In The Loop August 2024
12 minutes read | First published: August 29, 2024
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OUR LATEST NEWS 🚀
🆕 New article on the hidden consumptions behind tech and AI
In his latest thought-provoking piece "The Tech Ouroboros: About the digitised culture of consumption", Tactical Tech's Executive Director Marek Tuszynski explores the hidden consumptions behind technologies like crypto and AI, such as the overconsumption of natural resources and the self-consumption of knowledge. The piece analyses how these technologies, framed under liberating narratives, became the latest form of epistemological colonization and how, in this spiral of self-consumption, the line between fact and fiction blurs, making it nearly impossible to separate opinions from truth. Read the full article here or on LinkedIn Articles
🤳 Behind the scenes of the TikTok strategy used by the Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni
During the Italian election campaigns, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's TikTok strategy blended influencer-style content with far-right political messaging, using humour, irony, and networked intimacy to connect with younger audiences. By presenting a relatable, authentic persona, she created a strategic disconnect between her social media presence and her formal political stance. Read this new Influence Industry research by researcher and visual artist Fraser Crichton here
🎉 Join the Publix Open House on September 15th and discover Berlin’s new Center for Journalism and Public Debate
Publix opens its doors to the Berlin community! This event features pop-up sessions, workshops, exhibitions, and interactive spaces, inviting Berliners to explore Publix and connect with its resident organizations. Tactical Tech, now based at Publix, will showcase their latest public interventions on Artificial Intelligence and lead a session on Digital Safety, offering valuable insights for journalists, researchers, advocates, and anyone involved in investigative and documentation work. Find out more
Invitation to the Publix Open House day. Image by Publix.
🗳️ New report on the impact of data-driven technologies on Canadian elections and Democracy
Political parties are collecting extensive data on Canadian voters through canvassing and other interactions. OpenMedia’s new report "The Political Influence Industry in Canada", inspired by Tactical Tech work, reveals how this data is used to target voters and explores the implications for Canadian democracy. Check out our report and the new Canadian Political Influence Industry Database to understand the impact of this data-driven approach. Read the report here
OPEN CALLS 📢
[OPEN CALL FOR PARTNERSHIPS 🤝] Organisations working on Critical Literacy for Youth. Deadline: September 10, 2024
The Critical ChangeLab is a new pedagogical workshop model that employs participatory, creative, and critical approaches to empower young people to reflect on their relationship with everyday democracy—including their interactions with individuals, society, and technology—and to take action based on those reflections. Tactical Tech is seeking Europe-based schools, libraries, youth clubs, cultural centres or civil society organisations that work with youth to test and implement the second cycle of the Critical ChangeLab model in their contexts. Interested? Check the criteria and the application process here
[CALL FOR PARTICIPANTS 💻] Digital Investigation Residency: AI, Critical Climates, and Political Influence. In-person event in Berlin 18-22 November. Deadline for applications: August 30, 2024
Join us in Berlin for a week of immersive exploration at Tactical Tech's upcoming residency! We're calling on Europe-based journalists, fact-checkers, researchers, OSINT investigators, artists, and anyone passionate about investigative work. Dive deep into critical topics like AI & Us, critical climates, and political influence through engaging plenary sessions, hands-on workshops, skill-sharing, and collaborative sessions. This is your chance to learn cutting-edge methods and apply them directly to your investigative projects. Financial support for travel and accommodation is available for those selected. Apply here
Digital Influence Residency Banner by Tactical Tech
[GRANT OPPORTUNITY 💰] Grants for Cross-Border Collaborative Investigations. Deadline: September 9, 2024
Do you have a great investigative journalism story in mind about issues affecting European societies? Free Press Unlimited is offering ten grants of 10,000 EUR each for cross-border investigative projects covering these topics. This is a unique opportunity for teams of journalists to produce impactful stories that transcend national boundaries. If you’re ready to make a difference with your investigative work, don’t miss out! Discover more and apply here.
Grants for Cross-Border Collaborative Investigations Banner by Tactical Tech
[SURVEY 📋] Help us improve the What the Future Wants project online presence! Deadline: September 7, 2024
The What the Future Wants project at Tactical Tech, which focuses on digital literacy interventions for youth, is on a mission to improve its online presence and make resources more accessible to you. We’d love your input to guide our efforts! Please take a few moments to complete this quick survey by September 7th. Your feedback will play a crucial role in shaping the future of our project. Take survey
EVENTS THAT EMPOWER YOU 💡
[CONFERENCE 🌐] Save the date! kulturBdigital-Jahreskonferenz. October 10, 2024. Berlin, Germany.
