I can’t let the year pass without mentioning that Philippine journalist Maria Ressa won the Nobel Prize, and gave a powerful acceptance speech.

It’s not by accident that she mentions CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Pres. Rodrigo Duterte in the same breath. Exponential technology’s role in the rise of fascism around the world was her special focus (and also of Nobel prize winner, Dmitry Muratov, editor-in-chief of the independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta). And some of her statements remind me of her talk for the Center for Humane Technology, where she was interviewed by Tristan Harris in “Your Undivided Attention” (podcast), 2019 and 2020. I think the CHT has been very much influenced by Ressa. Their projects and messages are converging. See also Frank Langfitt’s article, “Nobel Peace laureates blast tech giants and warn against rising authoritarianism.”