Democracies remain strong only when the their leaders meet the responsibilities that come with public power.

Thus, I present a necessary question:

Are our leaders living up to these obligations? This is not a partisan question, but rather a democratic one.

4/4

These principles are the baseline and represent the living obligations of every modern democracy:

Rights protected.
Power limited.
Transparency upheld.
Institutions respected.
Leaders accountable.
Communities safe.
Everyone included.

3/4

The fathers of modern democracy reinforced these:

Locke: protect rights.
Rousseau: govern for the general good.
Hobbes: ensure safety and stability.
Montesquieu: limit power.
Mill: protect freedom and the vulnerable.

Different voices & times, same duty: Leadership exists to serve the public! 2/4

7/7 Let's hope we’re entering a phase where tech platforms may be held to the same standards product-manufacturers have faced when they knew of harm and stayed silent. How Meta responds could set a precedent. Let's all stay tuned... Also that 2019 report highly relevant to NZ for many reasons.

6/7 This is not just about an app tilting profitable. It’s about design choices, community safety defaults, algorithmic feeds, engagement mechanics. The plaintiffs allege those features were tweaked or delayed in a way that favoured growth over wellbeing.

5/7 Watch this closely:
• Will Meta have to produce internal documents showing product ↔ harm?
• Will the duty of care owed to service/product users be legally enforced?
• Will regulators treat this like the “Big Tobacco” or "Asbestos" analogies that’s being floated?

4/7 Why is that aspect importants: If a company internally finds harm and then stalls or pends safety changes because of concerns about growth/engagement, that echoes classic mass-tort playbooks. Simply this normally means in the USA liability up, reputational damage up, regulatory heat on.

3/7 The allegedly suppressed research (code-named “Project Mercury”) found that when users took a week off the platform, they reported lower anxiety, loneliness and “social comparison.” Causation, not just correlation which would be a very important finding. 👀

2/7 Plaintiffs in the lawsuit allege Meta knew of the risks, kept quiet, and misled users, regulators, even the public about how safe its apps really are, especially for younger users.

EXPECT MORE
Expect more of our future, with real investment in kids, housing and education.
Expect more in the workplace, with fair pay and stable jobs that build confidence.
Expect more of ourselves, then expect more progress.
If we don’t, let's still expect more: decline, division, insecurity. 3/3

EXPECT MORE
Expect more protection and fairness, because bias grows when no one stops it.
Expect more from our information sources (online & mainstream, and people who post), challenge misinformation.
Expect more climate action, because clean air and healthy rivers are basic, not extra. 2/3

It looks beautiful. Enjoythe season even with a busy schedule

Master Class on finding common ground while you're opinions differed.

Here's a link to the full press conference: www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcUX...

Oscar is guaranteed to clinch the deal for someone :)

Definitely agree.