November 14, 2023 // Did someone forward you this newsletter? Sign up to receive your own copy here.

A manifesto from the founder of Project Liberty

You know there’s a problem with technology’s power over our lives. It's why I launched Project Liberty.

Big Tech has built an internet that is exploiting us, turning us into mere users, ripping us apart, trapping our children in webs of depression, destroying democracies around the world, and degrading society as a whole.

Why? Because it pays. Pays big time.

But there is a better way.

Hours ago, I spoke at Web Summit in Lisbon where I made our vision of a better, more equitable internet known in front of a global audience of tech leaders and influential policy makers.

At one of the biggest tech conferences in the world, we declared our steadfast belief that we deserve full ownership and control over our personal data.   

And today, we are sharing our manifesto for a better web and a better world so there is no uncertainty about where we stand. We believe a better web is not only possible—it is already happening. We all just need to demand it and support it.

Thank you for being part of Project Liberty. Together, we are building a unified and motivated citizen coalition that refuses to remain silent as our personal data is collected against our will and used to destroy our democracy, our communities, and even our families. Make no mistake, we are Davids to Big Tech’s Goliath, so I am humbly asking you to read and share our position amongst other friends, parents, neighbors, and citizens who are united in our cause.

Please stay connected with us at Project Liberty and continue to share our vision of a better internet future with prospective allies. 

With gratitude, 

Frank H. McCourt 

Founder of Project Liberty 

P.S. People like you are the foundation of this movement. Please help us grow the coalition by forwarding this email to other concerned citizens in your network. Thank you!

Other notable headlines

// 📝 MIT Technology Review asked dozens of scientists, journalists, politicians, entrepreneurs, activists, and CEOs to identify the most pressing problems at the intersection of technology and society. Here are their answers.

// 📉 Yuval Noah Harari, the historian and author of Sapiens, said that AI could cause a ‘catastrophic’ financial crisis, according to an article in The Guardian.

// 🏛 An article in Project Syndicate explored how Google’s antitrust trial is raising bigger questions about the attention economy. How does human attention work, and who should have the right to capture it and harvest it for profit?

// 👂 Want to keep teens safe online? Listen to them. An article in Tech Policy Press featured responses from teens about how to stay safe online.

// 🖥 Big tech is pushing for AI regulation, while the rest of Silicon Valley is skeptical. According to an article in the Washington Post, a growing group of venture capitalists, CEOs, and others say regulation will snuff out competition.

// 📺 Despite YouTube fixing its algorithm, it still contains a massive repository of dangerous, extreme content that spreads across other social media, according to an article in Tech Policy Press.

// 🔎 An article in WIRED profiled a new tool to keep terrorism content off the internet. The tool built by Google and Tech Against Terrorism aims to give smaller platforms the ability to easily detect terrorist content on their networks and remove it.

📘 A belated obituary by the New York Times featured Ángela Ruiz Robles, an inventor of the early e-reader. Robles created her Mechanical Encyclopedia in 1948 to help lighten her students’ textbook load.

// 👕 A WIRED podcast explored the new AI pin wearable by Humane, and the future of phone alternatives.

Partner news & opportunities

/ Project Liberty is advancing responsible development of the internet, designed and governed for the common good. /

Thank you for reading.