Preface

That’s important, for attention is important. Attention is like actively directing your brain towards a specific object or subject. If you look at the etymology of the word ‘attention’, you will see that the root of the word literally means ‘to stretch toward’. It was for good reason that the French philosopher Simone Weil considered attention as a spiritual and ethical exercise, a way to cultivate compassion and commitment. Or as Aristotle put it so aptly: ‘What we give attention to, grows’.

Over the past ten years Big Tech has gained more and more control over our attention, deciding what content pops up on our feeds, poking and prodding us until we are amenable.

It is high time to reclaim our attention. For us, but also to restore our society’s resilience.

Meta opposed giving users the option to disable the algorithmic feed. But the Dutch court persisted, after we had charged Meta in summer with violating the Digital Services Act (DSA). This coming year we will work actively to ensure that the adjustments to Meta will be rolled out throughout Europe. And that other platforms will follow Meta’s ‘example’.

We will also continue to breathe down Big Tech’s neck, with more research and legal actions. We will lobby for legislation that better protects our online freedom of choice and attention. Lastly, we will help civil society organizations to reduce their dependence on Big Tech. So yes: in a way Big Tech has our attention but not in the way they would like.

Our attention goes further. In this coming year, we will investigate the use of algorithms in the social domain, and its consequences for people. We resist attempts to erode privacy and AI legislation, and we will dedicate ourselves to make a feisty public debate happen about the possible extension of the powers of secret services. In restless times we need a reliable and predictable government, more than ever.

And these are just a few of our plans. We have big ambitions. Thanks to our thousands of donors and financiers we can take on a little more work every year. But at the same time our work is getting more tense. The political climate in the Netherlands is increasingly grim and the scope for demonstrating and calling out government policies can no longer be taken for granted. And let’s not forget the United States, which increasingly interfere with the work of organizations that bear down on Big Tech.

We are grateful for your attention, now even more than usual. Grateful that you give us your attention, precisely now, because you value our work. And by doing so, you make our work possible. In the coming year we will do everything to translate your attention into pressure and ultimately, into positive change. In this annual report we look back on the past year, while offering a sneak peek at the new year. Happy reading!

Bits of Freedom
May 2026