Re: <nettime> WHOISBN?

[Doris Zhu via nettime-l <nettime-l@lists.nettime.org>]

Dear rybn,

This is a really interesting and good idea. I’m based in Berlin. I wonder can I join your project help with other segments?

Regards,
Yiyao

> On 8 May 2025, at 6:15 PM, rybn via nettime-l <nettime-l@lists.nettime.org> wrote:
> 
> Dear nettimers,
> 
> An announcement toward a new project, but also an invitation to collaborate for those interested on the subject.
> 
> Regards
> 
> $rybn
> 
> 
> 
> -
> 
> WHOISBN?
> 
> WHOISBN? lets you explore the capital relationships in the publishing world: scan the barcode of a book to check who owns its publisher.
> 
> https://whoisbn.net/fr/
> 
> -
> 
> How does it work?
> 
> The ISBN is a unique, permanent identification number assigned to each book. It appears on the cover in the form of a barcode, and comprises 13 characters.
> 
> WHOISBN? lets you scan this barcode to find out who owns the publishing house of the book you're holding, who owns the company that controls the business, and so on, down to the ultimate beneficiary at the end of the chain.
> 
> WHOISBN? then assigns a grade between A and F to this owner, according to its size in the publishing market, and its political orientation.
> 
> WHOISBN? is currently limited to the French segments of ISBNs assigned by AFNIL (978-2/979-10). Extensions are planned for other ISBN zones.
> 
> -
> 
> Why?
> 
> The French publishing world is highly concentrated. Today, after decades of acquisitions and takeovers, 90% of the market is dominated by 5 publishing conglomerates, headed by 5 billionaires. Statistically, in 90% of cases, buying a book means strengthening the empires of Vincent Bolloré (Hachette), Daniel Křetínský (CMI/Editis), Bernard Arnault (LVMH, Madrigall), Francis Esménard (Albin Michel) or the Michelin-Montagne family (Média Participations), whose omnipresence steers public opinion. The rest of the market is a constellation of independent publishers. The situation is relatively similar in other countries, such as Germany, Brazil, Canada, Great Britain or the United States, to name a few.
> 
> WHOISBN? aims to inform readers about whether or not a publisher belongs to a major publishing conglomerate - and the political orientation of its owner—so that they can take these criteria into account when buying a book (or not). In this way, the application contributes to the boycott of major groups, and to resisting the extreme right-wingization of public debate.
> 
> -
> 
> STOP Bolloré and co.
> 
> WHOISBN? aims to join forces with a series of initiatives aimed at reducing the oligopolistic power of the major media groups, and the grip of the extreme right on the media field : Stop Bolloré [https://actualitte.com/article/104761/tribunes/stopbollore-la-tradition-democratique-est-aujourd-hui-menacee], Désarmer Bolloré & Désarmer Stérin [https://desarmerbollore.net/], Déborder Bolloré [https://deborderbollore.fr/], the recent mapping of the French publishers 'Edition Française, qui possède quoi?' [Agone, 2025 https://agone.org/livre/edition-francaise-qui-possede-quoi/].
> 
> WHOISBN? also draws on earlier writings and researches on the oligopolistic nature of the media [S. Halimi, les nouveaux chiens de garde, 1997 - https://www.raisonsdagir-editions.org/catalogue/les-nouveaux-chiens-de-garde-2/ ; Médias français, qui possède quoi? Le Monde diplomatique, 2007 - https://www.monde-diplomatique.fr/cartes/PPA ; Bureau d'études, Gouvernement des médias, 2015 - https://bureaudetudes.org/category/gouvernement-des-medias/ ; Josh On, They Rule, 2001 - https://theyrule.net/ ; etc.].
> 
> -
> 
> Install the application
> 
> WHOISBN? can be downloaded here: https://whoisbn.net
> 
> Latest version: 1.0.1, May 8, 2025 at 14:00; developed for the French ISBN zone (AFNIL register, 978-2/979-10). To extend it to other zones, please contact us.
> 
> WHOISBN? runs on Android and can only be installed via this website. We refuse to use Google App Store. It will eventually be downloadable from F-Droid. Updates are not automatic, so please check the website regularly to download the latest version.
> 
> -
> 
> Data and sources
> 
> WHOISBN?is open source and FLOSS, and the source code will soon be available on our Git [https://git.rybn.org/users/rybn/projects].
> 
> WHOISBN? is based on the database “La carte des médias, qui possède quoi?” initiated by Le Monde diplomatique, which we have extended to the French publishing world [https://github.com/mdiplo/Medias_francais].
> 
> The data comes from AFNIL, the agency in charge of the ISBN allocation for the French publishers ; Nudger, an international database of already attributed ISBNs ; and the SNE database.
> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> # distributed via <nettime>: no commercial use without permission
> # <nettime> is a moderated mailing list for net criticism,
> # collaborative text filtering and cultural politics of the nets
> # more info: https://www.nettime.org
> # contact: nettime-l-owner@lists.nettime.org

-- 
# distributed via <nettime>: no commercial use without permission
# <nettime> is a moderated mailing list for net criticism,
# collaborative text filtering and cultural politics of the nets
# more info: https://www.nettime.org
# contact: nettime-l-owner@lists.nettime.org