Willow - Protocols for an uncertain future (FOSDEM'26)

Centralised systems were designed with the best of intentions, but were turned against us anyway. And peer-to-peer systems will be exactly the same. How do we make the next generation of protocols more difficult to weaponise? This is the lens which we'll use to look at [Willow](https://willowprotocol.org), a family of publicly-funded, open source peer-to-peer protocols. How can we learn from the ways both centralised and peer-to-peer systems have been abused in the past, and apply that to new designs? We'll take a look at some of the (surprising) paths Willow has taken to make it harder to turn against us. Please enjoy this illustrated, slightly musical presentation from the [worm-blossom](https://worm-blossom.org) collective. This is a 'clean' recording of the presentation I gave at FOSDEM'26, "[Willow - protocols for an uncertain future](https://fosdem.org/2026/schedule/event/CVGZAV-willow/)".