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7 Tech platforms that unite instead of divide
| From | Project Liberty <[email protected]> |
| Subject | 7 Tech platforms that unite instead of divide |
| Date | November 25, 2025 4:54 PM |
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The internet isn't broken—these 7 tools prove it
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November 25th, 2025 // Did someone forward you this newsletter? Sign up to receive your own copy here. ([link removed] )
7 Tech platforms that unite instead of divide
Imagine what the headlines could have been.
“Online platform helps citizens find common ground.”
“The internet delivers on its promise to reduce polarization.”
“Researchers find that social media creates intentional space for listening and dialogue.”
“Study finds that spending more time online reduces bias and boosts mental health.”
“The best tool for democracy: Digital platforms where citizens engage with each other in constructive conversation.”
But instead, we have: “The Internet is a Misery Machine ([link removed] ) ,” and “The Internet is a Wasteland, So Give Kids Better Places to Go ([link removed] ) ”.
In the last two decades, we’ve learned that social media reinforces echo chambers ([link removed] ) and reduces exposure to diverse perspectives. We’ve read studies that found that incendiary posts receive more engagement ([link removed] ) and widen divides. And we’ve seen how provocative posts fuel engagement, and engagement fuels the profit ([link removed] ) of Big Tech platforms.
The fictional headlines above strike us as almost fantastical. The technology that shapes our lives does not bring us together to find common ground, and it does not ease polarization or expand our tolerance for each other. Outside a few small pockets of the web, sustained, constructive dialogue across ideological, racial, or religious lines has been the exception rather than the norm.
Yet as we explored last week in Part I of our series ([link removed] ) on prosocial technology, none of this was preordained. The fractures we see online reflect design choices. Platforms that were optimized for attention created the incentives that now shape our information diets and civic life. Different choices—grounded in human agency and connection—could have produced a very different internet.
With Thanksgiving around the corner in the U.S., a holiday centered on gathering and taking stock of what holds us together, it’s worth remembering that the digital world can reflect those same values.
Prosocial platform design creates online behavior that upholds human dignity and supports public problem-solving, as the authors of the Blueprint on Prosocial Tech Design Governance ([link removed] ) note. The Blueprint’s goal is simple: make prosocial design the norm. While many platforms have far to go, some already embed these principles. They are bridging divides, fostering constructive dialogue, and surfacing collective wisdom.
In this week’s newsletter, we explore the state of prosocial, deliberative technology by highlighting seven examples.
// The landscape of prosocial tech
Here are seven tech tools that are bringing prosocial design to life.
#1: Pol.is ([link removed] ) - Deliberation at scale
What it is: Pol.is ([link removed] ) is a free, open-source platform that helps societies “listen at scale” and make sense of diverse viewpoints.
Who uses it: Governments from Finland and the U.K., to Singapore and Taiwan, have used Pol.is ([link removed] ) . In Taiwan, Digital Minister Audrey Tang used it to power vTaiwan ([link removed] ) , an open consultation process for national issues.
What it reveals: Pol.is ([link removed] ) generates automatic data visualizations showing where agreement already exists beneath polarized debates. Algorithms identify statements supported across all opinion clusters, helping groups discover the consensus they already share. Most issues aren't “us vs. them” but complex spectrums with shared values at the center.
How it works differently:
- It reduces self-censorship through anonymity.
- It eliminates toxicity by removing the reply button.
- Participants can agree, disagree, pass, or submit their own ideas.
~~~
#2: Ethelo ([link removed] ) - Structured community input at scale
What it is: Ethelo is a digital platform powering Engaged California ([link removed] ) , a deliberative democracy initiative launched in California in 2025 ([link removed] ) .
Who participates: California residents and specific communities (such as wildfire survivors in Los Angeles) participate via engaged.ca.gov ([link removed] ) .
How it works: It facilitates anonymous, moderated online sessions where participants:
- Weigh policy options.
- Rank priorities.
- See how their responses compare with the broader group.
What the algorithm does: The Ethelo technology funnels thousands of comments into structured choices and highlights consensus-backed actions.
What it delivers: Ethelo generates community-driven recommendations that the state presents to policymakers.
