PublicWerx is a constitution for digital services that refuse to exploit their users. It is not a company or a product; it is a permanent set of rules any project can adopt, and a public record of those who have.
Most software exists to extract value from people. Ads, tracking, dark patterns, and engagement loops have become the industry standard. Services that start honest are often acquired, gutted, and rebuilt around ad revenue.
These patterns feel inevitable. They are not. They are choices.
PublicWerx is the framework for making them.
The ideas behind PublicWerx are not new. What is new is that the infrastructure finally exists to make them real.
Users are tired of watching their favorite apps get acquired, gutted, and rebuilt around ad revenue. The word "enshittification" exists because the pattern is so common it needed a name. People are ready for something different. And for the first time, the infrastructure exists to deliver it. With L2 networks and stablecoins, you can run a global service without a bank, a payment processor, or anyone who can cut off your access. The GPL kept code free but did not protect users. Signal and Wikipedia proved the model works but used non-profit structures that are hard to replicate. PublicWerx combines ethics, UX, and financial architecture into a single commitment that any project can adopt.
Eight tenets defining user-respecting software. Numbered by priority. Public, versioned, and permanent.
This service will never be sold or acquired. Your data will never be handed to a new owner. We remain the stewards. This includes protection against governance capture. If we can no longer run it, everything transfers to the community under terms that preserve these tenets.
We do not optimize for engagement metrics or "time spent." We optimize for utility. When you are done, go live your life. No ads, no dark patterns, no manipulation. We are funded by users, not advertisers.
The service must defend itself against abuse, exploitation, and bad actors. A trust-based system is not a naive one. This tenet is never a justification for restricting access based on an inability or unwillingness to pay.
Essential functionality is a right, not a tier. The free version must be complete and genuinely useful on its own. Premium features are additive -- they never remove artificial limits. If a user who never pays would not recommend this to a friend, we have failed.
Collect only what is vital. Default to "no collection." If in doubt, do not store it. Analytics, if any, must be opt-in only.
We do not ship features that benefit us at the cost of the user. If there is a conflict between our convenience and the user's experience, the user wins.
All changes that affect users -- data practices, pricing, features, policies -- are documented publicly and loudly. No quiet updates.
Minimalist architecture, simple code, and no bloated abstractions. Build exactly what is needed to fulfill our commitment to the user -- nothing more.
In Zurich, the trams have no turnstiles. You simply walk on and ride. The system operates on the belief that access comes first.
PublicWerx takes that spirit and builds software around it.
Instead of wasting resources on paywalls and DRM "enforcement theater," we invest those resources into the service itself.
By keeping the core service free, the tool remains a public good. Those who can afford to pay do so to sustain the infrastructure for everyone.
Financial status should never dictate access to essential digital tools. The service belongs to everyone who uses it, not just everyone who pays for it.
No middleman -- bank, processor, or gatekeeper -- should have the power to de-platform a project or its users. We value censorship resistance over specific payment rails.
USDC, USDT, or any user-selected stablecoin.
Ethereum, Base, Polygon, Arbitrum, and other EVM chains.
MetaMask, Rabby, or any WalletConnect-compatible interface.
No payment data stored. No hidden fees. Verifiable on-chain.
The following projects have pledged to uphold the PublicWerx tenets.
A meme-based party game. Create, share, and vote. The core game is free, forever.
memewhatyasay.comA minimal open-source Android app for P2P crypto payments via hardware wallet. No accounts. No tracking.
CONSTITUTION.md to your repository referencing these rules. Include a succession plan for your users and their data.