In 2023, Tactical Tech celebrated 20 years of innovative and collaborative work dedicated to building the capacity of communities around the world to face the challenges brought by new technologies. Over these two decades—together with our partners, collaborators, funders, and supporters—we reached over 30 million people in more than 90 countries, engaging them in conversations to increase their understanding and agency while navigating the digital landscape.
Tactical Tech also received extraordinary news in 2023. Our Executive Director and co-founder, Marek Tuszynski, was recognised by
Mozilla's Rise 25 Awards as one of the 25 change-makers worldwide shaping the future of the internet. This recognition acknowledged the work of Tactical Tech, its team, partners, and funders in actively shaping a more ethical, responsible, and inclusive digital future.
It was also a year of challenges. Communities worldwide continued to face growing social polarisation, weakening democracies, economic crises, conflicts, and the impacts of climate change. The rapid digital transformation and the accelerated adoption of AI present both solutions and challenges to these issues. In this context, Tactical Tech's projects—The Glass Room, The Data Detox Kit, What The Future Wants, Exposing the Invisible, and The Influence Industry Project—collaborated with hundreds of partner organisations worldwide who localised and utilised our interventions, educational resources, toolkits, and guides to engage their communities in exploring and responding to these challenges.
Through our projects, Tactical Tech also trained and advanced the skills of journalists, investigators, rights defenders, decision-makers, and policymakers working on strengthening democracy and digital rights.
THE GLASS ROOM: Engaging communities to explore, recognise and combat the spread of misinformation as a primary threat to democracy
From community events in Zambia to radio programs in Mexico, art interventions in India, and an exhibition at the Paraguayan Congress, our partners around the world localised and used
"The Glass Room Misinformation Edition" to engage their communities in conversations about technology’s impact and the spread of misinformation.
To thrive amidst large-scale social, political, and environmental challenges during the digital transformation, communities and decision-makers must build digital resilience by accessing trusted information and engaging with diverse perspectives. "The Glass Room" is a public intervention that aims to do that, by offering thought-provoking exhibitions to help visitors understand and mitigate technology’s impact on their lives. Used and adapted by hundreds of civil society, rights, and grassroots organisations, including cultural centres, museums, and libraries that understand their local needs, The Glass Room provides these organisations with knowledge, skills, and resources that improve the way they engage their communities. Through these partners, in 2023 The Glass Room reached more than 115,000 people via over 100 exhibitions, events, and workshops across 27 countries.
In 2023, the project focused on developing resources to engage communities in critical conversations about the environmental impact of technology and implementing new methodologies to strengthen the collaboration and exchange among civil society organisations working in the digital and media literacy field.
→ Reaching and empowering new communities to tackle misinformation. Our resources were translated into Bosnian, Croatian, Khmer, Serbian and Turkish, bringing the total to
29 languages and enabling our partners to outreach resources to new communities.
→ New resources and adaptations for our partners to engage communities in critical conversations. Resources were created to enhance the creative interventions, improve engagement, and cover crucial topics. Examples of our new resources include "Out of Hand", which addresses the environmental impact of technology, and an interactive poster, "What Do You Think?" designed to increase engagement.
→ Creating spaces for inspiration and learning. Through
the Capsule edition 3.0, our partners’ impact stories and best practices are shared as a source of inspiration for other organisations interested in championing media literacy in their communities.
→ New methodologies to foster collaboration and exchange. We hosted online networking sessions for our partners from 11 countries: Brazil, Cameroon, Haiti, India, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria, Paraguay, Uganda, and Zambia. Through these sessions, partners exchanged success stories on digital literacy initiatives and formed new collaborations.
How our collaborative work made a difference
WHAT THE FUTURE WANTS: Youth-focused creative interventions on technology and AI that empower young people to shape their digital world.
Young people in Mexico creating artworks on the impacts of technology and young leaders in Rwanda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe training teens are only some of the stories behind the
'What The Future Wants' project (WTFW), our creative, playful, youth-focused initiative designed to empower young people to shape the digital world they want to live in.
In 2023, WTFW partnered with civil society organisations, collectives, and initiatives working with youth who led workshops, trainings-of-trainers, and peer-to-peer sessions and ran social media campaigns to engage young people in conversations about the impacts of technology.
The rapid adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) by young people made urgent the need to create learning spaces for awareness and debate. In 2023 we joined forces with European Schoolnet, the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA), and Save the Children (Italy) to launch the
Media Literacy Case for Educators, an initiative that
develops digital literacy resources that create the learning spaces young people need. Through this initiative, Tactical Tech identified young people’s interests in understanding and responding to challenges in their online environments, such as social justice, techno-solutionism, the dissolution of human relationships, the increase in monitoring and control, and the impact of technology on their well-being. Meanwhile, our co-creation workshops confirmed that educators need engaging resources that include relatable examples and concrete points to encourage young people to have critical conversations about technology. These findings formed the basis of the digital literacy resources we developed.
