Britain is leading the fight to save our broken internet

Network is down. For all the wonders that the Internet has to offer, its dark side is unfortunately always present. Nearly half of children have viewed harmful content online, including material that encourages self-harm and suicide, and more than a third of young people report being bullied online, resulting in 1/5 young people dropping out of school. Time and time again headlines shed light on the harm social media is doing to children.

To build a safer and healthier online experience for children, regulation is critical. The Online Safety Bill, passed by the House of Commons yesterday, has received harsh criticism from tech giants and digital rights groups, who say it risks eroding human rights. internet user privacy. But these complaints are not in the public’s interest: The Bill is the first step towards the Government’s aim of making the UK “the safest place in the world to be online”.

Politicians, officials and campaigners from around the world are watching the British experience with interest. Globally, governments and regulators are grappling with the same tangle of problems and dilemmas. How to keep the Internet safe for children, how to protect the privacy and data of all users of all ages, how to moderate content and how to enforce restrictions – without destroying freedom, rights Privacy and security make the Internet work.

But is this really a matter of protecting civil liberties or protecting children? We can and should have both. The answer lies in how technology works for society – and changing the way social media companies work.

We need to start by rethinking much of the technology built on the Internet today. The current internet fuels a frenzy of big tech and social media companies seeking to monetize individuals and their personal data. This – not regulation – is what erodes our civil liberties. It is written to keep us captivated, polarized and agitated, and to sell our attention for the highest price.

If the consequence is that a terrorist communicates freely, a child abuser plans his crimes without interruption, or a schoolgirl learns to self-harm and even commits suicide, it is not very important to these companies. And what’s worse is that platforms time and again fail to adequately moderate themselves and protect their users.

We need a new model – an open internet where people come first, not profits. This involves moving away from the centralized and closed “walled gardens” built by today’s social media companies, which allow them to hoard your data, using their algorithms. them to work against you and keep you hooked to your phone. We need to adopt decentralized protocols to give users greater control over their online experience and how their data is used.

At the core of this new model are new innovative technologies and one of them is a new open source internet protocol, Decentralized Social Network Protocol (DSNP), built in collaboration with partners worldwide, giving users ownership and control of their assets. Personal data and social graphs. Social media applications built on this protocol give users control over their own data, including what they see, who they interact with, and allow them to transfer followers and your data to other platforms without losing access to their content.

Around 86% of UK internet users want more control over the personal information they provide to companies, and only 36% of the UK public trust social media companies to act in their best interests. DSNP turns the tide on social media platforms, ending the days of users being just the product, instead putting them in control and giving them a greater say in how their data is used. Platforms built using a decentralized model give parents control and safeguards to protect their children – without eroding privacy for everyone.

Alongside new regulations – and the organizations responsible for ensuring they are enforced, like Ofcom, with innovative new technologies, we have solutions to build a better web for everyone. People. In the age of innovative AI, we have seen growing awareness of the importance of data privacy and online safety. It’s time to start making this change.

Fueled by concerns about cyberbullying, serious online crime and tragic cases such as the death of Molly Russell, public pressure for change is increasing. With the Online Safety Bill, the UK is responding to these calls. Technology exists to go further and make the web a safer, better place for all of us.

Martina Larkin is the CEO of Project Liberty