Tactical Technology Collective | Turning information into action

Tactical Tech

Tactical Tech is an organisation dedicated to the use of information in activism.

We focus on the use of data, design and technology in campaigning through our Evidence & Action programme and on helping activists understand and manage their digital security and privacy risks through our Privacy & Expression programme.

We also provide services through our creative agency for advocacy, Tactical Studios.

Use this site to browse all our toolkits and guides, watch our films, find out about our trainings and events, read the latest news and learn more about our work.

In the Loop: our monthly newsletter.

Our Picks

We're hiring! Deputy Director position

Tactical Tech is currently taking applications for the position of Deputy Director.

Digital Security @ RightsCon

Tactical Tech will be at RightsCon in San Francisco, from 3-5 March.

The Future of Democracy, @ CIS Bangalore

If you're in Bangalore on Monday March 3, join Tactical Tech and The Centre for Internet and Society (CIS) for a talk by information activist, free software developer and author Smari McCarthy. Details here.

We're selling ourselves and we think it's cool

The Huffington Post asked us to comment on Facebook's recent acquisition of Whatsapp. The article, by Tactical Tech's executive director Stephanie Hankey, was published in German here. Read the original English version below. We're selling ourselves and we think it's cool

Issue #4 of the Camp Micro-magazine: Protest

Our Evidence and Influence Micro-magazine is a compilation of multi-media stories about and by the participants who attended Tactical Tech's Info-Activism Camp 2013. Issue #4 centres around the theme of 'Protest'.

Host a Screening!

We're all about DIY film screenings these days. As of 13 February, we've seen 42 screenings of our Exposing the Invisible documentary series around the world, with a total of 1,133 people attending; and there are lots more in the pipeline. The films have been screened everywhere from Gaziantep to Islamabad to Copenhagen to Mexico City, in all kinds of venues - cafes, universities, bookshops and cinemas... there was even a screening in a castle. That's right, a castle.

All Wired Up

The nice people at Wired UK magazine wrote an article about us. Read it here. (image from Twitter)

FreedomFilmFest: Kuala Lumpur

Short Film screening and discussionKuala Lumpur, Malaysia Join Pusat Komas and Tactical Tech's director's Stephanie Hankey and Marek Tuszynski for FreedomFilmFest: a special screening and discussion of two films in our Exposing the Invisible series: "Our Currency is Information" and "From My Point of View". Marek, who directed the films, will share his experiences making them and talk about digital investigative tools and tactics.

Women's Rights Campaigning Info-Activism Toolkit

We're excited to introduce the Women's Rights Campaigning Info-activism Toolkit - designed, as the name suggests, specifically for women's rights defenders and NGOs. The toolkit includes campaign basics, strategies, and digital tools, as well as a wide range of inspiring case studies from around the world.

We're in Sydney: film screening + discussion

Exposing the Invisible Australian Premier: Film Screening and discussion 10 February, 2014, 5.30pm-8.00pm, University of Sydney

Tactical Tech at #AB14

Tactical Tech is in Amman for the Arab Bloggers Meeting

NEW FILM: Unseen War

Just in time for Christmas, we are excited to launch the third and final film in our Exposing the Invisible series, called "Unseen War". This episode changes the angle slightly and explores the subject of invisibility - both physical and political - in the context of US drone strikes in Pakistan.

Micro-magazine #3: Transparency + Accountability

Our Evidence & Influence Micro-magazine is a compilation of multi-media stories about and by the participants who attended Tactical Tech's Info-Activism Camp 2013. Issue #3 centres around Transparency and Accountability.

FILM: From My Point of View

"From My Point of View" is the second film in our three-part series Exposing the Invisible. This episode follows citizen journalists and 'investigators-in-the-making', rather than professional investigative journalists. The film features three inspiring activists and looks at the techniques they've used in their investigations, from arms smuggling in Syria's 'YouTube conflict', to urban land-grabbing in Beirut and house demolitions in East Jerusalem.

25 Films to see Gender

The most popular story in the latest Micro-magazine issue on Gender + Violence.

Visualising Information for Advocacy

A good campaign is like a good joke. A joke's effectiveness relies on the use of the right words, good timing, convincing delivery and a strong punch-line delivered to the right person in the right way. When visualising information for advocacy these are the factors we need to consider.

Our Twitter Feed:

@Info_Activism: Make the tool, do something with the tool, be defined by the tool, redefine the tool redefine yourself https://t.co/Fst7FmPaHs @jamesbridle

@Info_Activism: if we haven't solved certain great political social legal problems be4 it's because we haven't had the tools 2 do so https://t.co/Fst7FmPaHs

@Info_Activism: This seems to me ridiculous, this idea that knowledge is only a function of depth... https://t.co/Fst7FmPaHs with @jamesbridle

@Info_Activism: Cryptography is the major weapon for people wanting to use these networks for communication; interview @jamesbridle https://t.co/Fst7FmPaHs

@ONOrobot: RT @icanhazdigisec: http://t.co/g1LLvEKRwz Me and my shadow (https://t.co/4lgXsKK2aQ) helps u track and understand how much metada... http:…

@Info_Activism: Edward Snowden: NSA Too Busy Spying on Americans To Catch Terrorists http://t.co/5eN4FDHPAC

@Info_Activism: From tracing fingerprints to tracking Internet activities, #forensics is central to the ways... http://t.co/86xrirf689 #exhibition #Berlin

@Info_Activism: Volkswagen: 'The Car Must Not Become A Data Monster" http://t.co/4U3B65ehkG

