We are a growing movement fighting for a better digital future
We believe in the original promise of the internet as a force for good.
But a small group of tech corporations have cheated us of that dream, instead constructing a toxic, online world where they exploit our private data and attention to build vast advertising empires.
While they make obscene profits, we face the devastation of a system designed to keep people scrolling at all costs – rising hate and lies, stolen childhoods, polarisation, fragmentation of society and even violence.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. In fact, we’re already shifting the dial. Because together we are stronger than any corporation… and together we’re rising up to build a better digital world.
Our three priorities
Fix Our Feeds
Hate, disinformation, division... it's not a glitch in the system, it is the system. But tech giants can design their products to be safe. We just need to make them.
Stop Surveillance For Profit
Tech corporations spy on and profile us, then exploit our vulnerabilities to build vast fortunes. It's time to dismantle the spy machinery and reclaim our rights.
Break Open Big Tech
True tech progress serves people everywhere, not just a tiny group of CEOs. We're pushing to end Big Tech's stranglehold, so we can build a different future.
Our Actions
Bath bombs vs Big Tech
We teamed up with high street brand Lush to create a limited edition bath bomb and raise vital funds for young activists fighting to hold Big Tech to account. “The Cloud” was sold in online shops across the world, from Japan to Italy, bringing in over £50,000 to support the burgeoning youth movement demanding a better tech future.
#FixOurFeeds
After polling showed Europeans overwhelmingly back the demand to #FixOurFeeds by switching off toxic recommender systems, our members descended on Brussels to make sure Commissioner Thierry Breton got the memo, setting up a pop-up snack stall right outside his office and handing out specially branded chocolate to staff and passersby. Each bar of FixFEED chocolate came with a receipt listing social media harms — the real cost of Big Tech’s poisoned business model — underscoring our demand to end the behavioural profiling that warps our online world.
A playlist for Breton
Thierry Breton, the man formerly in charge of EU digital strategy, has a quirk: he likes to make policy announcements through playlists. So when we wanted to send him an urgent plea ahead of the European elections, we turned the tables, putting together a special Spotify playlist just for him that set out our demands for defending democracy through song titles. Then groups across Europe coordinated to flood his social media feeds with the link.
Occupy Meta
As India prepared to go to the polls, activists and researchers in the Indian diaspora issued an urgent warning over Meta’s failures to safeguard the elections. People vs Big Tech member groups rallied in support, signing an urgent letter with a 10-point plan for Mark Zuckerberg and running research exposing how Meta was helping far-right networks reach millions of voters. Meanwhile, Foundation the London Story staged an audacious action outside Meta’s London HQ, sealing it off as a “crime scene against democracy”.
Standing with whistleblowers
When Facebook moved to silence black South African whistleblower Daniel Motaung by requesting a gagging order to stop him speaking to the media, they met the full force of this incredible movement. Over 80 organisations, lawyers and citizens signed an open letter, featured in TIME magazine, calling out their shameful and racist attempt to block the truth and stop justice being done, prompting the tech giant to quickly backtrack.
Safe by Default
We joined forces with an amazing team of researchers, designers, software engineers and policy experts across the world to reimagine what social media could look like if it was designed in the interests of people and planet instead of corporate profits. The result is a persuasive and tangible vision for a different kind of social media, where people get to see what they really want in their feeds, rather than the outputs of predatory and addictive design features.
Speaking to the EU parliament
Ahead of the European elections, campaigners and experts joined a special event in the EU parliament to discuss how to protect democracy from viral disinformation and hate speech. Speakers from across the People vs Big Tech movement gave compelling testimony on how Big Tech’s products are currently designed to engage, enrage and addict us – and clear recommendations for regulators on getting us out of this toxic mess.
Photo Credit: Alexander Hohlfeld
Our latest campaigns
YOUTH CAMPAIGN – applications closed.
Join us and be part of a European youth campaign to make social media safer, healthier and more supportive!
[Deadline extended to July 24th]
Campaign
FIX OUR FEEDS – EU Elections 2024
In a year of critical elections, we’re asking regulators to restore public trust in information and democracy by disabling toxic recommender systems
Latest news
What we have achieved so far
We won an EU-wide ban on the use of sensitive personal data for targeted advertising
Targeted advertising is at the dark heart of big tech’s twisted business model. It means corporations slicing and dicing the most intimate details of our lives to prey on our vulnerabilities, hijack our time and sell us things we don’t need or want.
