In the Nordic countries, ethical alternatives are growing on the social networks of tech giants.

CopenhagenImagine a digital world where social media platforms weren't used to collect users' private data, nor did they try to capture users' attention for as long as possible so they wouldn't leave the app. Imagine social media that truly served to unite people in the virtual and physical worlds, and facilitated a dialogue marked by democracy and decency online.

With this premise, Danish brothers Tue and Jakob Oxenvad have created a new social network that seeks to break into the overwhelming dominance of American tech giants on social media. But as much as the Oxenvalds' goal seems impossible to achieve, they are not alone, as new platforms are emerging from Scandinavian countries that promise to be an ethical and democratically responsible alternative to Facebook, X, Instagram, and TikTok.

The new Danish social network is called Meningspunktet (Point of View), and its creators are committed to fostering dialogue within local communities. There's no room here for fake users, troll armies, or content generated not by other users but by artificial intelligence. To open a profile on this social network, you must use the equivalent of a Danish digital ID, thus avoiding fake or anonymous profiles. Users must establish their municipality, and from there they can connect with other citizens, associations or companies, businesses, and local politicians. Furthermore, users will only find content and ads from other users, organizations, or companies with whom they wish to interact.

Another difference is that at Meningspunktet, user data is not collected for commercial purposes or to display ads. Similarly, the data centers that store this data are located within Denmark thanks to a supercomputer recently inaugurated at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), allowing companies and public institutions to no longer rely on large foreign technology companies to store their data.

As co-founder Tue Oxenvad explained, Meningspunktet aims to combat the noise, rough seas, and manipulation that reign on social media today: "We want to do something markedly different from what's out there now. At Meningspunktet, we focus on digital well-being, citizens' rights, and providing users with tools to navigate the conversation," she said.

Cutting dependence on tech giants

In recent years, several alternative social networks have emerged with varying degrees of success. But since American tech moguls aligned themselves with the Donald Trump administration, this has opened the door to the creation of new ethical social networks. In the Nordic countries, these alternatives have coalesced into the Nordic Media Lab network, a business community committed to "democratic technology" based on the Nordic values of "enlightenment, trust, and social cohesion." One successful example is the messaging service Oase, which reaffirms itself as "a non-addictive alternative to WhatsApp" since it has no cookies nor does it track user activity.

Another digital initiative that has emerged in Norway is the social network Hudd, which currently has 120,000 users. Åkre has managed to attract former Facebook users. However, "we've also encountered skepticism from technology experts and advisors," Åkre acknowledged. "The usual criticism is that Hudd won't amount to anything because it's impossible to compete with Meta. And we work closely with municipalities, associations, and small and medium-sized businesses, while upholding the values of Norwegian democracy," Åkre argued.

Citizens' dependence on tech giants is also a concern for the Danish government. According to Digitalization Minister Caroline Stage, "no one should feel compelled to use the digital services of tech giants to be part of a community or to function in society." A committee of experts warned in a report for the ministry that "it's not that we should stop using digital solutions; on the contrary, as a society, we must regain control of our digital infrastructure by creating alternatives to the platforms that exist today." A first step has been taken by the country's two largest cities, Copenhagen and Aarhus, which have stopped using Microsoft services in public administration. The city councils calculated that the annual price increases for these services were equivalent to hiring 200 nurses, money that will no longer go to the tech giants.