Welcome

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.

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 Unsolicited Messaging
Contact information should be used only for the purpose for which it was provided. People should not automatically be added to mailing lists, promotional campaigns, newsletters, or other ongoing communications they did not specifically request.

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.

AidNet is a free, Canada-wide service designed to help people affected by natural disasters and other emergencies, and help them rebuild their lives. AidNet's purpose is to connect people who request aid with people and organizations able to provide it. It applies the same emphasis on simplicity, privacy, and direct relationships to a practical community need.

The Society's work is supported by the Siftio Framework, developed by Amrit Dhillon as a foundation for building trusted digital communities around identity, boundaries, governance, accountability, privacy, and sustainability.

FamilyNet is the first practical implementation of the framework. Siftio is licensed to the Society at no cost and is also available for licensing to public, private, educational, and nonprofit organizations.

The name of the society is Safe Social Networking Society.

Location

The society is registered in British Columbia, Canada.

Purpose of the Society

The purpose of the society is to create and maintain a secure, privacy-focused online environment that fosters safe communication and social engagement, free from data exploitation and intrusive practices. Specifically, the society will:

Protect Privacy & Security
Establish and maintain a safe online platform built on strict privacy standards, giving members full control over their personal information, visibility, and interactions.

Foster Respect & Inclusion
Ensure transparent, ethical, and respectful interactions, creating a welcoming community free from harassment and harmful behavior.

Educate & Empower
Provide resources and programs to help members adopt best practices for online safety and digital dignity.

Maintain Independence
Operate as a nonprofit, member-funded organization, free from commercial or external influence, so privacy and security remain the top priority.

Strengthen Trust
Keep the platform secure through regular security audits and continuous improvements in technology and policy.

Advocate & Influence
Engage policymakers, governing bodies, and subject experts to highlight critical security concerns, propose improvements, and shape a safer, more secure digital environment for all.

Member-Funded Statement

This society is a member-funded society. It is funded primarily by its members to carry on activities for the benefit of its members. On its liquidation or dissolution, this society may distribute its money and other property to its members.

The Society does not accept charity donations, grants, or subsidies from any private or public organization, or individuals.

The Society is funded by, and relies exclusively on membership fees.

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.

Online social communities should serve people without requiring them to surrender their privacy, accept constant tracking, or become the product.

I strongly believe online socializing should, as closely as possible, reflect the way we socialize in real life: naturally, freely, and without the commercial and technological influences that have become embedded in today's digital ecosystems.

The Society was founded on my conviction that we have spent too long trying to manage outcomes rather than addressing what creates them. Despite years of awareness, education, safeguards and regulation, the underlying risks and intrusions remain firmly entrenched. It is time to focus on the other end of the equation: how these digital environments are designed in the first place. For the benefit of future generations, I believe we can, and must, build them differently.

The Society's first two initiatives, FamilyNet and AidNet, serve very different purposes, but are built on the same underlying belief: keep technology simple, build around trust, be transparent and respectful, and put people at the centre of the design.

Our work is still evolving. My hope is that these initiatives, and others to come, will not only provide useful services, but also demonstrate that there are practical alternatives to many of the practices we have come to accept online.

Amrit Dhillon
Founder
Safe Social Networking Society