So when the pundits said we had no hope of getting action on ads into the EU’s new tech law, a powerful movement of organisations, activists, and businesses refused to listen – instead working up watertight policy proposals and launching a massive people’s advocacy push for change.
The resulting ban on using sensitive data like race and religion to target people with ads is a vital first step towards the surveillance-free future we’re determined to build for everyone.
We got the EU to prohibit targeted advertising to kids
Keeping children safe from harm is society’s most basic job. But for years, a handful of tech CEOs have had free rein to spy and experiment on our kids – to sell them stuff, addict them to dangerous products and exploit their developing brains for profit.
Now a mega movement of parents, teachers, psychologists and concerned citizens is rising up to demand a safer, more enriching online world for children. And it’s winning results, like getting MEPs to vote for a ban on insidious spy-advertising to kids in Europe.
We’re just starting to see what the determination and moral clarity of this powerful coalition can achieve. Next stop? An internet that truly meets kids’ needs.
We teamed up with Nobel Laureates to write a 10-point plan to end disinformation
Sometimes people everywhere agree, and what’s needed is a powerful rallying call to connect, unite and galvanise action. So when Nobel prize-winners Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov said they wanted to issue a global call to rein in Big Tech and support journalism, our members leapt into action – teaming up to help develop, draft and promote a compelling manifesto for change.
Launched at the Nobel Peace Center in 2022, the actionable, 10-point plan has since been endorsed by over 294 Nobel laureates, organisations and individuals around the world. It’s a vision for a different future, and the best part is it’s totally doable.
Our members got the EU Commission to investigate Meta
Getting Europe to pass a strong tech law was a major victory for this movement. But the real work is making sure that law is enforced. That’s why the digital detectives at AI Forensics hit the ground running, with a deep-dive investigation revealing how Meta is letting pro-Russia propaganda ads flood the EU, in alleged breach of the Digital Services Act.
The European Commission has since launched formal proceedings against Meta, citing AI Forensics’ research. This is accountability in action!
Our members are pushing regulators to tackle gender-biased algorithms
Tech justice and women’s rights campaigners have united in a mighty coalition to tackle the insidious challenge of discriminatory algorithms, and made vital progress pressing authorities in the Netherlands and France to take up the cause.
PvBT member Global Witness, together with Bureau Clara Wichmann in the Netherlands and Fondation des Femmes in France, submitted four complaints to national regulators based on the suspicion that Meta’s algorithms to determine which users see certain job ads discriminate against women and breach equality and data protection laws.
The Dutch Institute of Human Rights has since held a hearing on the complaint while France’s Défenseur des Droits has written “investigation letters” to Meta demanding a response. This is the first time Meta has been questioned on the issue in the EU!
People vs Big Tech is a movement formed by more than 140 organisations
Sign the People's Declaration
Read the summary:
We, the people, demand technology that serves us, instead of putting us, our communities and our democracies at risk.
We call for an end to Big Tech’s destructive business model which has turned our own data into weapons against us.
We urge all those involved in scrutinising, passing, and enforcing legislation globally to stand on the side of the people you represent and take all necessary measures to rein in Big Tech’s abuses whilst defending people’s fundamental rights, critically - the right to free speech for all We urge all those involved in scrutinising, passing, and enforcing legislation globally to stand on the side of the people you represent and take all necessary measures to rein in Big Tech’s abuses whilst defending people’s fundamental rights, critically - the right to free speech for all.
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👾 The 20th edition of The People, our newsletter with
@thecitizens, is out!
US tech giants control much of our online world. This week, we're looking at the impact this has not only on the security of other nation states, but on people and planet. https://blog.peoplevsbig.tech/wtf-is-tech-sovereignty/
"As social media becomes more toxic and weaponised by extremists, reliable news continues to wither. Publishers, who rely on advertising to sustain independent reporting, are competing in a market where Google sets the terms and takes the largest share of profits." https://www.ft.com/content/2b78019f-dc5b-4c59-897d-e90406898fe6
A Kenyan court has ruled that a case against Meta over fueling ethnic violence in Ethiopia can go ahead.
Congrats to all involved inc. our members Amnesty International + Foxglove. Meta's harms cannot be undone, but cases like this can stop history from repeating itself. https://www.foxglove.org.uk/2025/04/04/facebook-algorithm-death-hate-speech-can-proceed/
🚨 NEW: Our devices increasingly anticipate our wants before we even articulate them. We overconsume, while our planet burns.