→ Empowering youth in new communities worldwide. Thanks to the collaborative work with partners worldwide, the What the Future Wants exhibition content was translated into nine new languages: Albanian, Bosnian, Croatian, Gujarati, Khmer, Serbian, Swahili, Turkish, and Turkmen, bringing the total to 24 languages.
→ Building educators’ capacity to create spaces for conversations on tech and AI. New resources for educators created include two co-development workshop outlines:
What Matters to Us, aimed at identifying youth priorities, and
How Tech Shapes Our Future, exploring how young people experience AI, its opportunities, and risks. Four thematic workshops were developed to engage young people in critical conversations about Tech and Society:
Shaping Narratives,
Influence the Influencer,
What the Future Brings, and
Debating the Digital.
→ Advancing knowledge in digital literacy for youth. In the Media Literacy Case for Educators project, we extensively researched digital and media literacy (DML), gathering insights from over 100 educators and librarians. We identified practical teaching formats and engaged more than 300 teens from 10 countries in co-development workshops on relevant topics. Our findings culminated in a comprehensive report on global DML education techniques.
How our collaborative work made a difference
DATA DETOX KIT: Creative initiatives to help communities improve their privacy, security, and wellbeing and tackle misinformation.
In 2023, the
Data Detox Kit project partnered with cultural and educational organisations worldwide, engaging communities in conversations about ways to improve their relationships with technology.
Through diverse formats like radio programs, podcasts, videos, and workshops, our partners—libraries, community centres, and civil society organisations mainly based in low—and middle-income countries–used and adapted the Data Detox Kit resources to provide their communities with practical suggestions and concrete steps they can follow to enhance all aspects of their online lives, from privacy, well-being, and security to understanding their environmental footprint.
Through these partnerships, Tactical Tech empowered communities and societies by enhancing awareness of digital security, improving skills in discerning misinformation, and promoting fact-checking. Collaborations through the Data Detox Kit also championed the efforts of digital change-makers and leaders in promoting digital literacy, privacy protection, and responsible digital citizenship. Since its launch in 2016, the Data Detox Kit has been translated into 42 languages and adapted by hundreds of partners worldwide.
→ Exploring the environmental impact of technology as one of the most urgent topics. The new Data Detox Kit section focused on technology’s impact, including the guides
"Repairing Is Caring" and
"How many trees does it take to power the internet?" provide people with practical steps to reduce their environmental digital footprint.
→ The Data Detox Kit in the spotlight. Tactical Tech’s Data Detox Kit gained attention, being featured in the
film "SHARE?", a sci-fi film that takes viewers on a journey that explores the profound impact of social media on individuals and society. It was also featured in podcasts worldwide:
Digital Dada Podcast,
The International Schools Podcast, and
Radio Tosepan Limakxtum.
→ New resources to build the capacity of individuals and communities. A new
Download Center and a multimedia resources page were launched to make it more accessible for people and communities to access our guides, resources and tools. A
Data Detox workshops section, including tips and activities for online or offline sessions, was created to empower educators and facilitators interested in engaging their audiences in conversation and actions. Finally, a
partnership showcase, which included the experiences and the impact of the partners worldwide, was created to facilitate knowledge sharing and inspire other organisations and individuals working in the media and digital literacy field.
How our collaborative work made a difference
EXPOSING THE INVISIBLE: Building skills and championing collaboration amongst the investigative community to promote transparency and active participation.
From Kenya and Malawi to India, from Zimbabwe to Colombia and Brazil, in 2023,
Exposing the Invisible (ETI) worked closely with partner organisations and networks across Africa, Asia, Europe, South America, and the US to train journalists, activists, and other civil society groups in investigation, fact-checking, and digital safety methods tailored to their local contexts.
Besides the events and knowledge-sharing spaces hosted by Tactical Tech, our partners utilised Exposing the Invisible’s resources and methodologies on investigative approaches to design and conduct workshops and other knowledge-sharing events on investigation methods and cases. These efforts aimed to support individuals and local organisations in gathering evidence in the public interest and promoting transparency in their communities.
By adapting the Exposing the Invisible resources into new formats such as video tutorials, webinars, and articles, our partners advanced the skills of investigators, journalists, and independent media actors. They disseminated fact-checking knowledge and equipped their communities with skills in identifying information disorders, encryption methods, and secure communication channels. These resources also helped them keep their information confidential, avoiding cyber threats and online harassment.
→ Innovative learning formats to advance the skills of journalists and investigators worldwide. The project launched
the second season of the Exposing The Invisible podcast and
seven video explainers on evidence collection, content archiving, storytelling, mapping, and safety.