~~~
#3: Remesh ([link removed] ) - AI-powered conversational research
What it is: Remesh is an AI platform for conversational research that helps people find common ground.
Real-world application: Remesh powers AI Pulse, launched by the Alliance for Middle East Peace ([link removed] ) (ALLMEP) after the October 7, 2023 escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Who participated: Jewish Israelis, Palestinians, and Palestinian citizens of Israel all participated in anonymous, structured conversations about the region's future.
How it works: Real-time text-based engagement in participants' own languages, where they:
- Respond to open-ended prompts.
- Vote on statements made by others.
- Participate in subsequent polls.
What the AI does: AI algorithms then analyze responses in real time to identify shared values, areas of division, and actionable insights.
What it delivers: Remesh delivers data-driven insights that are shared with ALLMEP's network of 170+ member organizations and international policymakers.
~~~
#4: Frankly ([link removed] ) - Open-source video deliberation
What it is: Frankly is an open-source (AGPL license) online video-based discourse platform designed for constructive dialogue and collaborative decision-making.
Who built it: Frankly originated out of Harvard's Applied Social Media Lab at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society ([link removed] ) . It was co-developed with Professor Lawrence Lessig (founder of Creative Commons, Deliberations.us, and Equal Citizens).
Background: Built on a framework from Lightning Rod Labs (acquired by Harvard in 2024), Frankly has been previously used by Deliberations.us, AllSides, Living Room Conversations, Listen First Project, and Unify America.
How it works: Frankly offers...
- Video-based discussions in balanced breakout rooms, with intelligent group matching, which automatically creates diverse breakout rooms to ensure a variety of perspectives.
- Structured discussion guides embedded directly in the platform.
- Deliberative tools to gather feedback and crowdsource solutions.
- A “Nymity ([link removed] ) ” feature creates a “trustspace” where participants explore ideas without pressure of personal identifiers.
Who uses it: Educational institutions, government agencies, corporations, and civic organizations seeking to bridge societal divides have used Frankly.
What it delivers: Frankly helps move communities beyond polarization toward understanding and collaborative problem-solving.
~~~
#5: Deliberation.io ([link removed] ) - AI-facilitated mass dialogue
What it is: Deliberation.io ([link removed] ) is a nonprofit platform enabling large-scale citizen deliberations for democratic decision-making.
Who built it: It is a collaborative effort between Stanford's Digital Economy Lab (DEL) and MIT GOV/LAB.
Key innovation: Deliberation.io ([link removed] ) uses AI agents as facilitators to enable thousands of participants to engage in structured, productive dialogues simultaneously.
How it works: It has four core components ([link removed] ) :
- Solo engagement with the topic.
- AI-human Socratic dialogue that prompts reflection.
- "Face of the Crowd" view showing distribution of others' opinions.
- Dynamic Deliberation where AI generates follow-up questions.
Washington D.C. first deployment: The District of Columbia is the first U.S. city ([link removed] ) to use Deliberation.io for its AI Public Listening Session (July 2024), gathering public input on AI policy development.
What it delivers: Deliberation.io ([link removed] ) creates actionable solutions and consensus statements with overwhelming support across diverse participants for high-stakes public policy contexts.
~~~
#6: Stanford Deliberative Democracy Lab ([link removed] ) - Research through deliberative polling
What it is: Stanford’s Deliberative Democracy Lab is a research lab devoted to studying democracy and public opinion through Deliberative Polling ([link removed] ) methodology.
How Deliberative Polling works:
- Brings together randomly selected citizens.
- Surveys initial opinions on important issues.
- Provides balanced information and extended discussion time with experts and each other.
- Re-surveys participants to measure how views changed through deliberation.
Real-world application: In 2024, Taiwan's Ministry of Digital Affairs partnered with the Lab to bring together 447 Taiwanese citizens in small groups on Stanford's Online Deliberation Platform to discuss policy options for addressing false information and deepfakes.
What it delivers: The Lab generates research-backed insights into how informed deliberation shapes public opinion and democratic decision-making.
