PByT—Powered by Trust—is the engine of Project Open Democracy, transforming public opinion into evidence that is verifiable, analysable and, therefore, actionable.
Feedback Noise
Every day, billions of people express opinions through comments, likes, shares and online discussions. Together they represent an extraordinary source of human knowledge, experience and public sentiment.
Yet much of this information is fragmented, agenda-driven and increasingly influenced by bots and algorithms, making it difficult to distinguish genuine public opinion from online noise.
PByT Framework
PByT transforms this untapped resource into meaningful collective intelligence through structured feedback. By combining human judgment with artificial intelligence, it provides a practical framework for better decision-making by individuals, communities, organisations and governments alike.
Goals & Vision
PByT has three fundamental goals.
1. Bring democracy into the information age.
Enable citizens to participate in government decision-making on an ongoing, issue-by-issue basis through a new model of Open Democracy.
2. Restore social cohesion.
Move beyond the politics of division by uniting people in purpose around a common vision founded on shared human values and the common good.
3. Transform public opinion into collective intelligence.
Evolve social networking beyond comments, likes and shares by creating a trusted system of structured feedback that makes public opinion verifiable, analyzable and therefore actionable.
The Big Picture
For decades, futurists like Alvin Toffler predicted that the industrial age would give way to a new civilization shaped by information, technology, and new forms of social organization.
That transition is now happening — but our institutions are struggling to keep up.
PByT exists to help bridge that gap by restoring trust and accountability through a common vision that can smooth the transition to the post-industrial society.
“Humanity faces a quantum leap forward. It faces the deepest social upheaval and creative restructuring of all time. Without clearly recognizing it, we are engaged in building a remarkable new civilization from the ground up. This is the meaning of the Third Wave.”Alvin Toffler
Restoring Social Cohesion
The solution to restoring social cohesion begins with rebuilding trust through a common vision that acknowledges that human values, rather than market principles should be the basis of civil society.
The common vision, called the Freedom Declaration for Peace, can also provide the mechanism to ensure technology serves the people not the other way around, through the idea of Reciprocal Terms & Conditions.
This is a much more effective way to mitigate the dangers of AI than regulation and legislation, which will always be a step behind.
“Failing to understand the underlying cause, political leaders around the world are doubling down on regulation and legislation. In the process, they are eroding the fundamental rights and freedoms that underpin modern liberal democracies, further undermining trust and therefore social cohesion.”
MARKET SOCIETY TO CIVIL SOCIETY
Over time, civil society has increasingly been reshaped into a market society — a world where human beings are reduced to data points, community is weakened, and morality is pushed into the private sphere.
The market was meant to serve society. Instead, it has come to dominate it.
This is the result of a social experiment, which started with all the best intentions but now has gone toxic.
PByT restores the rightful role of the market as the servant in civil society, not its master.
“To allow the market mechanism to be the sole director of the fate of human beings and their natural environment would result in the demolition of society.” Karl Polanyi
ENDING THE SCOURGE OF WAR
As new wars and conflicts ignite around the world, people everywhere are asking: Haven’t we learned from history?
From the world wars where millions died and millions more suffered.
Yes — money and power drive wars. But they’re not the biggest driver.
The biggest driver of war is immunity from prosecution. Leaders believe they’re untouchable. They believe they won’t be held accountable by the International Criminal Court.
The Freedom Declaration for Peace specifically calls for the expansion of the International Criminal Court globally to end the scourge of war.
“The biggest driver of war is immunity from prosecution. Leaders believe they’re untouchable. They believe they won’t be held accountable by the International Criminal Court.”
THE CRITICAL QUESTION
Every major civilisation eventually reaches a point where it must rethink the institutions that brought it success. We believe we have reached that point.
Project Open Democracy begins with a simple but critical question that almost no one is asking: What should the emerging post-industrial society look like?
Leaving this question unaddressed risks defaulting to more of the same - a society increasingly defined by market principles of self-interest, competition and profit.
Uniting behind a common vision offers the best starting point, and The Great Signing provides a simple step anyone with an internet connection can take to make it happen.
The Great Signing
Two hundred and fifty years ago, people signed a declaration to build a new nation.
Today, we are being called to sign a declaration to help build a new civilization. One based not on fear, division, and endless war, but on truth, accountability, peace, and human dignity.
For the first time in history, we have an opportunity to shape the future through technology and not simply be victims of change.
You can help shape the future by joining and signing the Freedom Declaration for Peace.
“That dream became known as the American Dream. It was based on a simple but revolutionary idea. That all people, regardless of rank, privilege, or birth, had an equal right to pursue happiness, prosperity, and freedom.”
