Better Tech:
Putting People First in Cyberspace
Better Tech is an actionable playbook of responsible design, development, use, and regulatory strategies that can be used by everyone to reduce technology’s risks and advance the public good, from policy makers to students and general readers.
From an award-winning pioneer in data infrastructure and leader in public interest technology.
“Thank goodness for this book, and for Francine Berman’s rare mix of clarity and expertise. Better Tech is an essential, commonsense guide to making emerging technologies answerable to the public interest.”
— Jill Lepore, author of The Rise and Fall of the Artificial State
“This novel reframing of digital technology as a public good offers a practical road map to how we can make technology work for us. A must-read for policymakers, local leaders, and anyone who wants to do something but doesn’t know where to start.”
— Bruce Schneier, coauthor of Rewiring Democracy
Rampant security breaches, unwanted surveillance, predators, and misinformation are just a normal part of cyberspace. But what if tech was designed and managed to empower and protect the people who use it?
In Better Tech, Francine Berman explores this question and argues that for society to advance and humanity to thrive, technology must put people first.
Berman focuses on the riskiest and most essential technologies – social media, AI chatbots, search engines – all of which serve as digital critical infrastructure. She argues that the risk mitigation strategies for critical infrastructure like roads, bridges, food systems, and the electrical grid can also be used for cyberspace.
She asserts that the technologies we depend on should, and can, meet the expectations we have for other critical infrastructure: to be safe, dependable, and trustworthy; that humans created technology, and each of us can make it better.