The Trust Manifesto by Damian Bradfield
If you could reinvent the internet now, what would it look like?
The internet is our home. In developed countries, second to sleeping are the hours we spend online. Our children and future generations will be permanently connected to this new metaphysical extension of earth and it is our responsibility to ensure that this lynchpin of communication, learning and life is safe. What is becoming increasingly evident is that the internet as it was first intended is vastly different from what it is today. The original intentions were most certainly of a place that was trusted, run by an oligopoly of idealists and fairly lawless.
Today, what is also very evident is that there are vast similarities between the growth of new cities and the internet. As such, there are some great learnings we can apply from history books and the offline world that apply equally as strongly to the online world.
The trust manifesto is a short book divided into 3 parts; the present internet, WeTransfer and our role and potential solutions for the future or what is needed for a better internet.
The book is available for sale now and all proceeds go to United for Global Mental Health.
Buy from Penguin, Amazon, Bol.com.
Illustrations by David Sanchez.
Related articles
2025 WeTransfer plans remix—see our latest plansWe’re remixing WeTransfer’s subscription plans, combining the best of the old with some fresh ideas. Highlights include WeTransfer’s most affordable plan ever, expanded access to powerful features, and the introduction of monthly limits for the Free plan.
Save for now. Get to it laterNever stress about expired links again. Discover how WeTransfer's ‘save for later’ feature lets you store and access important files whenever you need them.
Unleashing our next era of growth, with Bending SpoonsWeTransfer joins the Bending Spoons portfolio of digital businesses
Share big files from the same place you create themWeTransfer Teams Up with Adobe to streamline content sharing with new add-on for Adobe Express
Behind the scenes with WeTransfer and Tribeca FestivalWhy we partnered with the iconic film festival for our latest short film launch
Get Partner Perks with WeTransfer: Unlocking Creativity TogetherNew partner benefits and discounts exclusively for WeTransfer Pro subscribers
Set a price, share your work, and get paid with WeTransferIntroducing a simpler way to get paid for client work and make money from your creativity
“Move it like a Pro” campaign highlights simple tools that help creatorsA behind the scenes look into WeTransfer's latest brand campaign
New Rules: Inspiring creatives at a difficult timeWe’ve launched a guide to help photographers navigate an industry in flux
Creating a world? Join our new research projectSubmit your projects to get published in our new memo, take part in our research and get paid for doing it.
Talk to the Moon: one giant leap for WeTransferThe story of Talk to the Moon: a wonderfully strange AI experience, brought to life on WeTransfer
Why we’re giving everyone at WeTransfer Fridays off over the summerIntroducing WeTransfer Time Off: summer edition, with every full Friday during July and August granted as a day off, without changing our work patterns Monday to Thursday or adjusting compensation and benefits
Season 4 roundup - Influence PodcastDuring this season we talk to UK-based fashion designer Harris Reed and Oscar-winning actor, writer, producer and musician Riz Ahmed, plus more
Season 3 roundup - Influence PodcastThroughout this season Damian chats to Ben & Jerry's co-founder Jerry Greenfield and explores what happened behind closed doors at Cambridge Analytica, plus much more
Season 2 roundup - Influence PodcastDuring this season we explore the complexity of being black in America, non verbal communication, plus more
Season 1 roundup - Influence Podcastinfluence-podcast-by-wetransfer-season-1
We’re launching our next actSupporting the next generation of creatives
Meet Holley M. Kholi-Murchison, Our New Creative Researcher-in-ResidenceThe social practice artist sheds light on how our first creative residency came to life
Alva Skog has an ideaYou might notice some cheeky new artwork during your transfers by this Swedish artist. Here's how they came to life.
Designing the 2020 Ideas ReportTo show the impact of a year of chaos on the creative mind, we had to think outside the box
When the going gets tough, the tough get goingCovid-19 has offered an unexpected opportunity for creatives to reset and innovate
From Idea to Idea App in 3 Days FlatHacking together an idea at the WeTransfer Hackathon
Apple's SwiftUIHow Collect experienced integrating this new technology
Giving back to the open-source communityHow the engineers at WeTransfer came together to support the open-source community
More voices = better ideasOur mission to bring more diverse voices to the table (and make sure they’re heard)
Nelly Ben Hayoun and Arjun Appadurai on counter culture & educationSupporting pluralistic thinking with the University of the Underground