~~~
#7: Make.org ([link removed] ) - Civic tech at scale
What it is: Make.org ([link removed] ) is a Europe-based civic-tech platform enabling a wide spectrum of participants to express concrete ideas and vote on proposals through human-driven moderation.
Who they work with: It has worked with public institutions, nonprofit organizations, corporations, and researchers to engage large groups democratically.
Scale: 11.9 million participants and 1,200+ partners to date.
2024 initiative: Make.org launched “AI For Democracy Democratic Commons ([link removed] ) ” with Sciences Po and other partners—a global research program exploring how generative AI can enhance democratic processes and citizen engagement.
// The beginning of prosocial technology
The seven platforms and initiatives above are a small sampling. Project Liberty Alliance Member RadicalxChange shares additional tools ([link removed] ) on its website.
“There is a lot of energy around these technologies that can drive democratic change and upgrade institutions,” Harrison Leon of Project Liberty said. “Assuming that governing institutions must scale and evolve as populations grow, we are at a unique and exciting moment because there is an acute demand for new democratic tools. Many of the existing solutions are now fit for purpose and ready for deployment.”
For democracy to thrive in the digital age, we need smaller spaces, deliberative practices, and tools that cultivate healthy dialogue. Tech is no panacea for the project of embracing pluralism and leaning in, nor is it a substitute for the bridging that happens offline (such as during Thanksgiving this week). But, as Leon says, these tools represent some of the best of “what democracy looks like.”
Other notable headlines
// 🎙 In a podcast from The Verge ([link removed] ) , journalist Cory Doctorow explains how the internet got enshittified, and what we’re supposed to do about it. (Free).
// 🌎 An article from The Markup ([link removed] ) examined how Big Tech companies guard the profits they extract around the world. (Free).
// 🤔 When the people making AI seem trustworthy are the ones who trust it the least, it shows that incentives for speed are overtaking safety. An article in The Guardian ([link removed] ) profiled the AI workers who tell their friends and family to stay away from AI. (Free).
// 🛡 An essay in Noema Magazine ([link removed] ) argued that we must prevent AI models from learning about human weaknesses by banning certain data from their training sets. (Free).
// 📱 Screen-time worries send parents in increasingly desperate directions. Parents are turning to $8,000 ‘detox’ camps to rein in kids’ tech usage, according to an article in The Washington Post ([link removed] ) . (Paywall).
// 🤖 The godmother of AI didn’t expect it to be this massive. In a Bloomberg profile ([link removed] ) , Stanford scientist Fei-Fei Li talks about teaching machines to see as humans do, the US-China AI arms race, and what worries her about a more automated future. (Paywall).
// 📈 Pew Research ([link removed] ) has new data on Americans’ social media use in 2025. Growing shares of U.S. adults say they are using Instagram, TikTok, WhatsApp and Reddit, but YouTube still rises to the top. (Free).
Partner news
// Seminar on the impacts of U.S. school smartphone bans
December 2 | Hybrid - Stanford University
The Tech Impact and Policy Center will host economist Hunt Allcott for a seminar examining early quasi-experimental evidence on how school smartphone bans affect students. Register here ([link removed] ) .
// ASML hosts 2025 Synthesizer & Open Showcase
December 4 | Hybrid - Lewis International Law Center, Cambridge, MA
The Applied Social Media Lab is opening its doors for an afternoon of talks, demos, and community-building focused on public-interest social and civic technology. Register here: in-person ([link removed] ) or virtual ([link removed] ) .
// Voices from Istanbul spotlight cooperative alternatives for AI
The Cooperative AI Conference, a four-day gathering, brought participants from more than 30 countries to examine the concentration of power in today’s AI ecosystem and its consequences for democracy, labor, and culture. Read the recap here ([link removed] ) and here ([link removed] ) .
What did you think of today's newsletter?
We'd love to hear your feedback and ideas. Reply to this email.
// Project Liberty builds solutions that advance human agency and flourishing in an AI-powered world.
Thank you for reading.
