The internet feels fine for most people who use or work with the internet. Faster connection and more coverage mean more to do. Things were never better.
But for people who work for the internet, they see that it is somehow "broken". From privacy issues, surveillance, touch competition for small businesses and more, the internet is simply not ready for the so-called Web 3.0.
This third-generation of the internet is where websites and apps are going to be based on semantic web that is data-driven and focuses on machine-learning data.
For more than two decades, Mozilla has initiatives to turn the internet into a global public resource that is open and accessible to all. One of which, is by connecting people in both joy, and crisis like during the coronavirus.
"But that growth hasn’t come without challenges," said Mozilla.
"In order for the internet and Mozilla to well serve people into the future, we need to keep innovating and making improvements that put the interests of people back at the center of online life."
On its blog post, Mozilla said that:
“Mozilla’s Fix-the-Internet Spring MVP Lab is a day one, start from scratch program to build and test new products quickly. By energizing a community of creators who bring a hacker’s approach to vibrant experimentation, Mozilla aims to help find sustainable solutions and startup ideas around several key themes designed to fix the internet."
"The health of the internet and online life is why we exist, and this is a first step toward ensuring that Mozilla and the web are here to benefit society for generations to come,” said Mozilla co-Founder and interim CEO Mitchell Baker.
The proposed ways include:
- Collaboration & Society: To foster better online collaboration to address issues and emergencies, especially during global crisis.
- Decentralized Web: To build a new, decentralized architecture for the internet from infrastructure, communications, media & money, using the blockchain and peer-to-peer technologies.
- Messaging & Social Networking: To build new ways to communicate online that favors privacy, people, and users’ interests.
- Misinformation & Content: To help people get beyond polarization, filter bubbles and fake news.
- Surveillance Capitalism: To put users back in control of their data, since user data is collected by tech companies and governments.
- Artificial Intelligence: To make it work and benefit communities and citizens.
To make the above happen, Mozilla offers participants of the Fix-the-Internet Spring MVP Lab to:
- Work in teams of two-to-four people.
- Have access to mentorship through virtual weekly collaboration with product and engineering professionals.
- Receive a $2500 stipend per participant. If you are applying as a team, each team member will receive $2500.
- Be eligible for cash prizes: $25k (1st), $10K (2nd) and $5K (3rd).
- Benefit from Mozilla’s promotion of finished projects to gain users and awareness.
- Retain ownership of their projects and intellectual property.