitter and elsewhere to collaborate. The Global Sprint has real-world locations, too. There are already more than 65 venues booked in Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Japan and beyond.

Presently, the Global Sprint has more than 84 registered open-source projects seeking contributions. Here are just a handful:

EchoBurst, a browser extension that uses natural language processing to combat fake news, polarization and toxicity online, and bolster constructive dialogue. "Finding common ground is the only antidote to the poison of polarization," says EchoBurst's Tyler K. "EchoBurst takes the first step of finding that common ground, which is engaging in discussion with people you don't agree with."

Cryptomancer, an RPG akin to Dungeons & Dragons that also teaches users about online security. "At Global Sprint, you can invent role-playing adventures for Cryptomancer," says Chad Sansing. "The game that asks, 'What if dragons, dwarves, and elves had an Internet of their own?' If you need a copy of the game, we have a free and DRM-free copy waiting for you."

Internet Safety Driving License, an online curriculum that teaches privacy best practices, webiquette and other digital skills. "Right now we are working on Module 1: Cyberbullying Awareness Skills," says co-creator Lisa Wright. "This is the module that we are looking for help with at the Global Sprint.

Aerogami, an interactive paper plane workshop that teaches the principles of aerodynamics. "Explaining engineering concepts is very difficult-there is too much new information and complex concepts that a student is supposed to learn in an hour of class," says Aerogami's Kshitiz Khanal. "I wanted to change this and make learning more interactive, intuitive and fun."

GirlScript, a nonprofit project that empowers young Indian women through technology workshops. "We impart skills online and offline," says GirlScript's Anubha. "We are still preparing the online curriculum, however, offline trainings and workshops have already started in three cities of India: Nagpur, Bhopal and Ahmedabad."

The Embryo Digital Atlas, an open-source, web-based platform to visualize complex experimental datasets of embryogenesis in an easy (and beautiful) way. "The aim of The Embryo Digital Atlas is to make public datasets of embryogenesis easily accessible for an audience ranging from curious citizen, to students, to professional researchers," says creator Paul Villoutreix.

You can find all Global Sprint projects here.

First, take a moment to learn about the basics of open source participation:

Then:

Register to collaborate at a site in your area, or as a virtual participant. Registration info is here.

Select a project that's a good fit for your interests and skills. Information for Participants is here.

Bring a Project to the Sprint. Information for Project Leads is here.

See you there!

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