THE TRANSHUMAN CODE

MANIFESTO

The TransHuman Code was intended to be a conversation starter for the most important dialogue in which all of us should be engaged — how we use the power of technology to script the best future possible. As the ground rules for engagement, we offered seven declarations to be considered as humanity’s critical technology proclamation — The TransHuman Code Manifesto.

1. Privacy: Securing the privacy of every human being is paramount to realizing the full potential of our future. Therefore, personal data conveyed over the Internet or stored in devices connected to the Internet is owned and solely governed by the individual.

2. Consent: Respecting the authority and autonomy of every human being is paramount to realizing the full potential of our future. Therefore, personal digital data will not be used as research, rationale, enticement, or commodity by any entity or individual, except with the explicit, well-informed, revocable consent of the individual owner of the data.

3. Identity: Valuing the identity of every human being is paramount to realizing the full potential of our future. Therefore, everyone everywhere has the right to be known and validated by the possession of a government-issued digital identity, which can be authenticated and used only by its owner.

4. Ability: Advancing human faculties is paramount to realizing the full potential of our future. Therefore, to that end, the secure, approved, and accountable aggregation of personal information and resources to increase our individual abilities is a fundamental objective of technology.

5. Ethics: Improving the human condition is paramount to realizing the full potential of our future. Therefore, a universal code of ethics reflecting the highest order of human values will govern the development, implementation, and use of technology.

6. Good: Advocating and innovating the greatest good for all humanity is paramount to realizing the full potential of our future. Therefore, technology, no matter how advanced, will never supersede the spiritual purposes or the moral rights and responsibilities of any human being anywhere.

7. Democracy: Democratizing human vision, ingenuity, and education is paramount to realizing the full potential of our future. Therefore, technology will remain humanity’s greatest collaborator but never represent humanity itself.

Developments

1. Government Accountability: Governments are increasingly using algorithms to provide public services without adequate accountability measures to ensure fairness, transparency, and equity.

2. Inequality through AI: Despite the promise of technical neutrality, artificial intelligence is exacerbating inequality and discrimination in societies around the world.

3. Biased Technologies: Technologies with embedded biases are being deployed to purportedly “solve” complex issues in contexts such as migration, social welfare, access to education, and health care, often deepening existing disparities.

4. Big Tech and Disinformation: Big Tech corporations are enabling the rapid spread of mis- and disinformation, with catastrophic consequences for social trust, democracy, and public safety.

5. Pandemic Impact: During the Covid-19 pandemic, the Big Tech-enabled proliferation of conspiracy theories via social media undermined public health efforts and put millions of lives at risk.

6. Social Media Algorithms: Algorithms designed by social media platforms are facilitating the spread of hate speech, incitement to violence, online harassment, and censorship of vulnerable groups.

7. Surveillance and Privacy: Spyware and other forms of targeted surveillance are infringing on individuals’ rights to privacy and creating a chilling effect that discourages participation in social movements or speaking out about human rights.

Expanded Principles for Emerging Technologies

1. Decentralization: Developing alternative technologies and decentralized systems is critical to prevent the concentration of power in the hands of a few. Quantum technology, artificial intelligence, and other advancements must remain accessible and equitably distributed to avoid technological dominance by any single entity or nation.

2. Supervision: Closely monitoring artificial intelligence and quantum technologies is essential to prevent their misuse and ensure humanity retains control. Clear frameworks and global cooperation are required to align these technologies with human values and ethics.

3. Human Rights: Protecting human rights is more critical than ever in the digital age. Technology must empower individuals to express themselves, share opinions, create, and access tools safely and justly. It should act as a force for transparency, accountability, and freedom, enabling humanity to expose wrongdoing and hold power to account.

4. Freedom of Expression: Technology must always serve as an avenue for exercising freedom of expression. Governments and institutions must ensure that the digital space remains a platform for dialogue, creativity, and innovation, fostering a society rooted in justice and equality.

Call to Action

This TransHuman Code Manifesto seeks to engage all stakeholders — governments, businesses, academics, and individuals — in the urgent dialogue about how we harness the immense power of technology responsibly and ethically. Humanity must remain at the center of all innovation, ensuring that technology serves our shared vision of a fair, inclusive, and sustainable future.