On October 10th, 2024, the KulturBdigital project of the Technologiestiftung Berlin, in cooperation with the Senate Department for Culture and Social Cohesion, will host its annual conference on the "Digital Development of the Cultural Sector." This event offers a dynamic mix of lectures, workshops, and networking opportunities, inviting Berlin's cultural community across artistic disciplines to explore and discuss key digital trends that are shaping the work and transformative processes within cultural institutions. More information
[FORUM 🌐] Registration for iMEdD International Journalism Forum 2024 is open! September 26-28, 2024. Athens, Greece.
Don’t miss this event in Athens, where journalism meets innovation! Explore crucial topics like press freedom in Europe, AI’s role in investigative journalism, algorithmic accountability, and groundbreaking sustainability strategies for media independence. Highlights include The UNCOVERED Conference 2024 and the European Press Prize Community Event. Tactical Tech's Laura Ranca, Program Expert in Investigations and training, will participate in panels discussing best practices for bridging the gap between journalists and the public by thoughtfully repackaging content and reaching the right audiences. Register.
[EXHIBITION 🖼️] CODE 2024: Deep Nudes and Digital Oblivion. August 30 - October 13, 2024. August 2024. Utrecht, Netherlands.
Explore the cutting-edge exhibition CODE 2024: Deep Nudes and Digital Oblivion that tackles today’s most urgent digital issues—from AI in image creation and the right to be forgotten to the opacity of machine learning and the clash between personal identity and public perception. Discover the results of CODE 2024, a collaborative project where artists, designers, researchers, activists, and tech industry professionals have come together to create thought-provoking art projects. Find more information and get your tickets here
Banner CODE 2024 Deep Nudes and Digital Oblivion event. Screenshot from website
[PROJECT LAUNCH 🚀] Introducing the BERLIN SCHOOL OF VR. September 13, 2013. Berlin, Germany.
Berlin-based performance and media artist Katharina Haverich will launch a new project that allows people to experience Virtual Reality and engage with emerging technologies, empowering them to actively contribute to the development of potential virtual futures. Starting in September 2024, the BERLIN SCHOOL OF VR will provide an analogue point of contact for those interested in learning and exploring virtual worlds. Find out more
OUR THE GLASSROOM: MISINFORMATION EXHIBITION EXHIBITION AROUND THE WORLD 🖼️
➡️ DigiDic Exhibition "Call to Digital Self-Defense". Until November 3, 2024. Graz, Austria. The world is rapidly heading towards monopolization by global digital players, leading to total control, algorithm-driven need creation, and loss of privacy. This exhibition, featuring Tactical Tech's The Glass Room, uses art, interactive installations, museum objects, workshops, performances, artist talks, and lectures to explore these issues and offer a manual on digital self-defense. Find out more
➡️ When They See Us. September 17 - 28, 2024. Bologna, Italy. This is a thought-provoking exhibition exploring the impact of tracking and biometric surveillance on our lives. The exhibition delves into digital rights through installations by Belgian artist Dries Depoorter and data visualizations by Tactical Tech. Curated by Sineglossa and supported by The Good Lobby, Hermes Center for Digital Rights, and info.nodes, the exhibition also contributes to the campaign against biometric recognition, Reclaim Your Face. Find out more
Banner When they see us event. Image by Sineglossa
➡️ The Glass Room: Misinformation Edition at the American Corner at the University of Aveiro. September 2 - 29, 2024. Aveiro, Portugal. This exhibit invites both young people and adults to explore how social media and the Internet have transformed our interactions with information. Don’t miss this opportunity to gain insights into the impact of misinformation—entry is free! More information
TACTICAL TECH: TRAINING AND ADVANCING THE SKILLS OF COMMUNITIES WORLDWIDE 💡
Tactical Tech's team led conversations, hosted workshops and sessions, and participated in various events to advance knowledge and build the capacities of individuals and communities to address technology-related challenges. Here’s a recap of last month’s events:
Our Executive Director and co-founder, Marek Tuszynski, who was recognized in 2023 by Mozilla's Rise 25 Awards as one of the artists and visionary leaders shaping a better future for the internet, attended this year's Mozilla Rise 25 Awards, held in Dublin on August 13th. In its second edition, the awards honored advocates, artists, builders, change-makers, and entrepreneurs working towards responsible AI. Watch the ceremony here. More information.