→ Promoting collaborative and investigative journalism in Europe. The second edition of the EU-funded
Collaborative Investigative Journalism Initiative (CIJI), led by Tactical Tech in partnership with Free Press Unlimited (FPU), Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Fundacja Reporterów (FR), OBC Transeuropa (OBCT), and Delfi was launched. This initiative supports independent media outlets and journalists with knowledge, financial resources, networking infrastructure, and method training for high-quality, ethical, and accountable collaborative investigative journalism.
→ Engaging journalists and media at major international investigative journalism conferences. Through talks, sessions or our resources, the project reached over 2,200 journalists at events such as the Global Investigative Journalism Conference 2023 and the first Climate Arena conference.
→ Building the capacity of journalists and investigators on urgent social, political, and environmental topics. The Exposing the Invisible Summer Workshops series in 2023 featured four events covering investigating climate change adaptation, mapping disinformation networks, geolocating images, and improving digital safety. A total of 107 journalists and citizen investigators attended these workshops.
How our collaborative work made a difference
Centre for Innovation & Technology - CITE: empowering citizen
journalists and civil society organisations to safely tell stories that
matter
Through a series of knowledge-exchange workshops conducted by our partner CITE in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, 45 participants, including citizen journalists and civil society organisations, were equipped with skills in identifying information disorders, encryption methods, and secure communication channels.
THE INFLUENCE INDUSTRY PROJECT: Building the field, advancing skills and raising awareness of the use of personal data in electoral campaigns
Across the world, civil society organisations, decision-makers, journalists, researchers, election monitors, academics, investigators, and other actors utilised and adapted
The Influence Industry Project’s resources and learning materials to investigate, understand, and raise awareness of the use of personal data in electoral campaigns and the way technology influences democratic processes.
From guides to workshops and museum exhibits, project partners contributed to the development of new materials and research. This enabled them to understand and shed light on how political groups utilise digital technologies and personal data to influence citizens’ opinions during campaigns and elections.
In 2023, the Influence Industry Project organised and participated in events, spaces and conversations that engaged over 600 academics, journalists, decision-makers, and civil society organisations who learned methodologies, tools and best practices to examine and investigate the Influence Industry in their specific contexts. The project also engaged hundreds of people at in-person and online events including presentations at the Futurium in Berlin, Germany, and DataFest Tbilisi in Georgia.
→ Investigating how data-driven technologies are used to influence voters’ opinions and the impact on democracy. The team collaborated with ten experts and researchers to investigate and publish case studies focused on the work of private firms, the services they provide to political groups, and their impact on democracies in six countries: Argentina, Benin, India, Indonesia, Lebanon, and Nepal.
→ Advancing knowledge in the Influence Industry field. The Influence Industry Explorer is an open-source tool that provides detailed information on more than 500 companies using data- driven technologies that play a role in election campaigning. In 2023, the project added data on over 70 political parties benefiting from the influence industry and over 50 services provided.
→ Building methodologies and investigative approaches. The new Influence Industry learning module
Dilemmas of Using Personal Data for Political Influence examines multiple reasons to interrogate the use of personal data in political campaigns, many of which pertain to the security and capacity of citizens to participate in politics. The module explores topics such as implicit bias, data logic flaws, privacy rights and more.
How our collaborative work made a difference
Tactical Tech behind the scenes
Tactical Tech has an experienced team based in Berlin, encompassing diverse expertise, from political scientists, journalists, and investigators to technologists, artists, and communication experts.
Our international team comprises 28 staff members from Africa, Asia and the Middle East (7), Europe (12), North and South America (8), and Oceania (1).
Our team members collectively speak 15 languages, including Arabic, Czech, Creole, English, French, German, Greek, Indonesian, Italian, Pakistani, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, and Spanish.
In 2023, we promoted well-being, equity and inclusiveness among our staff, and we prioritised gender balance, with a staff composition of 17 (62%) female and 11 (38%) male members, representing the LGBTQ community as well. The majority of our Extended Management Team – directors and managers – are female (64%).
Tactical Tech and our partners in the spotlight
Our website underwent a complete renovation and now includes sections such as "Our Partners", "Our Resources", and "News & Stories", highlighting partners' work, disseminating resources, and sharing impactful stories reflecting our global impact. These changes increased visits by 21% and the average visit duration by 62%.
We implemented several joint social media plans that impacted our reach and engagement rates. Posts on social media were more successful in joint campaigns. The reach and engagement on our social media accounts have increased consistently. We engaged over 69,380 followers on social media and 6,900 subscribers of our "In the Loop" newsletter in conversations about the impacts of technology. In 2023, media and other organisations like Euronews, Global Voices, La Vanguardia (Spain), THESSALIA TV (Greece), and Al Jazeera Media Institute covered Tactical Tech’s work in 282 publications, in over 30 languages.
In 2023, Tactical Tech's operating budget was €1.77 million.
Our Funders and supporters in 2023