@Info_Activism: Ismayilova a 'Female Free Speech Hero' http://t.co/9zsEwBo7GD

@Info_Activism: Edward Snowden: 'The NSA set fire to the internet. You are the firefighters' by @doctorow http://t.co/KdyMGturYh

@Info_Activism: RT @cristinarigutto: Tutto Slide: L'uso delle immagini nella comunicazione sociale un libro intrigante di @Info_Activism http://t.co/nSWkxx…

@Info_Activism: RT @svaroschi: Looking forward to be in Warsaw at #pdfplcee14 ! @kosmo @Rasiej @Mlsif @solanasaurus @sidorenko_intl @Info_Activism @darko_b…

@Info_Activism: @cristinarigutto the link to the pdf - is not a smaller version of the current book - it is another book we did 5 years ago! tx for the post

@Info_Activism: @cristinarigutto no problem - and tx again :-)

@Info_Activism: @jamesbridle has now opened up his inspiring Drone Shadow project, activists can use his visual intervention tactic https://t.co/wFk2YZ0Rky

Evidence & Action

Strengthening evidence-based campaigning through digital technologies, data management and visual representation.

Privacy & Expression

Building digital security skills and awareness.

Tactical Studios

Helping international NGOs and rights groups connect and communicate through strategic data services, workshops and creative visualisations.

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toolkits

guides

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projects

Evidence and Action

The Evidence & Action programme helps rights advocates use information strategically and creatively in their campaigning. We aim to inspire innovative campaigns and provide practical support for collecting, investigating and curating evidence for advocacy. We do this through project partnerships, trainings and developing and distributing resources.

People around the world are using digital tools and visualisation techniques to expose injustice and abuse, creating subversive narratives to challenge the status quo and mobilising for action. We call the strategic, safe and creative use of digital tools and information in campaigning information activism. Our information activism projects include:

Read more about

Projects

FILM SERIES: Exposing the Invisible

A documentary film series exploring new forms of investigative journalism, plus an extensive investigative resource bank

Visualising Information for Advocacy

Our book exploring how to influence issues using information, design, technologies and networks.

Women's Rights Campaigning Info-activism Toolkit

The name pretty much says it all. An online toolkit for women's rights defenders.

INFORMATION ACTIVISM

Inspirational info-activism case studies from around the world.

Latest project updates

A First Look at Syrian Info Activism

You've probably forgotten by now that Syria is famous for ping pong.

Stay in touch with people from Camp

Camp2013.tacticaltech.org

The Info-Activism Camp happened in June 2013 .

Tactical Tech at #OKCon

Maya Ganesh and Emma Prest were at the Open Knowledge Conference in Geneva in September to present our new work:

Info-activism resources localised for and in the Arab world

In March 2013 Tactical Tech met with five organisations in Beirut to brainstorm ways in which our range of info-activism resources could be adapted for use by activists in the Arab region.

Camp Round-Up

Not present at camp? Been there and feeling nostalgic? Have a look at the Camp Round-Up to read our summaries of the tracks, labs, skill shares and evening activities. Discover also our portraits of some of the facilitators and participants...

Lab summaries

Camp2013.tacticaltech.org

Each afternoon, campers chose a lab to join. Labs lasted three hours and provided time to get hands-on and practical with specific skills and approaches to working with information.

Privacy and Expression

Our Privacy & Expression programme builds the digital security awareness and skills of human rights defenders, independent journalists, anti-corruption advocates and activists, and anyone else who is concerned about the the security risks and vulnerabilities of digital tools.

We have developed a range of methods from awareness raising and short consultations for participants at large-scale international advocacy events, through to four day intensive workshops. We use a variety of techniques including short films, take-home toolkits and exercises to engage people in debates about broader questions related to freedom of expression and access to information.

Our key activities are:

Read more about

Projects

ME AND MY SHADOW

Advice and tools to help you protect your online privacy.

SECURITY IN-A-BOX

Digital security: Hands-on advice and tools.

SURVIVAL IN THE DIGITAL AGE

Learn how to survive in the digital age: a series of short films featuring a friendly robot called ONO

TRAININGS

Find out about our hands-on digital security trainings.

Latest

People at Camp - Xena Mohammed

Camp2013.tacticaltech.org

We asked a few of the track and lab facilitators, and a few of the Camp participants, some questions about themselves, their work, what they did at camp and what they came away with at the end of the week.

Daily Beast selects Me and My Shadow in 'Pick of the web' for their BEASTBEST awards

myshadow.org

Me and My Shadow has been

How can I learn more about my own digital shadow?

myshadow.org

The surveillance program PRISM by the US secret service NSA has reminded us that all of our activities online may be monitored without giving us the chance to understand whether we really are targeted or what the purpose of this monitoring is.

Deutsche Welle, 27 May: My Shadow traces Internet users' online trails

myshadow.org

Facebook has some 1.1 billion active users. Some 200 million accounts are active at Twitter. Millions more shop at Amazon and other online retailers.

Me and My Shadow wins international award

myshadow.org

We're delighted to announce that our website Me and My Shadow has been awarded a prestigious international online activism award for the most creative and original website.

More Things to Know about recent Changes in Facebook

myshadow.org

It is not easy to keep up to date with how Facebook changes. Some things change for better, some for worse. Can you be sure that you didn't miss the latest update of Facebook's terms of service?

Tactical Studios

We bring issues to life through compelling data visualisations – created by handpicked project teams best suited to your specific project and issue areas. We work with you to formulate strategic messaging designed to grab the attention and improve the understanding of complex issues of your intended audience.

If you have a visualisation or campaign idea that you want to develop further, then please email us at tacticalstudios@tacticaltech.org