Frank H. McCourt Jr. made his fortune in real estate development and now says he wants to rebuild the Internet in hopes of making it a safer space, especially for kids.
McCourt, former owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers and a father of seven, invested $500 million into his initiative project Liberty, which has developed a framework social media apps can operate on (known as a decentralized social networking protocol, or DSNP) that is designed to protect users’ privacy. And after Congress passed a bill in April requiring U.S. TikTok to shut down or sell, the group is sponsoring a bid to buy the American arm of the company.
McCourt, 70, talked to PEOPLE in this week’s issue (on stands Aug. 2) about his vision for a new Net, laid out in a recent book he wrote with journalist Michael J. Casey, OUR BIGGEST FIGHT.
What do you feel is wrong with the current Internet?
The internet has become surveillance-based. It’s predatory. It’s exploitive. Imagine if I was the head of the postal service and said, “I’m going to deliver your mail for free . . . but I’m going to put listening devices in your home, and I’m going to open your mail and read it. I’m going to read your 13-year-old daughter’s diary. I’m going to learn about her and send her stuff to buy and to prey on her vulnerability and I’ll profit from it. When I learn she’s a bit concerned about something, I’m going to send her stuff to make her feel worse. I might also send her things that show her how to harm herself. Everything I read is now mine. Your innermost thoughts and feelings are mine. In other words, I own you.” This is what’s in our homes. It’s creepy, unfair and very harmful.
To read the full Q&A, visit PEOPLE’s website here.