But with Broligarchs at the helm, are we consuming by choice – or by design? Read our latest newsletter by @lianademasi @thecitizens https://blog.peoplevsbig.tech/the-people-vs-overconsumption/
🚨🥳 WIN: Our incredible co-founder Tanya O'Carroll has won a legal case against Meta! She took them to court after being served creepy personalised ads about her pregnancy. Now the tech giant has agreed to no longer show her targeted surveillance-ads on Facebook. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1en1yjv4dpo
🚨 NEW: The EU Digital Services Act requires Big Tech to be more transparent about platform harms + how they're mitigating them.
So a group of us took a deep dive into their latest reports on this, and let's just say...there's a lot of room for improvement. Get into it here 👀 https://cdt.org/insights/dsa-civil-society-coordination-group-publishes-an-initial-analysis-of-the-major-online-platforms-risks-analysis-reports/
"Vance’s warning not to engage in “hand-wringing about safety” seems to have been thoroughly received by the platforms. The word “safety” appears just once in the submissions from Open #AI & Google...and not at all in Meta’s" https://www.platformer.news/ai-action-plan-submissions-meta-google-openai-anthropic/
Last night, Isr@e1 launched dozens of attacks in #Gaza. P@lestin!an officials say >320 people have been killed.
Big Tech's involvement in Isr@e1's ap@rthe!d + genoc!de goes beyond complicity. Find out more in the latest version of our free newsletter: https://blog.peoplevsbig.tech/the-people-vs-genocide/
🚨 New report alert! Going forward we want Big Tech platforms to focus on design-related risks, enhance transparency, and ensure risk assessments reflect real-world harms.
Check out the full report here 🤓👾 https://cdt.org/insights/dsa-civil-society-coordination-group-publishes-an-initial-analysis-of-the-major-online-platforms-risks-analysis-reports/
🚨 Amazing event from our collaborators on The People newsletter tomorrow @thecitizens! Sign up here 👀 https://dispatch.the-citizens.com/resisting-big-tech/
Love to see this from the excellent @eff over in the US! They've put together a directory of independent community organisations cross the United States work to support digital rights and empower their local communities 😍👾 https://efa.eff.org/pages/about
"Facebook’s owner #Meta has this year led the charge against the EU’s #AI Act...with tech lobbyists in the bloc believing they can successfully water down implementation of a law considered the world’s strictest regime over the cutting edge technology." https://www.ft.com/content/3e75c36e-d29e-40ca-b2f1-74320e6b781f
🚨 New newsletter alert! Ft. An interview with a fired Meta worker on internal censorship, overview of Big Tech's involvement in Isr*eli apartheid, the real reason the US tried to ban TikTok...and a sprinkling of hope 👀👾
Full story + subscribe link here: https://blog.peoplevsbig.tech/the-people-vs-genocide/
According to @TechRadar, the two Big Tech companies are set to come out "relatively unscathed," adding that it's possible Trump's threats to impose tariffs against countries and fine US companies may be a factor at play here. What do you think? https://www.techradar.com/pro/apple-and-meta-set-to-face-fines-for-alleged-breaches-of-eu-dma
The new head of the US Justice Department’s antitrust division unites right and left with a sceptical view of big business. She has expressed concern about market concentration and said enforcement should be focused sectors that affect Americans’ daily lives, including tech 👀 https://www.ft.com/content/769709d5-f897-497d-a8f2-ce15a3c977ed
"According to #Meta's own data, more than 300,000 accounts and pages on Facebook are posting about Cyclone Alfred. However, users who tried to learn more about it using the search term on the social media platform were coming up with empty or non-related results." https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-03-05/meta-blocked-facebook-searches-cyclone-alfred/105013014
🚨 New: For too long, Google's monopolistic practices have undercut competition & blocked innovation. Together with Duck Duck Go, search engines, browsers, civil + consumer groups, we're calling on the EU Commission to act. The Digital Markets Act must be enforced.
We have tools, let's use 'em! 🛠️
The internet was 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘁 to be a space where anything was possible and everyone has an equal voice. That feels less and less true - especially on 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 platforms (owned by Tech Bro Billionaires) more than others ('decentralised' ones)
Check out The People for a deep dive on the harms of Big Tech every fortnight and check out our suggested ways to push back!
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"Together we’re rising up to build
a better digital world.''