We're Opinionated
We believe that we're at an inflection point where technology and people must work together.
"Wisdom demands a new orientation of science and technology
toward the organic, the gentle, the elegant and beautiful."
Ernst F. Schumacher
People Tracking - Privacy
We will not track a user unless there is something in it for them to balance out the equation.
The Web2 revolution has been built on advertising, and monetisation of peoples personal data. Anything that appears free to the user has more often than not turned them and their data into a commodity.
Example: As a business we need a good idea of what works and what doesn’t and how we are progressing in all areas of the business. When a user completes an action in the Open Format ecosystem they will be rewarded. The user has done a thing, we’re recorded transparently they’ve done a thing and we then reward them (publicly) for doing the thing.
We will not store a persons details without giving them the option to be anonymous.
The WWW is full of huge databases of user data from simple personal data such as name and email address, to very personal full health records. Even a cursory view at what’s available on the Dark Web will show that there’s no system currently secure enough to hold personal data. With the scraping of encrypted data (ready for quantum decryption) no data centrally stored data is safe.
Example: As Open Format is as focused on Web2 developers as it is Web3, we need to ensure that we make it easy for users not familiar with Wallets and the like (for anonymous access), so we offer them an option for a Web2 email based authentication. We ensure that the user knows exactly what data we storing, where it’s being stored, and how: E.g. Full name, Email address, Password, date registered; Postgres, AWS.
Seeking forgiveness rather than permission - Respect
Slow down. We will assess the societal impact of our technology before we release it to the world.
Web2 grew fast, a huge amount of money pumped quickly into ideas that were taken to market before their impact had been assessed. We now see a generation fuelled by mental health issues many ascribe to doom scrolling, social conformism, and addiction to small form factor screens.
Example: We have built a poc of an NFP (non fungible personality). Is this the future we want just because we can?
Techno Colonialism - Inclusivity
We will not use technology as a way to separate people or force people to give over their data.
Increasingly (even small) businesses will ask customers to join WhatsApp (or whatever) for more information or guidence and offer no alternative. Many of us receive on a daily basis emails that ask us to go to a 3rd party to enter our details for a meeting. The digital divide is real.
Example: We will ensure that all of our code is open source and doesn’t exclude people geographically, ethnically, culturally, or financially.
Economic profit is not just for the few. We will not put profit before people or the planet.
The flow of capital to a tiny proportion of society has redistributed wealth on a never before seen scale. The 1% is now the 0.001%
Example: Open Format has a “social conscience layer” that distributes profits in real-time to the “many”.
Decentralisation is at the heart of everything we do.
Web2 platforms are mostly controlled by a few big tech companies, leading to monopolies and a concentration of power.
The idea of “cottage industry” with a mass of individual businesses combining together to create the organisations of tomorrow, we believe is the future of work.
Example: Open Format allows the creation of truly decentralised applications that encourage digital manufacturing and ownership with the rights holder always in control (rather than the marketplace).
Imagine a better future - Optimism
The words we put out into the world must be laced with intent and positivity.
The way that we think shapes the future. If we only see dystopian possibilities then that is what unfolds. By constantly imagining a better way, no matter how far fetched, or idealistic, we can not only have a positive impact on our current progress but also influence the generations that follow.
Example: The Open Format content/media strategy while grounded in education and knowledge sharing also includes “sci-fi” explorations into near and long term possible futures.