MANILA, Philippines – A 10-point plan created by 2021 Nobel Peace Prize laureates Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov to rein in big tech and rebuild journalism is set to be presented during the Nobel Prize Summit on Truth, Trust and Hope in Washington DC, to be held from May 24 to 26.

Those who would like to support the initiative and take action can find ways to help over on this page. You may watch Ressa’s speech in the video below, with the event starting at 9:30 pm, May 24, Philippine time.

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The summit comes amid advances in artificial intelligence and the increase in technology companies’ power to alter the information landscape, undermine democracy, and create palpable harms through amplified mis- and disinformation.

The 10-point plan itself aims to address the information crisis, and while it was crafted in 2021, the actions it urges are all the more important in light of the encroachment of tech companies and AI into the online sphere. The plan, in effect, calls for the end of the surveillance-for-profit business model, the end of technological discrimination, and the rebuilding of independent journalism.

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FULL TEXT: Maria Ressa, Dmitry Muratov’s 10-point plan to address the information crisis

Said Maria Ressa of the initiative, “Democracy, freedom, and peace are under threat from hate and lies online. This 10-point plan outlines the systemic changes that rights-respecting governments should take to counter the threat posed by Big Tech’s business model, including protecting citizens’ rights to privacy, and rebuilding independent journalism as the antidote to tyranny.”

The 276 signatories currently supporting the 10-point plan include notable journalists, such as Carole Cadwalladr from the UK, Peter Greste from Australia, Patricia Campos Mello from Brazil, and Rana Ayyub from India, as well as journalism organizations such as Rappler, The Intercept, the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom, the Rory Peck Trust, and PEN International.

Further support comes in from members of various governments, including those from Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Malaysia, as well as six members of the European Parliament, two members of the British House of Lords.

Tech whistleblowers Frances Haugen and Aerica Shimizu Banks; human rights and environmental activists Kumi Naidoo and Esmerelda de Belgique; three UN special rapporteurs; and over 140 non-governmental organizations – including Avaaz, Human Rights Watch and Transparency International EU – have also offered support.

More information on the 10-point plan is available here, with the text available to download in various languages on that website. – Rappler.com