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It’s finally summer. Time to get outside, and in some places, enjoy a bit of a reprieve from a challenging year. It’s been a tough one, especially for democratic actors around the world. Democratic activists have never been more at risk. Tools to mobilize around democratic activity have never been more prevalent, while the vulnerability to surveillance and disinformation is overwhelming. NDI has worked hard to integrate technology into all of our programs around the world by helping activists secure their phones and devices, countering disinformation, and scoping the challenges posed by major digital transformations like 5G.
We’ve got a lot to do, and this means we won’t be taking a break. But we do want to take advantage of the spirit of summer by getting together with friends and making new ones, all while working to make the internet a safer place for democracy.
Introducing the NDI Tech Summer Series.
NDI DemTech is kicking off the summer with our friends at RightsCon, virtual again this year. We will be hosting two Community Lab sessions, one on using microenvironments to pilot responses to disinformation and anti-democratic narratives, and one on the Co/Act toolkit, a DIY approach to human-centered design for digital services and campaigns. Together with the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), we are also hosting a panel on comprehensive strategies and democratic tools to combat disinformation. Finally, together with the International Republican Institute (IRI) and the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE), we will also be hosting an "Open Spaces" session for participants to play Democracy Dixit, dream up a better future, and chart a path to get us there. If you aren’t registered for RightsCon, you should be!
Starting the second week of June, we’ll be bringing you an update on one aspect of our work a week. A member of our team will guide you through what we’re working on in a 30-minute webinar featuring a conversation with one of our incredible partners. Each session will feature “3 Big Things” you need to know as well as a weekly blog post to give you even more information.
These issues are urgent, and we know we’re not the only ones working to address them. We hope by sharing our work with all of you, we’ll find new areas of collaboration. The most successful efforts we’ve seen to combat authoritarianism and digital toxicity have been a collaboration among governments, civil society, and the private sector to create a healthy information space that allows democracy to thrive.
We hope you’ll join us this summer!