MEET OUR PARTNERS WORLDWIDE 💫
⭐ Discover Thraets, a non-profit Civic Tech research lab dedicated to combating digital threats
Tactical Tech's partner and collaborator, Richard N'gamita, a senior investigator who works at the intersection of digital technology and politics has founded Thraets, a non-profit dedicated to combating digital threats against truth, democracy, and social unity. One of their latest visualisation projects is "Ruto Lies: A Portrait", an interactive digital portrait of Kenya’s President Ruto is composed of over 5,000 tweets highlight claims of false statements or misleading promises attributed to President Ruto. Discover more about Thraets
Get to know The Asian Feminist Studio for Art and Research- AFSAR
The Asian Feminist Studio for Art and Research- AFSAR was founded in 2020 with the aim of establishing connections between contemporary art, scholarly discourse, and activism rooted in Asian feminist thought. AFSAR initiates various hybrid programs, including study and reading groups, collective research projects, dialogues, and film screenings. The prefix "Asian" emphasizes localities in the conceptualization of space and sparks dialogues with diverse partners. These localities are also expressed through the engagement of diasporic peoples with their places of settlement, their ancestral lands, and regions beyond. Over the years, AFSAR has grown into a decentralized network, utilizing multiple online tools to create a virtual space for archiving its activities and fostering collective research, all with the goal of developing and supporting sustainable interactions. Find out more
Screenshot of the Ruto Lies: A Portrait project.
Critical History of Technology, Lecture Performance at MATTER OF FLUX Festival, Women in Art, Science, and Technology, 2023. From left Hanwen Zhang, Mooni Perry, Yan Lin, Hye-in Park, Charmaine Poh. Photo Credit Isabelle Schmitz
⭐ Meet the GoodGame Generation
The GoodGame Generation team, a gaming and tech academy based in Barcelona, visited the Tactical Tech space in Berlin and shared more insights into their educational work with youth. They have the mission of supporting young people to navigate the digital world by building a safe digital community to support youth health and development, providing reliable information and advice about gaming to families and institutions and using video games to develop soft skills, tech knowledge, and more. Find out more about their work
WHAT WE ARE READING 🔍
- [🔍 RESEARCH] Artificial Multiverse: Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference in Taiwan’s 2024 National Elections. By Digital Intelligence Team／Doublethink Lab. Go to Medium.
- [💬 COMMENTARY] How AI will change democracy - Artificial intelligence is coming for our democratic politics, from how politicians campaign to how the legal system functions. By Bruce Schneier. Go to CYBERSCOOP.
- [📚 BOOK] Drone Aesthetics: War, Culture, Ecology. Edited by Beryl Pong and Michael Richardson. Go to Open Humanities Press.
- [📰 ARTICLE] ‘Never summon a power you can’t control’: Yuval Noah Harari on how AI could threaten democracy and divide the world. Go to The Guardian.
- [📰 ARTICLE] No Exit Opportunities: Business Models and Political Thought in Silicon Valley. By Henry Farrell. Go to American Affairs Journal.
- [📹 VIDEO] What AI means for education. Go to The RSA.
- [📰 ARTICLE] A critical conceptualization of conspiracy theory. By Adam John Koper. Go to Wiley Online Library.
- [📰 ARTICLE SERIES] Sextortion series by The Guardian. Go to The Guardian.
- [💡 JOURNAL ARTICLE] Quantifying the vulnerabilities of the online public square to adversarial manipulation tactics. By Bao Tran Truong, Xiaodan Lou, Alessandro Flammini, Filippo Menczer. Go to Oxford Academic.
- [📰 ARTICLE] Starlink in Sudan: A lifeline or war facilitator? By Digital Rights Lab. Go to Global Voices.
- [📰 ARTICLE] Internet shutdowns in Sudan allow the bypass of regulations. By Digital Rights Lab. Go to Global Voices.
- [📊 DATABASE] What are the risks from Artificial Intelligence? A comprehensive living database of over 700 AI risks categorized by their cause and risk domain. By MIT. Go to the database..
- [📹 VIDEO] AlJazeera the AI series - AI and Surveillance Capitalism, AI and the Global South, The AI series with Maria Ressa: An introduction
- [📰 ARTICLE] The Illusion of Power: Why Privacy Shouldn't Depend on VPNs and Related Tech. By Nina-Simone Edwards. Go to Tech Policy Press
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