SplinterCon events operate under the Chatham House Rule—meaning no recordings, no direct attributions, and no cameras. This keeps conversations open and participants safe. But we don’t want key ideas and discussions to be lost. That’s why we put together reports summarising the most important takeaways, case studies, and tools discussed at each event.

These reports are built from presentations, discussions, and community contributions. They reflect the state of research, lived experiences, and resistance strategies against splinternets worldwide.

:Online

The 2026 edition of SplinterCon was not supposed to happen this way. It was conceived as an in-person gathering in Lusaka, Zambia, co-located with RightsCon, the flagship global digital-rights convening organized by Access Now. Days before it was due to open, RightsCon was cancelled: a foreign power, exercising influence over the host government, made it impossible to hold a meeting of digital-rights defenders, researchers, and technologists on Zambian soil. The SplinterCon that resulted (convened online on May 5, 2026) thus opened under conditions that were themselves a demonstration of its subject: information control had reached across borders to silence a community before it could assemble.

:Paris

SplinterCon is an interdisciplinary conference focused on internet fragmentation and its consequences for contemporary societies and online liberties. Since the inaugural event in Montreal in December 2023, SplinterCon has convened in Brussels, Estoril, Berlin, Taipei, and now Paris, assembling network researchers, technology entrepreneurs, engineers, software developers, user experience designers, media professionals, and internet freedom advocates to confront the accelerating challenge of the splinternet.

:Taipei

SplinterCon 2023-25

This report presents key findings from the first year of global SplinterCon events, outlining the emergence of national splinternets, methodologies for measuring internet fragmentation, and tools developed to resist censorship. It provides an overview of evolving state control over digital spaces and the growing need for open, decentralised solutions.

:Brussels

Built from presentations and discussions at SplinterCon Brussels, this report examines real-world implementations of government-controlled internet ecosystems. Through case studies from Iran, Russia, and Cuba, it unpacks censorship tactics, surveillance infrastructure, and the mechanisms behind national intranets. The report also highlights resistance strategies, alternative networking tools, and the lived experience of navigating a splintered internet.

:Montreal’23

The first SplinterCon report provides an analytical overview of network fragmentation, digital sovereignty, and state-imposed internet controls. It brings together technical research, country-specific case studies, and firsthand user experiences to map the landscape of contemporary splinternets. Alongside these narratives, the report outlines emerging solutions for bypassing digital isolation and preserving global connectivity.