2024 Wrap Up

Dearest subscribers,

Thank you so much for sticking with us through what is now thirteen whole issues of The People! In the hope of getting on Santa’s good list – unlike the Tech Bros and their addictive algorithms – we thought we’d leave you with a quick roundup of what People vs Big Tech have achieved together this year 😇💪

There are plenty of reasons to feel glum about the state of the world right now, including threats to our digital rights. But there are also plenty of reasons to feel hopeful, so have a read of what we’ve been up to and join us in our cautious optimism this holiday season…

👾 We fought for digital rights in the EU. We’ve all been creeped out by targeted advertising on social media before. While it can be useful – maybe you like it when you’re shown a meme tailored to your sense of humour or the perfect pair of boots – it can also be extremely harmful. After we successfully got the EU to ban the use of sensitive personal data (like race or religion) for targeted advertising, and to stop showing targeted ads to kids full stop, we’ve been sharing our expert knowledge with EU officials to make sure the rules we fought for are properly respected. And one of our members, AI Forensics, even got the EU Commission to launch a case against Meta following their investigation into pro-Russia propaganda and disinformation ads on their platforms.

👾 We worked with inspiring young people. From social media addiction to exposure to self-harm content, Big Tech’s toxic business model puts young people at most risk. So we helped seventeen 17-25 year olds from across Europe to develop a youth-led campaign to reclaim our digital world. They’re now launching their own youth movement, Ctrl + Alt + Reclaim, and have already shown up outside the EU parliament and met with elected representatives 📣

👾 We took action following world news events. Big Tech platforms profit from amplifying hate and hysteria, through algorithms that prioritise enraging and addictive content. We saw this during the racist riots in the UK this summer, and responded by publishing an Open Letter to leaders in the UK and Ireland, guidelines for journalists covering Big Tech’s role in the violence, and a racism themed newsletter. In the run up to India’s divisive election, we also worked with diaspora groups on a stunt outside Facebook’s London HQ.

👾 We collaborated with journalists. In June, we started publishing The People alongside journalism non-profit the Citizens. For the newsletter, the Citizens commissioned journalists specialised in everything from gender to the climate crisis to dig into Big Tech’s role in some of the biggest issues facing our world today, featuring interviews with our expert members. Stay tuned for upcoming issues demystifying the ad tech industry, highlighting Israel’s cosy relationship with Big Tech, and covering the upcoming AI Action Summit in Paris.

👾 We put you back in charge. In May, public polling in France, Germany and Ireland showed overwhelmingly that people want social media companies to stop “using behavioural profiling by default.” So we took the results to the European Commission in the form of a pop-up snack-bar, ‘FEED FIX’. Together with The London Story, #jesuislá, Panoptykon, Ekō, EDRi, the Citizens, and The Real Facebook Oversight Board, we handed out tasty FEED FIX chocolate, along with receipts listing the "real" (and not so tasty) price of social media harms 🤳🍫

👾 We made a plan for a new digital economy. Our entire online experience is controlled by Big Tech overlords who reap enormous profits while harming people and planet alike. That’s why we published Beyond Big Tech, a white paper and manifesto signed by over 70 organisations outlining our vision for a new, fairer digital economy. From breaking open Big Tech monopolies to public investment of digital infrastructure, we can see a way through this mess. And tiny cracks are beginning to appear: this year we’ve seen legal actions against monopoly power of the likes of Google and Apple, and the ‘Xodus’ from Elon Musk’s Twitter to other platforms including Bluesky. So watch this space…

Together, we can build a better, fairer internet. Thank you for being part of that fight. Happy holidays and see you next year!

Rasha
Interim Executive Director, People vs Big Tech