About the Society
FamilyNet is an initiative of the Safe Social Networking Society, a Canadian nonprofit organization based in British Columbia.
The Society was established to explore and develop more private, accountable and responsible approaches to online interaction.
We believe technology should serve people without requiring them to surrender their privacy, accept constant tracking or become the product.
Our Purpose
Technology has become part of almost every aspect of our lives. As digital platforms have grown, so have concerns about privacy, tracking, data collection, online safety and the way people are treated within digital environments.
The Safe Social Networking Society advocates for online environments built around identity, trust, privacy, accountability and clearly defined boundaries.
Our focus is not on adding more complexity to the Internet. It is on encouraging simpler and more responsible ways of designing digital services.
People should be able to understand how an online service works, what information it collects, how that information is used, and who they are interacting with.
Our Approach
Start with how the online environment is designed.
For years, much of the response to online harm has focused on managing outcomes through education, safeguards, parental controls, moderation and regulation.
These measures have an important role, but the Society believes we must also address the design of the underlying environment.
What if identity, boundaries, accountability and privacy were considered at the beginning rather than added later?
FamilyNet is our practical exploration of that idea.
FamilyNet
FamilyNet is the Society's approach to rethinking social networking.
It is a single Canada-wide social network built around verified members, individual accountability, privacy and real connection.
Every continuing FamilyNet member is required to complete identity verification. This helps establish a simple principle: participation should be connected to a real, identifiable person rather than an anonymous account.
FamilyNet does not depend on advertising, behavioural tracking, data harvesting or engagement algorithms to operate.
Designed Differently
✓ Verified Members
✓ No Ads
✓ No Data Harvesting
✓ No Tracking for Advertising
✓ No Engagement Algorithms
✓ No Sale of Member Information
Governance and Independence
Safe Social Networking Society is a member-funded nonprofit society registered in British Columbia, Canada.
The Society operates independently and is funded through membership fees.
The Society does not accept charitable donations, grants or subsidies from private or public organizations or individuals.
This independence helps keep the Society's work focused on the people and communities its initiatives are intended to serve.
Society Incorporation No. S0081600
A Message from the Founder
I believe online socializing should, as closely as possible, reflect the way we socialize in real life: naturally, freely and without the commercial and technological influences that have become embedded in today's digital environments.
That difference matters, particularly for younger generations who are growing up with online socializing. If the divide between real-life and online interaction continues to grow, there is a risk that what once seemed unusual gradually becomes normal, while natural human interaction becomes less familiar and less valued.
I do not believe the answer is simply to add more safeguards to the social networking models we already have. We don't just need safer social networking outcomes, we should also be willing to question the models themselves.
FamilyNet is one attempt to explore what a different approach might look like. It starts with a simple premise: technology should support human relationships, not redefine them.
My hope is not that FamilyNet provides all the answers. It is that it demonstrates something important: we do have choices, and practical alternatives are possible.
Amrit Dhillon
Founder
Safe Social Networking Society
Contact Us
Questions about FamilyNet or the Safe Social Networking Society?
