Over the past year,  we’ve been engaged in a series of conversations with a small group of researchers specializing in IP, AI policy, and data governance about what CC  licensing means—and does—in African contexts today. What started as an organic exchange in various spaces has revealed something larger: a strong appetite to move these conversations into the open. At stake are not only questions about CC licenses but deeper issues of data sovereignty, equity, governance, and power in global knowledge systems.

As we look back on 2025, it’s clear that the internet as we know it is changing. Information is being removed from the web or locked away. We are experiencing a crisis in the commons, driven in part by current AI development practices. New systems are emerging in response—from content monetization schemes and licensing agreements designed to protect large rightsholders, to the ongoing morass of lawsuits about how AI services are using content as data. We are in the midst of a major reconfiguration of how we share and reuse content on the web.

At Creative Commons, we’ve long believed that binary systems rarely reflect the complexity of the real world—nor do they serve the commons very well. The internet, like the communities that built it, thrives on nuance, experimentation, and shared stewardship. That’s why we’re continuously working to introduce choice where there has been little, and to advocate for systems that acknowledge the diversity of values and needs across the web.

Distorted Forest Path © by Lone Thomasky & Bits&Bäume is licensed under CC BY 4.0 Here at CC, we have the goal of defending and sustaining the digital commons in the face of developments in artificial intelligence. We’ve recently introduced a new framework, CC signals, to offer a new way for stewards of large collections…

Signals © 2021 by Hugo Parasol is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 In June we kicked off a public feedback period on our proposal for CC signals. CC signals is a preference signals framework designed to sustain the commons and ensure the continued sharing of knowledge in the age of AI.  The goal is to…

CC Signals – An Update © 2025 by Creative Commons is licensed under CC BY 4.0 Thanks to everyone who attended our CC signals project kickoff last week. We’re receiving plenty of feedback, and we appreciate the insights. We are listening to all of it and hope that you continue to engage with us as…

CC Signals © 2025 by Creative Commons is licensed under CC BY 4.0 Creative Commons (CC) today announces the public kickoff of the CC signals project, a new preference signals framework designed to increase reciprocity and sustain a creative commons in the age of AI. The development of CC signals represents a major step forward…

People Walking on Brown Concrete Floor by Mehmet Turgut Kirkgoz . Public Domain. Creative Commons training efforts strengthen our mission to “empower individuals and communities around the world through technical, legal, and policy solutions that enable the sharing of education, culture, and science in the public interest.” In 2024, our Learning & Training team focused…

School by Thomas Hawk is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0. The Creative Commons (CC) Certificate courses are widely considered an essential resource for open access education and for increasing capacity for individuals and institutions using the CC licenses to increase open access.   The CC Certificate program offers in-depth courses about CC licenses, open practices, and…

“Power Grid” by Ram Joshi is licensed via CC BY-NC-ND 2.0. We’re proud to announce Creative Commons’ Legal Tools have been reviewed and accepted into the Digital Public Goods Alliance (DPGA) DPG Registry. The DPGA is a multi-stakeholder initiative, endorsed by the United Nations Secretary-General, that is working to accelerate the attainment of the UN…