Imagine the internet that is a place where meaningful and credible content is easily found. A place where everyone feels safe, empowered, and accurately informed.
Is this the internet we’re having today? Unfortunately, not. Today’s internet is unsavory mix of intrusive advertising, misinformation, and toxic social media full of offensive language, harassment, and harmful content. The problems plaguing the web are magnified by the economy that benefits from engagement of the most extreme and attention-grabbing material. Instead of improving a civil, informed online discourse, the internet of today is degrading it.
Mozilla is a recognized leader in the field of online Privacy & Security. Our commitment to the open and human internet anchored in the Mozilla Manifesto is solidified by our unwavering desire to put people before profits. This commitment was on display again recently with Mozilla’s launch of Enhanced Tracking Protection that blocks third-party tracking cookies by default.
Ensuring safe internet browsing is only part of Mozilla’s efforts to protect its users; equally important is fighting online harassment. Two general approaches can be considered here. The first is to design online tools to remove or filter “bad” content. However, serious doubts have been expressed whether this approach is technically feasible at all. Besides, this approach is also threatening free expression and the open internet ecosystem.
Instead of asking how we can filter hateful and misleading content, we’re asking: How can browser technology amplify credible and quality content and conversations?
As part of this new paradigm, we’ve launched two crowdsourcing campaigns aimed at identifying strategy and specific approaches to using browser technology solutions to find and promote credible sources of information online.
The first challenge posted on Splash, “Firefox for Good,” has a broader scope and seeks to initiate to initiate in-depth conversation about how the browser can become a user agent for empowering people to find content and conversations that are most valuable and important to them.
The goal of the second challenge posted to the MindSumo platform, the world’s largest crowdsourcing community of Millennial and GenZ solvers, is more specific: to propose an extension (or other browser technology solution) to help internet users identify credible voices and credible sources of information online.
The challenge is open to everyone, and we especially encourage members of the Mozilla Community to take part in it.