We proudly announce to you the Mission and Vision we have adopted at the Humane Tech Community. Presenting you a set of principles and framework that allow us to move forward with great purpose and focus towards a brighter future with technology.
We strive for technology that is aligned to humans. Technology that serves us, and not drives us apart. To show you how we work towards the goal of making technology more humane we introduce you to:
We envision a future where we have unobtrusive technology that is yet empowering us. Where the digital world is a natural extension of the real one and a reflection of ourselves. A future where humane technology is the norm, and brings us people in harmony with our lives. A future where digital technology no longer restrains or divides us, but rather helps us reach mankind’s full potential.
Our vision is:
Ubiquitous Humane Technology that Stimulates Humans to Flourish and Humanity to Thrive.
The mission of our community then becomes crystal-clear:
We Promote Solutions that Improve Wellbeing, Freedom and Society.
The solutions we are after, are ones that address what is wrong with current tech:
We Discover, Address and Help Eradicate The Harms of Technology.
Through a process of raising awareness towards a cultural awakening, while moving forward with solution-focus and optimism, we will find and grow solutions that help increase technology alignment and make our vision come about.
We Are a Solution Focused Team Who Engage Our Challenges With Optimism.
Our focus areas are essential to align the digital realm to ours. A focus area is represented as a pyramid of needs, where each layer reinforces the next. Building the lower levels firms the groundwork that is needed to reach the top.
These grand pyramids thus represent an ambitous project, where each and everyone of us can help with their construction. In the wider world our community represents just a small group of builders. Only one of many teams that build with us.
We Are One of Many Cooperating Teams and Actively Embrace New Partnerships.
Our pyramids are built in parallel, but priority determines focus. Our focus areas are prioritized as follows:
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Society: This pyramid is involved in making digital technology open and accessible, secure and safe. Allowing us to interact with confidence and communicate in civil ways, with inclusivity for everyone, regardless of gender, race, culture, opinion, politics or profession.
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Wellbeing: With safe, inclusive access now ensured, this pyramid addresses personal and social needs that are at play in the digital realm. Focus is on alleviation and avoidance of adverse physical and mental health effects. Health and harmony, balance in social contexts are requisites to finding happiness online.
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Freedom: The highest levels are those of freedom. The freedom to express ourselves, and with our human digital rights ensured, just as they can be in real life. Right to privacy, to be anonymous, and even to stay offline, to be unreachable when we want. With wellbeing and the social fabric both extending and transcending to the internet we can be free to engage ourselves fully with all our heart. Not engagement with tech but with other people, and express our genuine emotions, letting human values shine. At the top of this pyramid we can truly unleash our creativity and realize our visionary ideas. Tech now allows us to flourish and the future is bright.
One pyramid is special, as it provides the binding force to previous ones: The pyramid of technology alignment.
- Alignment: Technology comes to play extensively in all the focus areas addressed before. And there are common overlaps in all of them. Guidelines, design philosophy, patterns and best-practices, ethics, law and regulations, certification, tests and tools. In order to adopt the right solutions towards humane technology, there is a continuous process of discovery, adoption of what works and finally - when our insights become clear - the ability to evolve technology responsibly.
Building pyramids is no easy task. It involves concerted effort and perseverance by people from all walks of life and with different expertise. We want to make the work as easy as can be, and facilitate a path for you, by helping each other where we can. In this way you are not just giving when working with us, but getting something back.
We Are Open to Everyone and Your Participation Should Be Fun and Rewarding !
That is right. We are volunteers and we work in the open, in the public domain. We assure each one gets honor where it is deserved, attributing your work properly and allowing you to grow and learn new skills. You can become whoever you want in our ever expanding organisation, and let that be know to the wider world. Some selfish motives are entirely okay, and they’ll help you keep motivated along the way.
So here you have it: Our community 
philosophy and principles
It provides clarity and structure and the way forward - the outline of a path - to a future with technology that benefits us all. A future where technology is aligned with humanity’s best interests.
We highly value your feedback: Reflections on new Mission and Vision: Pyramids of Humane Technology
Now… Roll up your sleeves and let’s get to work 
Happy building to you all!
Arnold Schrijver
The Community Team.
