Professor Langheinrich and the Future Foundation draw up the "10 Rules for a Digital World"

The Future Foundation, an interdisciplinary group of 16 academics and authors from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, aims to ensure that technological development serves humanity rather than the other way around. Recently, they presented the "10 Rules for a Digital World" in Vienna. Among the members of this group is Professor Marc Langheinrich, a full professor at USI Faculty of Informatics.

The Future Foundation was established as an independent forum of scholars committed to outlining practical and moral principles for a more equitable and conscious digital society. This group seeks to challenge the fatalistic perspective that views technological transformation as "inevitable" by advocating for a human-centred, democratic, and sustainable approach to innovation.

The "10 Rules for a Digital World" provide clear and concrete guidelines for citizens, businesses, and institutions to consider in their daily technology use. Key principles include: not treating technology as an end in itself, recognising the limitations of machines, preserving nature and human freedom, and ensuring democratic participation in the digital age.

For Professor Langheinrich, an expert in ethics and privacy in information technology, this initiative represents "a collective attempt to bring the discourse on technology back to its original focus: the well-being of people. Digitalisation must never compromise human dignity, but rather support it by offering tools that strengthen individual freedom and responsibility."

The official presentation of the "10 Rules for a Digital World" took place on 29 September 2025 in Vienna, marking the public launch of the Future Foundation, which brings together leading figures from twelve disciplines and eleven universities. The project aims to foster constructive dialogue on how society can proactively navigate and lead the digital transformation, rather than simply endure it.

For more information: www.thefuturefoundation.eu