Considered a unique hybrid celebration, The Mozilla Festival (MozFest for short) is an annual gathering of activists and peacemakers that revolves around art, technology and society.

With more than 8,000 participants, 400-plus hands-on sessions, and more than 30 lightning talks, and art exhibits in 2023, MozFest will take place online from March 20-24. Tickets are available as pay-what-you-can.

Sarah Allen, Mozilla Festival director, noted:

This year we are holding conversations on how our social and political realities interweave with the technology we build.

2023 chats and guests 

“When whistleblower Thomas le Bonniec was contracted by Apple to work as a Data Analyst, he never anticipated his job would include eavesdropping on people’s most intimate conversations. Four years after his exposé on Apple’s mass surveillance, le Bonniec will speak at Mozilla Festival (MozFest) on what hasn’t changed and why privacy remains a hot potato in Big Tech regulation,” highlighted festival organizers. 

This year's MozFest theme — The Collective Power of People — explores how movements are instrumental in catalyzing change online and how people-powered technologies can address critical issues at the intersection of technology and society. 

Amazon union leader Chris Smalls, and acclaimed academic and political activist Angela Davis, are also some of the featured speakers at MozFest this year.

“Social justice movements advocating for human dignity, fairness, and equity are heavily rooted in activism — and we want to ignite the spirit of activism in how we approach AI,” added Allen.

Join this discussion about the intersection of data and feminism at #MozFest2023!

Add this session to your schedule here: https://t.co/IEPPqmfRQ9 https://t.co/fgl8e9LwCH

— Mozilla Festival (@mozillafestival) March 14, 2023

Some of the sessions highlighted by organizers are as follows:

- Interactive Sessions — Immerse audiences in critical topics, such as privacy and security, AI transparency, and the ethics of AI-generated art.

• Is my phone listening to me? | Speaker: Thomas le Bonniec
• Can AI Art be ethical? | Speaker: Azariah Cole-Shephard

- Lightning Talks — TED-style talks on topics like technological diversity, climate change, and cybersecurity. 

• Climate Change and Internet Disruption: A Case of Floods in Pakistan
• Encryption Post-Roe: The Future of Abortion Activism?

- Dialogues and Debates — Central panels revealing pressing issues at the intersection of technology and society.

• People Make Movements | A look at activism and movements in digital spaces. Speakers: Valeriia Voshchevska, Ukrainian human rights activist and Tara Aghdashloo, Iranian writer and filmmaker. Moderated by Pulitzer Prize-winner Alia Malek.
• Funding Ethical Tech & The Next Mozilla Chapter | Mozilla is turning 25 this year, and is growing to include new entities such as Mozilla Ventures. Speakers: Mitchell Baker, CEO Mozilla Corporation; Imo Udom, SVP Innovations Ecosystems; Mohamed Nanabhay, Managing Partner, Mozilla Ventures; Pelonomi Moiloa, lelapa.ai; and J.Bob Alotta, VP Global Programs Mozilla Foundation. Moderated by Mozilla’s Carys Afoko.