In 2025, the 10th edition of the Mobile Social Congress took place from March 1 to 5 in Barcelona and partially online, organized by the Fair Electronics campaign of SETEM Catalunya. As every year, it coincided with the Mobile World Congress, which is held annually in the city of Barcelona.
Under the slogan “Hack the system, build resistance”, the main topics addressed were:
Tech companies, genocide and occupation. Despite the massacre and genocide committed by Israel against the Palestinian people—and the fact that Israel has been accused of apartheid by the International Court of Justice—the Mobile World Congress featured an exclusive pavilion for Israeli tech companies, many of which are directly linked to the military sector.
Impacts of resource extractivism. In a global context of increasing competition for resources, the demand for minerals for electronics intensifies conflict and environmental destruction. This edition focused on cases such as Madagascar, affected by rare earth mining, as well as situations where mining affects already tense or conflict-ridden territories, such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda. The impoverishment of African countries forces thousands of people into illegal mining, risking their lives, as seen in Stilfontein, South Africa.
Barriers to unionization. The discussion addressed the challenges faced by workers in the electronics industry in organizing to improve their working conditions, especially in producing countries where assembly lines are predominantly made up of women, who are often denied the right to organize.
An imperfect AI. Although generative AI has been presented as a revolutionary tool, this technology is not neutral; it reproduces discriminatory biases, perpetuates inequalities, and consumes vast amounts of energy, resulting in a significant environmental impact.
Agenda
Action in front of the Mobile World Congress to denounce the complicity of the congress and Fira de Barcelona in the genocide committed by Israel against the Palestinian people: Monday, March 3.
Live broadcast of the podcast La Turra, focusing on Artificial Intelligence (AI), digital justice, and its environmental footprint, featuring a musical performance by Alosa: Tuesday, March 4 at Nau Bostik, Barcelona.
Talks and round tables on extractivism, labor union barriers, technology, occupation, and genocide: Wednesday, March 5 at the Sala Raval of the CCCB, Barcelona, and online.
The 10th edition of the Mobile Social Congress was built collaboratively, weaving alliances with like-minded events and spaces, in order to strengthen alternatives to the logic promoted by the Mobile World Congress:
We collaborated with SobTec, the congress on technological sovereignty.
We took part in a workshop on Dolibarr (free software) for organizations, held at the Canòdrom.
Replay the live podcast session with La Turra [CAT]
Spotify
Ivoox
TALKS AND ROUND TABLES
ACTION IN FRONT OF THE MWC
LIVE PODCAST WITH LA TURRA
TALKS AND ROUND TABLES
Participation in SOBTEC and the Canòdrom’s DOLIBARR workshop
Press releases
- Press release (CAT / word): More than 350 people have participated in the 10th edition of the Mobile Social Congress 2025, which becomes the critical alternative to the Mobile World Congress.
- Press release (CAT / PDF): More than 350 people have participated in the 10th edition of the Mobile Social Congress 2025, which becomes the critical alternative to the Mobile World Congress.
- NdP: The 10th edition of the Mobile Social Congress proposes “Hacking the system and building resistance” to promote the responsible use of technology and a critical look at the Mobile World Congress (CAT)
- Press release: Save the Date 2025 (CAT)
- Press conference intervention February 10 – SETEM (CAT)
- Graphic material 2025
- Photographs previous editions
Organizations that take part:
