Civic Tech Field Guide
Sharing knowledge and productively growing the fieldAdjacent Fields > Ethical tech and responsible tech - (202)
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 202 Results
a Discord bot for ethical, responsive digital ethnography
¿Quién Defiende Tus Datos?
Lima, Peru¿Cómo protegen las empresas de telecomunicaciones nuestra información cuando el Estado toca la puerta?
The MLCommons AI Safety working group is composed of a global consortium of industry leaders, practitioners, researchers, and civil society experts committed to building a harmonized approach to AI safety.
When 'doing ethics' meets public procurement of smart city technology – an Amsterdam case study
Amsterdam[A] multi-stakeholder co-design project – including a citizen panel – is an integral part of the process in which the service is designed and realized
Careful Industries
LondonCareful Industries gives good advice to leaders navigating the intersections of social justice and technology.
The IAAA is a community of practice that aims to advance and organize the algorithmic auditing profession, promote AI auditing standards, certify best practices and contribute to the emergence of Responsible AI.
Center for Technological Responsibility, Reimagination and Redesign
Brown UniversityCNTR’s mission is to redefine computer science education, research, and technology to center the needs, problems, and aspirations of all those that technology has left behind.
A fun illustrated map charting AI Safety efforts across blogs, podcasts, training, support, governance, research, and so on.
[W]e explore c.125 companies operating in the Responsible AI space
Project Liberty
New York CityProject Liberty is advancing responsible development of the internet, designed and governed for the common good.
Supports research, implementation and education projects involving multi-sector teams that focus on the responsible design, development or deployment of technologies.
Anthropic is an AI safety and research company that's working to build reliable, interpretable, and steerable AI systems.
The Decentralized Social Networking Protocol establishes a shared social graph that is no longer dependent on a specific application or a centralized platform.
Fatima
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (the)Fatima's mission is for every person in the world to have their voice heard, while ensuring a safe, secure, and ethical research experience.
Open Terms Archive
FranceOpen Terms Archive publicly records every version of the terms of digital services to enable democratic oversight.
14 renowned European research and computing centers have joined forces to develop an open European infrastructure for web search. The initiative will be contributing to Europe’s digital sovereignty as well as promoting an open human-centered search engine market.
SHARE LAB
Serbia (Srbija)Research & Data Investigation Lab - Where indie data punk, meets media theory pop to investigate digital rights blues
Next Generation Internet (NGI)
BrusselsThe Next Generation Internet (NGI) is a European Commission (EC) initiative that aims to shape the development and evolution of the Internet into an Internet of Trust.
SHARE MONITORING
Serbia (Srbija)Monitoring digital rights violations and online violations in Serbia.
Digital Action
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (the)We exist to protect democracy and human rights from digital threats.
Self-assessment and other resources to help entrepreneurs incorporate AI ethical principles into their technological solutions of entrepreneurs from seed stages to those who export their technologies to other markets.
Global Observatory of Urban Artificial Intelligence
Barcelona, SpainIts goal is to promote research and disseminate best practice in the ethical application of artificial intelligence in cities.
A directory of more than 90 UK-based companies which provide technology or solutions which facilitate safer online experiences, and protect users from harmful content, contact or conduct.
FreedomBox Foundation
New York CityFreedomBox is a private server system that empowers regular people to host their own internet services, like a VPN, a personal website, file sharing, encrypted messengers, a VoIP server, a metasearch engine, and much more.
$30 million initial investment will bridge gaps between industry, civil society, and policymakers, broadening generative AI infrastructure in service of society
California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA)
CaliforniaThe California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA) is a California state government agency created by the California Privacy Rights Act of 2020 (CPRA)
an easy-to-use digital safety checklist
Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC)
Washington, DCEPIC is a public interest research center in Washington, DC seeking to protect privacy, freedom of expression, and democratic values in the information age.
Cultural Safety Audit Tools
AustraliaThe Cultural Safety Audit Tool for Individuals is designed to assess an individual’s level of development in understanding critical elements of cultural safety and working to create culturally safe experiences with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals
Greenhost
AmsterdamGreenhost provides hosting for NGOs and businesses that take ethical issues and sustainability seriously.
The Freedom Online Coalition is a partnership of 38 governments, working to advance Internet freedom.
"[V]ictims of violence or bullying can quietly voice activate to record an incident as it is happening and, if necessary, command the app to call the cops." - GovTech Magazine
Promoting research & capacity building on digital rights in Africa
African AI Observatory
Cape Town, South AfricaBringing African voices, values and experiences to global debates on AI.
MariaLab
Brazil (Brasil)A MariaLab é uma associação sem fins lucrativos, sem vínculo político-partidário e com empresas do setor privado, que atua na intersecção entre política, gênero e suas tecnologias.
A publicação visa colaborar na construção de estratégias de proteção, fomentando oficinas coletivas com defensoras e defensores de direitos humanos (DDHs), movimentos sociais e organizações da sociedade civil.
Ceno Browser
CanadaCeno (short for censorship.no!) is the world’s first mobile browser that side-steps current Internet censorship methods. Its peer-to-peer backbone allows people to access and share web information in and across regions where connectivity has been interrupted or compromised.
![reframe[Tech] – Algorithms for the Common Good](https://ctfg-airtable.s3.amazonaws.com/screenshots/334343.png)
reframe[Tech] – Algorithms for the Common Good
Germany (Deutschland)In the project “reframe[Tech] – Algorithms for the Common Good”, we are committed to ensuring that efforts to develop and use algorithms and artificial intelligence are more closely aligned with the common good.
Creating knowledge and strategies for responsible, ethical and inclusive automated decision-making.
Deceptive Patterns
LondonA taxonomy of deceptive design patterns, laws, cases, reading list, hall of shame, and Deceptive Patterns book
The Copenhagen Pledge on Tech for Democracy
CopenhagenA commitment to make digital technologies work for, not against, democracy and human rights. It underlines the joint responsibility of governments, multilateral organizations, civil society, and technology companies to develop and use digital technologies to the benefit of democracy and human rights.
The only FOSS-based service offering Matrix chat server hosting
Element
LondonA secure communications platform built around you.
Mozilla Rise 25
Mountain View, CA, USAHelp us identify and recognize the next 25 game-changers shaping the future of the internet to be more ethical, responsible and inclusive.
An open network for secure, decentralised communication
The Global Coalition for Tech Justice is a newly formed global movement to ensure Big Tech plays its role in protecting elections and citizens’ rights and freedoms across the world, particularly in the global majority where companies – Meta/Facebook, Google/YouTube, Twitter, TikTok et al – have been negligent in dealing with the impacts of their social media and messaging products.
AI Forensics
Italy (Italia)AI Forensics is a European non-profit that investigates influential and opaque algorithms. We hold major technology platforms accountable by conducting independent and high-profile technical investigations to uncover and expose the harms caused by their algorithms.
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