# Kiwix Free software that puts Wikipedia and other knowledge on a device that works with no internet.^[https://get.kiwix.org/en/] - Swiss non-profit association in Lausanne. Project started 2006. Association formed 2018.^[https://kiwix.org/en/non-profit/] - Founders: Emmanuel Engelhart and Renaud Gaudin. The first reader prototype ran in Bamako, Mali.^[https://kiwix.org/en/about/] - Mission: offline access to free educational and cultural knowledge for everyone. - Software is GPL-3.0. Funded by grants, donations, Wikimedia support and Hotspot sales. ## The problem - Over half the world has no reliable internet. Causes: cost, missing infrastructure, censorship.^[https://kiwix.org/en/about/] - Kiwix targets 4 billion people without reliable access. - Users range from remote schools and refugee camps to submarines and aircraft carriers. ## How it works - **ZIM files.** Kiwix's own open format. It compresses a whole website into one file. - **Readers.** Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS and a browser app (PWA). - **kiwix-serve.** Hosts ZIM files on a local network. Any device with a browser can read them. - **Kiwix Hotspot.** A Raspberry Pi 5 box with 256 GB SSD. Serves up to 24 devices over its own Wi-Fi. Draws 4–9 W. CHF 260.^[https://get.kiwix.org/hotspots/kiwix-hotspot/] - **Zimit.** Turns any website into a ZIM file. - **Content.** Wikipedia in 100+ languages, Project Gutenberg, TED, freeCodeCamp, PhET, iFixit and more. - Wikipedia comes in three sizes: *maxi* (full), *nopic* (~75% smaller), *mini* (~95% smaller). ## Why it matters: connectivity, sovereignty, control - **Access without connectivity.** Knowledge stops depending on a cable, a tower or a monthly bill. - **Independence from chokepoints.** Undersea cables, ISPs and platforms are points of control. See [[Unveiling the Subsea Secrets - The Intricate Dance of Cables, Control, and Connectivity in the Digital Age]]. - An internet shutdown or a blocked site cannot remove a file you already hold. - **Sovereignty at the edge.** A community holds its own copy of knowledge. Same logic as [[The Resolver as Sovereignty Chokepoint]], but for content instead of names. - **Privacy by design.** No tracking, no ads. All reading is local.^[https://get.kiwix.org/en/solutions/applications/kiwix-reader/] - **Control.** A school can choose exactly what content is on its Hotspot, for example during exams. - **Resilience.** A 4–9 W box runs on a small solar panel. Fits [[The case for Off Grid Solar]]. > [!question] Navon angle (idea, not tested) > - A Kiwix mirror inside a [[Data Embassies|data embassy]] or modular site: a national knowledge backup that survives outages. > - Local caching for low-connectivity markets, as in [[Kenya Telco Market x Navon Role]]. - Related: [[Pi-hole]] and [[Tails]] give the user control of DNS and the OS. Kiwix gives control of the content. ---- tags: #boat links: [[Companies]] [[Navon MoC]] [[The Resolver as Sovereignty Chokepoint]] [[Data Embassies]] [[Pi-hole]]