For a responsible digital space,
it is time to build

The challenge before us

The digital landscape today faces significant challenges: protecting young people from harassment, combating misinformation in public debate, and preserving our collective ability to think, discuss and make decisions together. These are shared responsibilities that call for diverse, complementary solutions.

Our democracies need diverse voices

The facts are clear: the rise of conspiracy theories, the decline of science in public debate, foreign interference facilitated by digital tools, and unprecedented polarisation of our societies.

The architecture of many platforms, total anonymity, unchecked virality, opaque algorithms, can amplify these issues. This is why new, complementary approaches are needed.

A complementary approach is possible

We believe that the digital landscape benefits from a diversity of approaches. We wish to support a model where the following values guide design decisions:

1. Verified information takes priority over opinion. Only creators and journalists who adhere to an Ethics Charter (inspired by the Munich Charter) should be able to publish.
2. Accountability over anonymity. Identity verification is not systematic, but it should be required for commenting or sending messages. This helps end toxic anonymity while preserving everyone's privacy.
3. Transparency as a standard. Algorithms should be public and selectable by the user. They should be designed to foster learning rather than trapping users in echo chambers.
4. Child protection at the core. Platforms should have built-in safeguards (night-time curfew, daily 3-hour limit) applied to any user who has not verified their age. Identity verification remains optional, and all minors are protected without exception.
5. Learning over passivity. Social media should include tools to stimulate reflection and encourage intellectual curiosity.

Our collective responsibility

French engineers have built such a space with a project called Bulle Media. We do not claim that Bulle is the solution. We say that this project represents a possible path, a necessary experiment, and above all a strong signal that other models are possible.

In a digital landscape dominated by a few major platforms, France and Europe have the opportunity to propose a complementary approach aligned with our values: respect for privacy, child protection, commitment to verified information, and defence of democracy.

We call on citizens, creators, institutions, media, entrepreneurs and public decision-makers to come together to support and build this project.