--- title: "FAQ — About this project" description: "Frequently asked questions about The Attention Machine: who runs it, how it is funded, and how it works." url: https://attentionmachine.org/en/faq/ lang: en updated: 2026-10-25 license: "CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/)" --- FAQ # About this project. Questions about the site itself — who runs it, how it is paid for, and how to use or support it. Looking for answers to objections about the argument? Those live on [Yes, but…](https://attentionmachine.org/en/objections/) Looking up a technical term? Every definition on the site is collected in the [glossary](https://attentionmachine.org/en/glossary/). **01 What is this site?** The Attention Machine is a public-interest, non-commercial website explaining how attention-optimising platforms exploit human psychology, what the documented harms are, and what structural responses exist. It is written in English first. Other language editions are in progress: the [translation status page](https://attentionmachine.org/en/about/translations/) shows where each one stands and which languages come next. The [About page](https://attentionmachine.org/en/about/) has the fuller story. **02 Who is behind it?** It is run by a Dutch foundation (stichting), which is currently being registered. The foundation is independent and non-commercial. As registration and ANBI (public-benefit) status are completed, the details will be published on the [About](https://attentionmachine.org/en/about/) and [Donate](https://attentionmachine.org/en/share/donate/) pages. **03 How is it funded? Who pays for it?** There are no ads, no sponsored content, and no selling of your data — the things this site documents are not how it sustains itself. It runs on voluntary contributions. You can read exactly how on the [Donate page](https://attentionmachine.org/en/share/donate/), or [contribute here](https://attentionmachine.org/en/share/contribute/). **04 Do you have a political agenda?** No party-political one. The argument is about incentives, not ideology: platforms optimise for engagement rather than wellbeing, and the gap between those is where harm lives. We try to describe the system and let you draw your own conclusions. How we hold ourselves to that is set out on [How We Communicate](https://attentionmachine.org/en/about/how-we-communicate/). **05 Is this anti-technology?** No. The problem is a set of design and business incentives, not technology itself. The same tools could be built to serve people rather than capture their attention. Pointing at the incentives is not the same as wanting to switch everything off. **06 How do you know your facts are right — and what if you get something wrong?** Every factual claim links to its source on its page — to peer-reviewed research, official investigations or primary documents where they exist, otherwise to established journalism, with any industry estimate labelled as one. The site's argument and its conclusions are its own, and you judge them. Every claim that carries a number, a date, a named study or a quotation is also tracked in the [claim ledger](https://attentionmachine.org/en/about/claims/), so you can check it. The ledger is a page of this site, with every checked claim, how it was checked and what was corrected. Contested points are marked as contested. When we get something wrong, we correct it openly rather than quietly — the approach is described on [How We Communicate](https://attentionmachine.org/en/about/how-we-communicate/). The corrections log and the change log are published on the [Corrections](https://attentionmachine.org/en/about/corrections/) page. **07 Was this written by an AI?** Partly, and the note at the foot of every page says so — whatever review that page has had. AI tools help find and read sources, draft and edit text, translate pages, and check each other's work. They do not decide what is published: a person does, and is answerable for it. A page a person has read carries that date in its footer, and a translation goes live only after a native speaker has reviewed it, unless its edition is published under volunteer review, which every page of it says. [How this site is made](https://attentionmachine.org/en/about/how-we-communicate/#how-this-site-is-made) sets out the whole arrangement; the longer answer, with what the law requires, is on [Yes, but…](https://attentionmachine.org/en/objections/) **08 Can I share, translate, or republish this?** Yes — sharing is the point. The content is published under a [Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/): you are free to copy, share, and adapt it for non-commercial purposes, as long as you credit The Attention Machine and release any adaptation under the same licence. Translation into more languages is already underway and very welcome. For commercial use, or to coordinate a translation, please [get in touch](https://attentionmachine.org/en/contact/). **09 Do you track me or collect my data?** We do not profile you the way the platforms described here do. The site uses privacy-respecting analytics and keeps data collection to a minimum. The details are on the [Privacy page](https://attentionmachine.org/en/about/privacy/). **10 How can I help?** Three easy ways: understand the mechanism and share it with people you know; play and pass on the [recommended tools](https://attentionmachine.org/en/educate/tools/); and, if you can, [contribute](https://attentionmachine.org/en/share/contribute/) to keep the site independent. There are tailored starting points for [parents](https://attentionmachine.org/en/for-you/parents/), [educators](https://attentionmachine.org/en/for-you/educators/), and [lawmakers](https://attentionmachine.org/en/for-you/lawmakers/). **11 How do I get in touch or follow updates?** You can reach us via the [contact page](https://attentionmachine.org/en/contact/). For updates, the [RSS feed](https://attentionmachine.org/en/rss.xml) carries new posts now; a newsletter is planned. --- Some content on this site was created with the assistance of AI tools and may contain errors. [How we use AI →](https://attentionmachine.org/en/about/how-we-use-ai/)