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Former Google/Facebook/Mozilla Employees Will Fight Addictive Technologies (qz.com)

An anonymous reader quotes Quartz: A new alliance made up of former Silicon Valley cronies has aseembled to challenge the technological Frankenstein they've collectively created. The Center for Humane Technology is a group comprising former employees and pals of Google, Facebook, and Mozilla. The nonprofit launches today (Feb. 4) in the hopes that it can raise awareness about the societal tolls of technology, which its members believe are inherently addictive. The group will lobby for a bill to research the effects of technology on children's health... On Feb. 7, the group's members will participate in a conference focused on digital health for kids, hosted by the nonprofit Common Sense.
The group also plans an anti-tech addiction ad campaign at 55,000 schools across America, and has another $50 million in media airtime donated by partners which include Comcast and DirecTV.

The group's co-founder, a former Google design ethicist, told Quartz that tech companies "profit by drilling into our brains to pull the attention out of it, by using persuasion techniques to keep [us] hooked." And the group's web page argues that "What began as a race to monetize our attention is now eroding the pillars of our society: mental health, democracy, social relationships, and our children."

3 of 121 comments (clear)

  1. Maybe they can ask... by localgh0st · · Score: 5, Funny

    the Google + team how they made their product so non-addictive.

  2. schmesign schmethicist by Hognoxious · · Score: 4, Funny

    a former Google design ethicist

    A fucking what? Is that what people do when they fail the exam to be UX facilitator?

    --
    Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
  3. Re:How about good parenting? by sheramil · · Score: 3, Funny

    How about encouraging good parenting?

    I'm going to go way out on a limb here and suggest that good parenting requires good parents. Does this mean we should prevent people from having kids if they are unable to demonstrate that they would be good parents? Try getting elected on that platform and see how far you get.