Building an Internet that works for people

The Internet democratized media – making anyone online into a publisher with access to a vast trove of human knowledge. The digital marketplace of ideas is among the greatest achievements of humanity. But it is fragile. It is easily exploited, manipulated, and weaponized. And there is a lot of money to be made by giant companies that upset the public good for private gain.

We can all see it happening. Our kids are addicted to smartphones and suffering a generational crisis in mental health. Foreign influence operations target our elections. Our public conversation is hijacked by inscrutable algorithms pushing conflict and violence, flattening culture into tribal cliches. Vast networks of fake accounts on social media push scams, spam, fake videos, and conspiracy to grab our attention and profit at our expense. And at the center of the problem are a handful of tech monopolies that have become the wealthiest firms in the history of the world.

Mission

Our mission is to guard against these digital threats to our security, safety, and fundamental rights. We seek to “reset” the connection between media and democracy to restore the promise of technology that works for people and free expression. We work to hold the biggest tech companies accountable to the values of democratic societies by promoting new ideas to change laws, industry standards, and consumer attitudes.