MeWe — The First Social Network with Privacy by Design
In recent years, the importance of privacy has entered the mainstream like never before. In fact, a recent survey from Harris Poll found that Americans are more concerned with data privacy than job creation. As a leading privacy advocate, I’m heartened to see this transformation in people’s attitudes underway. Privacy is an essential right for all, which is one of the reasons why I created MeWe, the uplifting social network built on trust, control and love for social media users worldwide. Privacy was built into MeWe’s DNA, encompassing all aspects of the platform in a concept called “Privacy by Design.”
What is Privacy by Design?
Privacy by Design is a framework in which privacy is proactively embedded into the creation and operation of IT systems, networked infrastructure, and business practices. The concept was established in 1995 by Dr. Ann Cavoukian during her tenure as Information and Privacy Commissioner for Ontario, Canada.
Dr. Cavoukian recognized that privacy solutions were often only applied after a data breach or other privacy mishap had already occurred. She sought to remedy this problem by creating the framework to prevent breaches from happening in the first place. She codified this concept for the world with her publication of The 7 Foundational Principles of Privacy by Design.
Dr. Cavoukian’s concept has since been adopted by leading institutions, businesses and governments worldwide. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recognized Privacy by Design as a core practice for protecting online privacy, and the European Union made Privacy by Design a foundational component of its General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
MeWe Protects Members with Privacy by Design
MeWe is the first social network built with Privacy by Design. MeWe includes privacy as a foundational element, with privacy protections proactively embedded into its underlying technology, policies and business model.
MeWe makes privacy the default, guaranteeing that you have total control and ownership of your data and your content. MeWe does not create data packets for members. At MeWe, you are the customer to serve and respect, and never data to target, share or sell — that’s why MeWe uses the hashtag #Not4Sale.
At MeWe, you can control your privacy and permissions on a granular level and decide exactly who sees what. You can remove yourself from the search directory, make yourself invisible to other members online, and you have the right to delete your account and take your content with you at any time.
MeWe’s groundbreaking Privacy Bill of Rights established a new standard for the industry, guaranteeing that you have total control of your newsfeeds, data, and your privacy.
Privacy by Design Ambassador
I was honored to meet Dr. Cavoukian in 2012 when she named me Privacy by Design Ambassador. I was given this accolade due to my founding of MeWe via the Sgrouples beta project and in recognition of “thought leadership in the field of online privacy and security, and commitment to the principles of Privacy by Design.”
When I received this recognition, Dr. Cavoukian stated, “Mr. Weinstein’s work with MeWe [Sgrouples] is bringing Privacy by Design to the forefront of the industry’s consciousness. MeWe [Sgrouples] is an excellent example of a positive sum solution–one does not have to sacrifice privacy in order to engage on a social network–you can indeed do both.”
The Future of Privacy
Today, Dr. Cavoukian remains at the forefront of the privacy movement as a world-renowned privacy expert, and currently heads the Privacy by Design Centre of Excellence at Ryerson University. And MeWe continues to lead the industry as the next-gen social network that empowers you to control your social media experience while keeping you safe and protected in an uplifting environment.
The inventor of the Web, Sir Tim Berners-Lee joined MeWe’s advisory board in 2012, and MeWe is realizing Berners-Lee’s extraordinary privacy vision for the Web. This includes MeWe’s plan to be an early adopter of Berners-Lee’s Solid protocol, an open-source project to give Web users complete control over their data, including the freedom to choose where their data resides and who is allowed to access it.
As the world continues to become more digital, and people have more personal data flowing across the Web, Dr. Cavoukian’s concept of Privacy by Design is more vital than ever. At MeWe, we’re honored to be at the vanguard of this movement, working in tandem with luminaries like Dr. Cavoukian and Berners-Lee to provide the world with remarkable communication technology while safeguarding people’s fundamental rights to data ownership and privacy.
In the spirit of human camaraderie, MeWe is where people worldwide are joining together to make authentic, positive connections and share like-minded and disparate ideas, while staying safe and protected in an environment they control.
The next-gen of social networking is here. Let’s MeWe!
Mark Weinstein is a leading privacy advocate and the CEO of MeWe, the award-winning social network with a Privacy Bill of Rights and the №1 Trending Social Site.
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