Safe Social Networking Society
Technology has become part of almost every aspect of our lives. But as digital platforms have grown, so have concerns about privacy, tracking, data sharing, online safety, and the way people are treated within digital environments.
Safe Social Networking Society was formed around a simple belief: online spaces can be designed differently.
They can be safer, more private, more transparent, and more respectful of the people who use them.
Our Mandate
The Society advocates for online environments built around trust, privacy, accountability, and clearly defined boundaries.
Our focus is not on adding more complexity to the Internet. It is on encouraging simpler and more responsible ways of designing digital services, especially where families, communities, and the public are involved.
We believe people should be able to understand how an online service works, what information it collects, how that information is used, and who they are interacting with.
Built on Six Simple Principles
Our approach is guided by six simple principles that challenge some of the practices that have become commonplace across today's online environment.
No Strangers
Where an online environment is intended to be private, participation should be limited to known or appropriately verified members.
No Data Sharing
Personal information should not be shared with third parties for purposes unrelated to providing the service.
No Tracking
People should not have their online activity monitored for advertising or commercial profiling.
No Algorithms
Content should not be manipulated simply to maximize engagement, attention, or time spent online.
No Ads
A person's attention and personal information should not be the price of participating in an online environment.
No Third-Party Logins
Where practical, accounts and identities should remain within the service being used rather than depending on social media or other third-party login providers.
Not every digital service requires the same boundaries. These principles provide a starting point for asking a more fundamental question: can the service be provided without unnecessary tracking, data sharing, advertising, outside dependencies, or exposure to unknown participants?
From Principles to Practical Ideas
Advocacy is important, but ideas also need to be tested in the real world.
The Society supports the development of practical initiatives that explore different ways of building online services around these principles.
These initiatives may serve different purposes and different communities, but they share a common approach: keep the technology simple, collect only what is necessary, avoid unnecessary commercial influence, and place trust at the centre of the design.
Current Initiatives
The Society supports public-interest and community-focused initiatives that put its principles into practice.
FamilyNet explores a different approach to social networking, built around families, trusted communities, privacy, and clearly defined boundaries. It is based on the belief that being social online does not have to require advertising, tracking, algorithms, or sharing personal information with third parties.
VerifiedLink is a free browser extension for Chrome, Firefox and Edge, designed to make links more transparent by helping people see where a link will actually take them before they follow it. It reflects a simple principle: people should be able to make informed decisions about where they go online.
AidNet is a free, Canada-wide service designed to help people affected by natural disasters and other emergencies connect with people and organizations able and willing to assist. It applies the same emphasis on simplicity, privacy, and direct relationships to a practical community need.
While these initiatives serve different purposes, they share a common objective: to explore how online services can be made safer, simpler, more transparent, and more respectful of the people who use them.
Looking Ahead
The Internet will continue to evolve, but some basic questions should remain at the centre of that evolution.
Who is the technology serving? What information is being collected? Why is it being collected? Who has access to it? And can the same service be delivered in a simpler, safer, and more respectful way?
Safe Social Networking Society exists to keep those questions in focus and to support practical work that explores better answers.