Facebook ([link removed] )
LinkedIn ([link removed] )
Twitter ([link removed] )
Instagram ([link removed] )
Project Liberty footer logo ([link removed] )
10 Hudson Yards, Fl 37,
New York, New York, 10001
Unsubscribe ([link removed] ) Manage Preferences ([link removed] )
© 2025 Project Liberty LLC
View in browser ([link removed] )
November 25th, 2025 // Did someone forward you this newsletter? Sign up to receive your own copy here. ([link removed] )
7 Tech platforms that unite instead of divide
Imagine what the headlines could have been.
“Online platform helps citizens find common ground.”
“The internet delivers on its promise to reduce polarization.”
“Researchers find that social media creates intentional space for listening and dialogue.”
“Study finds that spending more time online reduces bias and boosts mental health.”
“The best tool for democracy: Digital platforms where citizens engage with each other in constructive conversation.”
But instead, we have: “The Internet is a Misery Machine ([link removed] ) ,” and “The Internet is a Wasteland, So Give Kids Better Places to Go ([link removed] ) ”.
In the last two decades, we’ve learned that social media reinforces echo chambers ([link removed] ) and reduces exposure to diverse perspectives. We’ve read studies that found that incendiary posts receive more engagement ([link removed] ) and widen divides. And we’ve seen how provocative posts fuel engagement, and engagement fuels the profit ([link removed] ) of Big Tech platforms.
The fictional headlines above strike us as almost fantastical. The technology that shapes our lives does not bring us together to find common ground, and it does not ease polarization or expand our tolerance for each other. Outside a few small pockets of the web, sustained, constructive dialogue across ideological, racial, or religious lines has been the exception rather than the norm.
Yet as we explored last week in Part I of our series ([link removed] ) on prosocial technology, none of this was preordained. The fractures we see online reflect design choices. Platforms that were optimized for attention created the incentives that now shape our information diets and civic life. Different choices—grounded in human agency and connection—could have produced a very different internet.
With Thanksgiving around the corner in the U.S., a holiday centered on gathering and taking stock of what holds us together, it’s worth remembering that the digital world can reflect those same values.
Prosocial platform design creates online behavior that upholds human dignity and supports public problem-solving, as the authors of the Blueprint on Prosocial Tech Design Governance ([link removed] ) note. The Blueprint’s goal is simple: make prosocial design the norm. While many platforms have far to go, some already embed these principles. They are bridging divides, fostering constructive dialogue, and surfacing collective wisdom.
In this week’s newsletter, we explore the state of prosocial, deliberative technology by highlighting seven examples.
// The landscape of prosocial tech
Here are seven tech tools that are bringing prosocial design to life.
#1: Pol.is ([link removed] ) - Deliberation at scale
What it is: Pol.is ([link removed] ) is a free, open-source platform that helps societies “listen at scale” and make sense of diverse viewpoints.
Who uses it: Governments from Finland and the U.K., to Singapore and Taiwan, have used Pol.is ([link removed] ) . In Taiwan, Digital Minister Audrey Tang used it to power vTaiwan ([link removed] ) , an open consultation process for national issues.
What it reveals: Pol.is ([link removed] ) generates automatic data visualizations showing where agreement already exists beneath polarized debates. Algorithms identify statements supported across all opinion clusters, helping groups discover the consensus they already share. Most issues aren't “us vs. them” but complex spectrums with shared values at the center.
How it works differently:
- It reduces self-censorship through anonymity.
- It eliminates toxicity by removing the reply button.
- Participants can agree, disagree, pass, or submit their own ideas.
~~~
#2: Ethelo ([link removed] ) - Structured community input at scale
What it is: Ethelo is a digital platform powering Engaged California ([link removed] ) , a deliberative democracy initiative launched in California in 2025 ([link removed] ) .
Who participates: California residents and specific communities (such as wildfire survivors in Los Angeles) participate via engaged.ca.gov ([link removed] ) .
How it works: It facilitates anonymous, moderated online sessions where participants:
- Weigh policy options.
- Rank priorities.
- See how their responses compare with the broader group.
What the algorithm does: The Ethelo technology funnels thousands of comments into structured choices and highlights consensus-backed actions.
What it delivers: Ethelo generates community-driven recommendations that the state presents to policymakers.
~~~
#3: Remesh ([link removed] ) - AI-powered conversational research
What it is: Remesh is an AI platform for conversational research that helps people find common ground.
