Civic Tech Field Guide
Sharing knowledge and productively growing the fieldAdjacent Fields > Ethical tech and responsible tech - (256)
While the first generations of tech-for-good work took a solutionist approach to addressing existing problems with new technology, scholars and activists are driving growing awareness of the problems with technology itself. By exposing the negative consequences, intended or otherwise, of tech, these communities draw attention to issues with tech-centric approaches. Not all of the projects here adopt an ethics lens in their work, but we use it here for simplicity's sake.
Suggested reading:
- 10 things we should all demand from Big Tech right now, Vox (2019)
- Technology Ethics in Action: Critical and Interdisciplinary Perspectives. Edited by Ben Green.
Showing 256 Results
Datavoros
Mexico (Estados Unidos Mexicanos)Datávoros is a research project on data collection through mobile applications developed by governments and companies. Their analysis focuses on understanding what data is collected and how, what permissions are requested, and what security and privacy measures are in place. It is built to create accountability and transparency for users.
Aapti Institute
BangaloreWe want an equitable and just digital world where people are empowered to negotiate with technology
Participation is by invitation only, based on submission of a statement of interest or proposed talk/poster abstract.
International Association for Safe & Ethical AI (IASEAI)
San Diego, CAEnsuring safe and ethical artificial intelligence is a global challenge. We must work together to achieve it.
Herstory in East Asia
Republic of South Korea (Hanguk or Namhan)We want to show "herstory" in East Asia from local perspectives with a timeline and a map in our local languages, so that people from different regions of East Asia can learn more about the stories and rights women and LGBETQ+ have fought for.
Moedict
Taiwan (T'ai-wan)“Moedict” is an enhanced version of The Mandarin Chinese Dictionary of the Ministry of Education.
Big Tech M&A Database
AmsterdamThe Big Tech tracker for mergers and acquisitions provides an overview of companies that have been acquired by Big Tech (2019-2025). Search for a merger!
Public Spaces Incubator
Austin, TXAn international partnership between six public service media organizations and New_ Public to develop prototypes for digital conversation spaces that offer a healthy forum for connection and increase engagement in civic discourse.
AI Safety Asia (AISA)
Manila, Metro Manila, PhilippinesAI Safety Asia (AISA) is a global non-profit dedicated to the international governance of safe AI by Asia, starting in Southeast Asia.
No Tech For Apartheid is a worker-led campaign of Google and Amazon workers organizing against the companies' $1B Project Nimbus cloud computing contract with the Israeli government and military.
Docs
Western EuropeDocs is the result of a joint effort lead by the French 🇫🇷🥖(DINUM) and German 🇩🇪🥨 governments (ZenDiS).
School for Poetic Computation (SFPC)
New York CitySchool for Poetic Computation (SFPC) is an experimental school in New York and online founded in 2013. SFPC facilitates the study of art, code, hardware, and critical theory through lenses of decolonization and transformative justice.
Centre for Responsible AI (CeRAI) is a virtual interdisciplinary research centre at IIT Madras.
CyPurr Collective
New York CityWe’re a small cryptoparty and cat-enthusiast collective. We’ve held digital security workshops all over NYC, including the New York Public Library, Brooklyn Public Library, Bluestockings, and more over the years.
The Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information - this is not just the Federal Commissioner himself - it is above all a modern data protection supervisory authority.
"GTUACM says it aims to provide a global platform to bargain with tech companies, alongside coordinating collective campaigns and researching occupational health." - The Verge
An open-source Python library designed to assist developers in calculating fairness metrics and assessing bias in machine learning models.
Join the growing No Tech for Apartheid movement and demand that Microsoft live up to its own purported ethical values—by ending its direct and indirect complicity in Israeli apartheid and genocide.
AI Education Fact Sheet for 3rd Party Generative AI Tools
Los Angeles, CAA questionnaire for AI vendors hoping to serve Lynwood, CA's school system
Generative AI Accountability Indicators (GAIA)
740 15th Street, N.W., Suite 900 Washington, DC 20005Soon Ranking Digital Rights will release the Generative AI Accountability Scorecard, evaluating major consumer-facing generative AI services’ respect for the human rights to privacy, non-discrimination, freedom of expression, and freedom of information.
The MENA Observatory on Responsible AI is an interdisciplinary platform connecting policy-oriented researchers and innovators, aimed at fostering collaboration and building capacity for responsible data and AI practices.
