Frank McCourt, a prominent US real estate billionaire, has set his sights on an ambitious endeavor – acquiring the popular social media platform TikTok to wrest control of the internet from the clutches of major tech giants. His mission is driven by a firm belief that these tech behemoths are not only endangering children but also contributing to the destabilization of society.
McCourt, known for his former ownership of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team and his current proprietorship of the renowned French football club Olympique de Marseille, has long been a vocal critic of the immense power wielded by big tech platforms. He accuses them of manipulating users, fueling societal unrest, and posing a threat to the well-being of children.
In an interview with AFP at the Collision tech conference in Toronto, McCourt expressed his concerns, stating, "We are being manipulated by these big platforms. And that's why we see in free societies everywhere, there's sort of the world on fire, right?" He cited the potential far-right victory in the upcoming French parliamentary elections as a prime example of the chaos and polarization perpetuated by these platforms' algorithms.
Protecting Children and Restoring Internet Freedom
McCourt's motivation to take action stems from a deeply personal concern – the impact of social media on his own seven children. "This internet is predatory. It's doing a lot of damage to kids. We see the anxiety, the depression, and an epidemic now of children taking their lives," he lamented.
To address this pressing issue, McCourt is spearheading a campaign for a "new internet" – an open-source, decentralized protocol where users regain control over their personal data, regardless of the social media app they use. He envisions a future where individuals, not corporations, have sovereignty over their digital footprint.
"These platforms have hundreds of thousands of individual attributes about each of us. And it's not just where we shop or what we like to eat or where we physically are present. It's about how we think, how we emote, how we react, how we behave," McCourt explained, highlighting the extensive data harvesting practices of current tech giants.
The TikTok Acquisition: A Game-Changer
McCourt's ambitious plan, dubbed "Project Liberty," has gained significant traction, with the support of internet pioneer Tim Berners-Lee and Jonathan Haidt, a New York University professor whose book "The Anxious Generation" delves into the detrimental effects of social media on young people.
Acquiring TikTok, the wildly popular video-sharing platform owned by Chinese tech company ByteDance, would propel Project Liberty to new heights. McCourt believes that bringing TikTok's vast user base, predominantly comprised of younger generations, into his decentralized internet ecosystem could be a game-changer.
However, the path to acquiring TikTok is fraught with challenges. The company is currently embroiled in legal battles with the US government, which has given TikTok 270 days to find a non-Chinese buyer or face a nationwide ban, citing national security concerns over the potential transfer of American user data to China.
McCourt acknowledges these concerns but argues that the issue extends far beyond TikTok. "I hope that this TikTok issue will make that light bulb go off for people, and they'll realize (that even on other platforms) their data is being scraped and shipped somewhere," he stated. He believes that the current model, where user data is controlled by a handful of powerful entities, is fundamentally undemocratic.
As the battle for internet sovereignty rages on, McCourt's audacious vision to reshape the digital landscape has captured the attention of industry leaders and policymakers alike. Whether his ambitious plan to acquire TikTok and establish a decentralized internet protocol succeeds remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: the fight to reclaim control over personal data and protect the well-being of users, especially children, has found a formidable champion in Frank McCourt.