Real-world application: Remesh powers AI Pulse, launched by the Alliance for Middle East Peace ([link removed] ) (ALLMEP) after the October 7, 2023 escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Who participated: Jewish Israelis, Palestinians, and Palestinian citizens of Israel all participated in anonymous, structured conversations about the region's future.
How it works: Real-time text-based engagement in participants' own languages, where they:
- Respond to open-ended prompts.
- Vote on statements made by others.
- Participate in subsequent polls.
What the AI does: AI algorithms then analyze responses in real time to identify shared values, areas of division, and actionable insights.
What it delivers: Remesh delivers data-driven insights that are shared with ALLMEP's network of 170+ member organizations and international policymakers.
~~~
#4: Frankly ([link removed] ) - Open-source video deliberation
What it is: Frankly is an open-source (AGPL license) online video-based discourse platform designed for constructive dialogue and collaborative decision-making.
Who built it: Frankly originated out of Harvard's Applied Social Media Lab at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society ([link removed] ) . It was co-developed with Professor Lawrence Lessig (founder of Creative Commons, Deliberations.us, and Equal Citizens).
Background: Built on a framework from Lightning Rod Labs (acquired by Harvard in 2024), Frankly has been previously used by Deliberations.us, AllSides, Living Room Conversations, Listen First Project, and Unify America.
How it works: Frankly offers...
- Video-based discussions in balanced breakout rooms, with intelligent group matching, which automatically creates diverse breakout rooms to ensure a variety of perspectives.
- Structured discussion guides embedded directly in the platform.
- Deliberative tools to gather feedback and crowdsource solutions.
- A “Nymity ([link removed] ) ” feature creates a “trustspace” where participants explore ideas without pressure of personal identifiers.
Who uses it: Educational institutions, government agencies, corporations, and civic organizations seeking to bridge societal divides have used Frankly.
What it delivers: Frankly helps move communities beyond polarization toward understanding and collaborative problem-solving.
~~~
#5: Deliberation.io ([link removed] ) - AI-facilitated mass dialogue
What it is: Deliberation.io ([link removed] ) is a nonprofit platform enabling large-scale citizen deliberations for democratic decision-making.
Who built it: It is a collaborative effort between Stanford's Digital Economy Lab (DEL) and MIT GOV/LAB.
Key innovation: Deliberation.io ([link removed] ) uses AI agents as facilitators to enable thousands of participants to engage in structured, productive dialogues simultaneously.
How it works: It has four core components ([link removed] ) :
- Solo engagement with the topic.
- AI-human Socratic dialogue that prompts reflection.
- "Face of the Crowd" view showing distribution of others' opinions.
- Dynamic Deliberation where AI generates follow-up questions.
Washington D.C. first deployment: The District of Columbia is the first U.S. city ([link removed] ) to use Deliberation.io for its AI Public Listening Session (July 2024), gathering public input on AI policy development.
What it delivers: Deliberation.io ([link removed] ) creates actionable solutions and consensus statements with overwhelming support across diverse participants for high-stakes public policy contexts.
~~~
#6: Stanford Deliberative Democracy Lab ([link removed] ) - Research through deliberative polling
What it is: Stanford’s Deliberative Democracy Lab is a research lab devoted to studying democracy and public opinion through Deliberative Polling ([link removed] ) methodology.
How Deliberative Polling works:
- Brings together randomly selected citizens.
- Surveys initial opinions on important issues.
- Provides balanced information and extended discussion time with experts and each other.
- Re-surveys participants to measure how views changed through deliberation.
Real-world application: In 2024, Taiwan's Ministry of Digital Affairs partnered with the Lab to bring together 447 Taiwanese citizens in small groups on Stanford's Online Deliberation Platform to discuss policy options for addressing false information and deepfakes.
What it delivers: The Lab generates research-backed insights into how informed deliberation shapes public opinion and democratic decision-making.
~~~
#7: Make.org ([link removed] ) - Civic tech at scale
What it is: Make.org ([link removed] ) is a Europe-based civic-tech platform enabling a wide spectrum of participants to express concrete ideas and vote on proposals through human-driven moderation.
