We believe in humane technology. It is hard wired into our values, business model and aspirations.
Our Pledge
We harness the positives of technology
To enhance human connection and shared activity - not detract from it
A Connection Paradox
In today's world of constant 'connection' - through email, WhatsApp, social media, instant news … we spend so much time trying to connect through our phones, trying to be part of many groups, that we are moving further and further away from being a part of anything of substance.
It's so easy to spend more hours digitally chatting with people we barely know, than connecting meaningfully with those we love the most.
This tech-fuelled, instant connectivity, can often weaken friendship and is, in fact, creating increased disconnection; pulling us away from that tangible handshake or real hug.
And, as long as social media is driven by advertising and personal data is for sale, this will never change ...
“Reliance on technology has left us fatigued;
Our human connections are more rare and valuable than ever before.
The winning formula is to use technology to support human experiences”
From CX to HX, WPI Report 2020
Here's how ...
Our App exists as a stimulus for human connection - supporting and nurturing the fundamental Allegr premise and process
Our technology is designed to encourage you away from your device and to get you interacting in person
Rooted in robust behavioural science, the app is sensitively designed to trigger and maintain people’s intrinsic motivation - to engage in person, encourage sustainable habits which fuel longevity in health and happiness
It maintains conversation and consolidates community, in between activities
Its functionality helps groups organise these activities efficiently and effectively
It ensures individuals feel they belong, that they matter
“Creating human connection is a much deeper source of value than capturing human attention”
David Jay Centre for Humane Technology
We care about you. And we care about your identity.
Your identity is yours. Protected. Not ours. Or anyone else's
Make no mistake.…we don’t want your data
All personally identifiable information is permanently anonymised and protected.
Further thoughts and principles
We believe that we have a social responsibility, our role is to be open, to be empathetic, to be honest and to be humble. We won’t get everything right but we will learn as we evolve.
When we say we “have zero interest in acquiring personal data for commercial gain” we mean it and we are talking about you. We have all heard the phrase “there is no such thing as a free lunch”. Vast swathes of the technology industry have tried to convince consumers that “free is possible”. It is not. There is always a cost; somebody is paying.
When we set out to launch Allegr we were very clear - we needed to make money to make it work; but we were also clear, this would not be at all costs. If a business model is built around the sale of time or specifically “screen time” then you make very different design choices. We are clear with our values and our mission; this is not compromised by conflicting commercial needs.
We charge money for the service we deliver, we must deliver value to our customers for that service. It is this that allows us to relentlessly focus on our core values and not over other metrics.
This keeps us honest, this keeps us focussed on our members. Not on maximising screen time.
As humans we are inherently social, we want to interact and be with like-minded people. One of our basic survival mechanisms is to find safety within our tribe.
We believe that technology should be used to facilitate and enhance this human need, not to distract and diminish.
Allow technology to aid the optimal circumstances for human nature to take over, let the technology fall into the background and let the brilliance of humans shine in the foreground.
We are not perfect, any platform can be exploited by people who wish to expose vulnerability.
We believe that empathy, knowledge, conversation and openness are the raw ingredients with which to build community. We can’t police every interaction, but we can create the safe frameworks for our members.
Safeguarding for us is about transparency and collective responsibility. We all know the faceless troll is a far greater threat when they are anonymous.
We know that there is bad in the world, but we also know that there is more good. We champion the good.
We know that technology holds a grip on human attention, in fact it is not the technology but instead the application of the technology. We believe that humans are better together, in person sharing experience and forming community.
We build technology to deliver upon our values, we want members to thrive in their community, we are responsible and accepting that this means our technology is secondary and must remain there.
We believe that when presented with a balance of facts and options that we will make the right choice. We accept that as a platform we are in control of that choice and with that comes great responsibility.
This is why we are bold enough to tell our members: ‘Put down your device, close the App’.
Take action, make a move towards a direction you want to take, a direction you know you should take.
We are here to help you choose wisely, but it remains your choice.
These are our principles, we are not alone and we are not perfect. We want to join the conversation and make technology strive for a better world, not to divide the one we have. We’d really love to talk about this, we feel it is our responsibility and, with that, comes our desire to learn more. The Center for Humane Technology is a thought leader on this topic. Please get in touch with us to learn more.
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