September 17th, 2024 // Did someone forward you this newsletter? Sign up to receive your own copy here.
In April of this year, President Biden signed a law that would ban TikTok in the United States if it’s not sold to a government-approved buyer by January 19th, 2025. This week TikTok is taking its challenge of that law to a Washington DC Court of Appeals.
Yesterday, a panel of three judges heard arguments from the Justice Department and TikTok lawyers. Judges were skeptical, according to The New York Times. TikTok’s lawyers claimed that the company has a right to free speech, and banning the platform would violate American’s first amendment rights. The Justice Department defended the April law, claiming the Chinese ownership of ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, poses a national security threat to the US.
But TikTok doesn’t need to be banned. It needs to be fixed—which is why Project Liberty is leading The People’s Bid to purchase TikTok’s US assets and migrate the platform to new infrastructure that allows people to control their own data.
As an alternative to a broken digital status quo, the People’s Bid is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for Americans to reclaim a voice, choice, and stake in the future of the internet.
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// Fixing TikTok: The People's Bid
By acquiring TikTok, we can migrate the platform to a new digital infrastructure where users have greater control over their online experience and their data privacy.
Creators will be able to reach their target audiences and monetize their content more effectively. Citizens will have more control over a feed that's more fun, relevant, and trusted. Families will be able to protect their children and ensure a better digital experience.
A decentralized TikTok will:
Return power to the people and eliminate the flawed incentives that have often led to fraying ties between friends and neighbors.
Protect and strengthen democracy by creating a stronger digital foundation for healthy civic engagement.
With a new digital infrastructure, TikTok can be a model for the future of social media.
// A growing movement of supporters
Since it was announced, The People’s Bid has received broad support. Leading technologists, academics, and policymakers have expressed their enthusiasm, including:
Sir Tim Berners-Lee, Inventor of the World Wide Web
Angela Glover Blackwell, Civil Rights Advocate
Jonathan Haidt, author of The Anxious Generation
Spencer Cox, Governor of Utah and outgoing Chair of the National Governors Association
Maria Schneider, Grammy Award-winning Musician
See who else is supporting The People’s Bid here, and check out recent coverage:
An article in Fast Company explored The People’s Bid and how Project Liberty Founder Frank McCourt aims to fix TikTok.
Endorse The Bid: Take 10 seconds to add your name to the list and stay in the know on the latest progress, upcoming events, and opportunities to participate.
Share Your Voice: How would you fix TikTok? We need your help to shape the future of TikTok. Share your vision.
Spread The Word: Use our toolkit here to spread the word.
Follow on TikTok: Follow along on TikTok at @thepeoplesbid.
Other notable headlines
// 🤖 Can artificial intelligence enrich fossil-fuel companies and fight climate change at the same time? Microsoft argues that it can, according to an article in The Atlantic.
// 🤔 An article in Noema Magazine asked, should AI developers be held responsible for the harms their AI models cause?
// 🇧🇷 X’s ban in Brazil has implications for sovereignty, free speech, and the law, according to an article in Fast Company.
// 🇦🇺 An article in the Washington Post reported that the Australian government is considering a minimum age of between 14 and 16 for using social media apps without parental permission.
// 📺 Chris Bail, a Project Liberty Fellow powered by Common Era, was featured on a PBS NewsHour segment exploring the question of what responsibility social media companies bear for our increasingly divided political climate.
// 📱 Why are tech leaders so adamant about pushing their tech solutions on other people’s kids, while protecting their own? An article in The Atlantic explored the arguments companies use to block proposed regulation.
Partner news & opportunities
// AI Snake Oil book talk: Demystifying Artificial Intelligence
September 18th at 5:30 pm ET online and in New York at the Ford Foundation
The Ford Foundation is hosting a book talk featuring Dr. Arvind Narayanan, co-author of the book AI Snake Oil, as he demystifies the hype and misconceptions surrounding artificial intelligence. Register here.
// Responsible Tech Guide & webinar
September 19th at 1 pm ET online
All Tech Is Human released their Responsible Tech Guide, a resource-rich publication aimed at empowering the global responsible tech ecosystem. With in-depth analysis and mapping of emerging trends, this guide is essential for anyone committed to ethical tech development. Download the free guide and join the livestream event on September 19th.
// Book talk: How to Save Democracy from Silicon Valley
September 27th at 12pm ET
Marietje Schaake, a former Member of the European Parliament and one of the world’s leading thinkers on tech policy, discusses her book, The Tech Coup: How to Save Democracy from Silicon Valley at Georgetown University’s Center for Digital Ethics. Register here.
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/ Project Liberty builds solutions that help people take back control of their lives in the digital age by reclaiming a voice, choice, and stake in a better internet.
