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 2021 report by SimplySecure and The New Design Congress
Coda Story reports on major currents shaping our world from disinformation to authoritarian technologies to the war on science. Coda stays on these stories to reveal why they matter, how they are connected and where they are heading next.
Omidyar Network - The Tech We Want
1991 Broadway Street, Suite 200, Redwood City, California 94063The Tech We Want is four-year, $8 million portfolio of work focused on connecting and empowering a new wave of leaders, companies, and technologies that are built on inclusivity, mutualism, sustainability, accountability, and responsible innovation.
Fraudescorekaart
Netherlands (Nederland, Holland)An interactive scorecard where people can see if they would be flagged for social welfare fraud under the Netherlands' broken system
Indigenous data sovereignty
Thailand (Prathet Thai)Policy decisions on and resource allocations for IEM tend to be made with inadequate data. The focus of the IDS programme is to coordinate a transboundary effort to develop indigenous data with indigenous stewardship.
Prosocial Design Network
New York CityA library of design interventions to encourage prosocial behaviors online
Civics of Technology
TexasThe Civics of Technology Project shares research and curriculum and offers professional development that encourages teachers and students to critically inquire into the effects of technology on our individual and collective lives.
What the Future Wants is an interactive youth focused exhibition that presents different perspectives on technology from the personal, to the political, to the planetary.
Voluntary Code of Ethics - India 2019 Election
India (Bhārat)Prior to 2019 elections, the Election Commission of India was able to convene representatives from top social media companies for a two-day brainstorming session on approaches to problematic social media content in elections.
The Santa Clara Principles On Transparency and Accountability in Content Moderation
United States of America (the)The Santa Clara Principles On Transparency and Accountability in Content Moderation cover various aspects of content moderation, developed by legal scholars and technologists based mostly in the United States, targeting social media companies with large use bases.
Take Back The Tech! is a call to everyone, especially women and girls, to take control of technology to end violence against women.
Facebook Digital Literacy Library
United States of America (the)The Facebook Digital Literacy Library is hosted by Facebook and currently includes learning resources made available by Youth and Media at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International license.
Argentina's Ethical Digital Commitment
Buenos Aires"Pledge signed by political parties and technology/social network companies committing to avoiding fake news and mechanisms of disinformation that may affect upcoming elections." - Countering Disinfo
Mnemonic is an NGO dedicated to archiving, investigating and memorializing digital information documenting human rights violations and international crimes.
Mozilla Foundation survey of builders' perceptions of data governance
UNI Global Union's Top Ten Principles for Workers' Data Rights fills an enormous gap with regards workers' rights in the new world of work.
Most tech is designed with the best intentions. But once a product is released and reaches scale, all bets are off. The Risk Mitigation Manual presents eight risk zones where we believe hard-to-anticipate and unwelcome consequences are most likely to emerge.
Judgment Call is an award-winning game and team-based activity that puts Microsoft’s AI principles of fairness, privacy and security, reliability and safety, transparency, inclusion, and accountability into action.
Digital Life Initiative at Cornell Tech
Cornell TechWe explore societal perspectives surrounding the development and application of digital technology, focusing on ethics, policy, politics, and quality of life. 2017
The Digital Lab Fellowship is a paid, non-resident opportunity to uncover and address emerging consumer harms in the digital world
The Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (STOP)
New York University, New York, NY, USAS.T.O.P. at NYU fights to end discriminatory surveillance.
Coded Bias follows M.I.T. Media Lab computer scientist Joy Buolamwini, along with data scientists, mathematicians, and watchdog groups from all over the world, as they fight to expose the discrimination within algorithms now prevalent across all spheres of daily life.
Report a dark pattern today. It will help us fight back against companies usingmanipulative dark patterns to take our private information, money, andtime. You deserve respect, online and off.
Reset Australia
AustraliaThe unregulated attention economy driving social media is fraying our democracy, threatening our mental and physical health, and exposing our children to violent and disturbing content.
Everyone is talking about AI, but how and where is it actually being used? We've mapped out interesting examples where AI has been harmful and where it's been helpful.
GovLab NYU's Collection of Lectures on the Ethical implications of Data and Artificial Intelligence from Different Perspectives
We want to change the way the internet enables the spread of news and information so it serves the public good over corporate and political interests.
Access Now defends and extends the digital rights of people and communities at risk. By combining direct technical support, strategic advocacy, grassroots grantmaking, and convenings such as RightsCon, we fight for human rights in the digital age.
My Data Rights
South Africa (South Africa, Afrika-Borwa, Suid-Afrika)A feminist review of AI, privacy and data protection to enhance digital rights
PIT Lab @Stanford
Stanford University, Serra Mall, Stanford, CA, USAThe PIT Lab is building a thoughtful community around public interest technology at Stanford. Themes include systemic inequities, democratic values, bridging the divide, career pathways.
Adding additional products to users’ shopping carts without their consent.
DEDA helps data analysts, project managers and policy makers to recognize ethical issues in data projects, data management and data policies.
Mechanism Design for Social Good (MD4SG) is a multi-institutional initiative using techniques from algorithms, optimization, and mechanism design, along with insights from other disciplines, to improve access to opportunity for historically underserved and disadvantaged communities.
Permission Slip
Yonkers, NY, USAOne app to take back control of your data
How The New York Times Thinks About Your Privacy
New York Times Building, 8th Avenue, New York, NY, USAA guide to the news company's data usage
This list of resources is curated and maintained by MERL Tech and The Engine Room.
Feminist.AI works to put technology into the hands of makers, researchers, thinkers and learners to amplify unheard voices and create more accessible AI for all.
A Popular Science piece with key takeaways educational section
Celebrating purpose & mission-driven work from people, companies and organizations worldwide.
A project by AlgorithmWatch that maps frameworks that seek to set out principles of how systems for automated decision-making (ADM) can be developed and implemented ethically
Harvard Democracy and Internet Governance Initiative (DIGI)
Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USAThrough public reports and briefings with policymakers, business leaders, and civil society organizations, the Initiative will highlight digital platform reform options, as well as offer expertise on legislative reform proposals and platform self-governance options.
*privacy not included
Mountain View, CA, USAMozilla Foundation's annual naughty and nice list of consumer tech's privacy policies
Clinic to End Tech Abuse (CETA)
New York CityThe Clinic to End Tech Abuse (CETA) helps survivors of intimate partner violence end tech-related abuse.
The Distributed AI Research Institute is a space for independent, community-rooted AI research free from Big Tech’s pervasive influence.
Principles for Digital Development
United Nations FoundationA set of guidelines that help development practitioners integrate established best practices into technology-enabled programmes.
Block Party app
United States of America (the)Consumer tools for online safety & anti-harassment. Automatically hide unwanted tweets & mute the trolls (review later, but only if you want!).
We are a community of integrity professionals—the people who build platforms to be better.
Just Tech Fellowship
United States of America (the)The Social Science Research Council's Just Tech Fellowship supports and mobilizes diverse and cross-sector cohorts of researchers and practitioners to imagine and create more just, equitable, and representative technological futures.
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