People vs. Big Tech
BrusselsPeople vs Big Tech is a movement fighting to overturn the predatory business model of giant tech corporations and change the internet for good.
DigiAdGood
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (the)DigiAdGood seeks to create new digital advertising principles and measurement frameworks that go beyond this and better align human and business goals.
Solar Protocol
Brooklyn, NYThis website is hosted across a network of solar powered servers and is sent to you from whichever server is in the most sunshine.
Bluesky
Seattle, WAWe’re building an open foundation for the social internet so that we can all shape its future.
We propose an alternative platform model that the social fabric an explicit output as well as input. By E. Glen Weyl, Luke Thorburn, Emillie de Keulenaar, Jacob Mchangama, Divya Siddarth, Audrey Tang
No Tech Criminalization in Education (NOTICE)
MinneapolisThe NOTICE Coalition (No Tech Criminalization in Education) is a national network of advocates, researchers and organizers building a movement to end police surveillance in schools and defend youth justice in the digital age.
Current AI
Stanford, CA, USAThrough global collaboration and local action, we’re building a future where open, trustworthy technology serves the public interest.
AI Collaborative
1991 Broadway Street, Suite 200, Redwood City, California 94063Advancing AI in the public interest.
Humane Intelligence
United States of America (the)Humane Intelligence is a tech nonprofit building a community of practice around algorithmic evaluations.
Provides a comprehensive overview of all enforcement authorities and the cases they have taken against online platforms under the Digital Services Act
BuzzFeed Unveils Plan to Take Back the Internet We Love; Company Aims to Disrupt Social Media With a New AI-Driven Platform Built for Creativity and Joy, Not Manipulation or Addiction
Open and accessible tools that put safety back in the hands of the people
Shaping Education for Fairer AI
What To Fix
FranceWe build innovative tools, methodologies, datasets and partnerships to further the diagnosis of systemic risks to internet integrity.
AIForensics
Italy (Italia)AI Forensics is a European non-profit that investigates influential and opaque algorithms.
Free Our Feeds
Washington, DCSave Social Media From Billionaire Capture.
Meta Oversight Board
LondonImproving how Meta treats people and communities around the world
Plattform://Demokratie
Humboldt-Institut Berlin, Invalidenstraße, Berlin, GermanyIm Zentrum steht dabei folgende Frage: Können “Plattformräte” oder andere Institutionen dafür sorgen, dass öffentliche Interessen und demokratische Werte in den Regelsetzungsprozessen von Plattformen berücksichtigt werden?
osobnipodaci.org
Germany (Deutschland)Poduzeća ti moraju omogućiti pristup tvojim podacima i ispraviti ih ili čak izbrisati ako je potrebno. Kao neprofitna udruga, pomažemo ti koristiti ta prava – besplatno i bez registracije.
datarequests.org
Germany (Deutschland)Companies have to give you access to your data and correct or even delete them if necessary. As a non-profit association, we help you use those rights – free of charge and registration, of course.
solicituddedatos.es
Germany (Deutschland)Las empresas tienen que darte acceso a tus datos y corregirlos o incluso eliminarlos si es necesario. Como una organización sin fines de lucro, te ayudamos a ejercer esos derechos – gratis y sin necesidad de registrarte.
Government AI Coalition
San Jose, California, USAThe GovAI Coalition went public...publishing a set of deliverables any organization could use to help jumpstart their agency with responsible AI practices.
demandetesdonnees.fr
Germany (Deutschland)Les entreprises doivent vous donner accès à vos données et les corriger, voire les supprimer si nécessaire. En tant qu'association à but non lucratif, nous vous aidons à exercer ces droits - gratuitement et sans inscription, bien sûr.
A grassroots interdisciplinary responsible AI lab for Africa and the Global South. Researching technical alignment and governance of AI.
This is a collective of dedicated individuals and organizations committed to fostering ethical AI practices, encouraging research, and addressing the societal implications of AI across Africa and largely the Global South.
Compiler Media, Inc.
United States of America (the)Compiler is a nonprofit newsroom launching in 2024 to cover the people, institutions and global forces shaping our digital future.
Get email updates
Helpful Links
Reach Out
A project of
With support from
National Endowment for Democracy
Founding Organization
Civic Hall
Technology partner
Civic Tech Field Guide