Who they work with: It has worked with public institutions, nonprofit organizations, corporations, and researchers to engage large groups democratically.
Scale: 11.9 million participants and 1,200+ partners to date.
2024 initiative: Make.org launched “AI For Democracy Democratic Commons ([link removed] ) ” with Sciences Po and other partners—a global research program exploring how generative AI can enhance democratic processes and citizen engagement.
// The beginning of prosocial technology
The seven platforms and initiatives above are a small sampling. Project Liberty Alliance Member RadicalxChange shares additional tools ([link removed] ) on its website.
“There is a lot of energy around these technologies that can drive democratic change and upgrade institutions,” Harrison Leon of Project Liberty said. “Assuming that governing institutions must scale and evolve as populations grow, we are at a unique and exciting moment because there is an acute demand for new democratic tools. Many of the existing solutions are now fit for purpose and ready for deployment.”
For democracy to thrive in the digital age, we need smaller spaces, deliberative practices, and tools that cultivate healthy dialogue. Tech is no panacea for the project of embracing pluralism and leaning in, nor is it a substitute for the bridging that happens offline (such as during Thanksgiving this week). But, as Leon says, these tools represent some of the best of “what democracy looks like.”
Other notable headlines
// 🎙 In a podcast from The Verge ([link removed] ) , journalist Cory Doctorow explains how the internet got enshittified, and what we’re supposed to do about it. (Free).
// 🌎 An article from The Markup ([link removed] ) examined how Big Tech companies guard the profits they extract around the world. (Free).
// 🤔 When the people making AI seem trustworthy are the ones who trust it the least, it shows that incentives for speed are overtaking safety. An article in The Guardian ([link removed] ) profiled the AI workers who tell their friends and family to stay away from AI. (Free).
// 🛡 An essay in Noema Magazine ([link removed] ) argued that we must prevent AI models from learning about human weaknesses by banning certain data from their training sets. (Free).
// 📱 Screen-time worries send parents in increasingly desperate directions. Parents are turning to $8,000 ‘detox’ camps to rein in kids’ tech usage, according to an article in The Washington Post ([link removed] ) . (Paywall).
// 🤖 The godmother of AI didn’t expect it to be this massive. In a Bloomberg profile ([link removed] ) , Stanford scientist Fei-Fei Li talks about teaching machines to see as humans do, the US-China AI arms race, and what worries her about a more automated future. (Paywall).
// 📈 Pew Research ([link removed] ) has new data on Americans’ social media use in 2025. Growing shares of U.S. adults say they are using Instagram, TikTok, WhatsApp and Reddit, but YouTube still rises to the top. (Free).
Partner news
// Seminar on the impacts of U.S. school smartphone bans
December 2 | Hybrid - Stanford University
The Tech Impact and Policy Center will host economist Hunt Allcott for a seminar examining early quasi-experimental evidence on how school smartphone bans affect students. Register here ([link removed] ) .
// ASML hosts 2025 Synthesizer & Open Showcase
December 4 | Hybrid - Lewis International Law Center, Cambridge, MA
The Applied Social Media Lab is opening its doors for an afternoon of talks, demos, and community-building focused on public-interest social and civic technology. Register here: in-person ([link removed] ) or virtual ([link removed] ) .
// Voices from Istanbul spotlight cooperative alternatives for AI
The Cooperative AI Conference, a four-day gathering, brought participants from more than 30 countries to examine the concentration of power in today’s AI ecosystem and its consequences for democracy, labor, and culture. Read the recap here ([link removed] ) and here ([link removed] ) .
What did you think of today's newsletter?
We'd love to hear your feedback and ideas. Reply to this email.
// Project Liberty builds solutions that advance human agency and flourishing in an AI-powered world.
Thank you for reading.
Facebook ([link removed] )
LinkedIn ([link removed] )
Twitter ([link removed] )
Instagram ([link removed] )
Project Liberty footer logo ([link removed] )
10 Hudson Yards, Fl 37,
New York, New York, 10001
Unsubscribe ([link removed] ) Manage Preferences ([link removed] )
© 2025 Project Liberty LLC
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