For over two decades, Mozilla has worked to build the internet into a global public resource that is open and accessible to all. As the internet has grown, it has brought wonder and utility to our lives, connecting people in times of joy and crisis like the one being faced today.
But that growth hasn’t come without challenges. 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.
To help achieve this, Mozilla is launching the Fix-the-Internet Spring MVP Lab and inviting coders, creators and technologists from around the world to join us in developing the distributed Web 3.0.
“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.
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:
- Collaboration & Society: particularly in view of the current global crisis: (i) Foster better collaboration online, (ii) Grassroots collaboration around issues & emergencies, (iii) Local & neighborhood support networks, (iv) Supporting small businesses, (v) Social money-pooling for issues, people & businesses.
- Decentralized Web: build a new, decentralized architecture for the internet from infrastructure, communications, media & money, using the blockchain and peer-to-peer technologies.
- Messaging & Social Networking: can we build a new way to communicate online that favors privacy, people, and users’ interests? What needs to evolve?
- Misinformation & Content: ideas for services that help us get beyond polarization, filter bubbles and fake news.
- Surveillance Capitalism: whether it’s big tech or governments, everyone’s collecting your data. How do we put the user back in control of their data?
- Artificial Intelligence that works to benefit communities and citizens.
Participants in the Fix-the-Internet Spring MVP Lab will:
- 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
Visit http://www.mozilla.org/builders for additional details and information on how to apply by the April 6, 2020 deadline.
