In The Loop, December 2023
15 minutes read | First published: December 15, 2023
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OUR LATEST NEWS 🚀
💪 MEET THE THREE MEDIA ORGANISATIONS JOINING THE COLLABORATIVE AND INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM INITIATIVE - CIJI AS REGIONAL HUBS
Investigate Europe, Journalists in Need Network and the Rise Project România were selected as CIJI grantee organisations and awarded a total of 150K EUR to fuel collaborative journalism and act as regional hubs that connect and support journalists from Eastern and Western Europe and exiled journalists from Russia and Belarus. Meet the three regional media hubs here.
Visual congratulating the new regional hubs
🌱 NEW DATA DETOX KIT SECTION WITH TIPS TO REDUCE YOUR DIGITAL FOOTPRINT
How does the way we use digital technologies impact the environment? The new section of the Data Detox Kit deepens into different practical steps that people can follow to reduce the impact of technologies on the environment.
- ➡️ Repairing Is Caring- Sustain your devices to reduce e-waste (and save money): In this Data Detox guide, you'll become mindful of the physical condition of your devices and how to better care for them.
- ➡️ How many trees does it take to power the internet? In this Data Detox, you'll learn some tips to make your digital life more eco-friendly, from switching up your online activities to recycling an old smartphone.
❤️ Tactical Tech is one of the beneficiary organisations of the 2023 Proton Lifetime Charity Fundraiser
We can't be happier to know that Tactical Tech is one of the ten organisations that will be beneficiaries of the 2023 Proton Lifetime Charity Fundraiser, which supports organisations that create positive impact! The annual charity fundraiser has reached its sixth edition, and in total has contributed over $2,000,000 towards causes that that positively impact privacy, freedom, and human rights around the world. Participate in the raffles to raise funds and get the opportunity to win a Proton Lifetime account. Participate, win and make a difference! Find out how here.
Proton Lifetime Fundraiser visual. Courtesy of Proton
✨ THE WHAT THE FUTURE WANTS EXHIBITION IS NOW AVAILABLE IN BASQUE, GREEK AND BOSNIAN
Organisations working with youth in digital literacy initiatives! Discover this exhibition, which includes interactive posters, activities, and an educator guide inviting young people to reflect on their relationship with technology. Check the exhibition available in 23 languages, now including:
🎉 TACTICAL TECH HAS BEEN CHOSEN AS ONE OF THE RECIPIENTS OF 2023 DUCKDUCKGO'S CHARITABLE DONATIONS PROGRAM
DuckDuckGo, the internet privacy company committed to empowering individuals to take control of their personal information online, has unveiled the names of the organisations selected to benefit from their Charitable Donations Program 2023. Tactical Tech is one of the 25 organisations chosen to be part of this program that supports initiatives seeking to raise the standard of trust online by promoting privacy, digital rights and access to information. Find out more.
Screenshot of the DuckDuckGo Charitable Donations announcement
Screenshot of the Article Private firms profiting from your vote on Global Voices
🗳️ NEW TACTICAL TECH PIECE ON THE ROLE DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES WILL PLAY IN 2024 ELECTION CAMPAIGNS WORLDWIDE
🗳️ "Private firms profiting from your vote: The role of the influence industry around the world" is the title of our new piece on Global Voices. Whether debating if AI-generated deepfake videos and ChatGPT will disrupt trust in elections or if social media platforms will be able to monitor violence-inciting misinformation, digital technologies remain a crucial topic for 2024 election campaigns around the world. Also available in Albanian and Bengalis. Read the article here.
🎁 ARE YOU STILL LOOKING FOR THE PERFECT GIFT? VISIT OUR NEW TACTICAL TECH SHOP AND GET INSPIRED
By purchasing our merchandise, you help us continue to empower communities worldwide to tackle the challenges created or amplified by digital technologies. From thought-provoking tote bags and mugs to playful socks and hoodies, visit our shop and pick your favourite.
OPEN CALLS 📢
🤝 CALLING ALL THE ORGANISATIONS INTERESTED IN EXPANDING INVESTIGATION SKILLS IN THEIR COMMUNITIES. DEADLINE: DECEMBER 18, 2023
Tactical Tech’s Exposing the Invisible project is looking for partner organisations who want to work with communities in low and middle-income countries to expand their knowledge on investigating and keeping themselves safe. Does your organisation can produce creative formats around the investigation topics? We want to hear from you! Apply here.
Illustration for the Exposing the Invisible open call for partners
🧑🏫 OPEN CALL FOR PARTNERSHIPS: ORGANISATIONS WORKING ON CRITICAL LITERACY FOR YOUTH IN EUROPE. DEADLINE: JANUARY 8, 2024
We are looking to partner with learning institutions and organisations like schools, libraries, cultural centres, civil society organisations and others across Europe that want to apply the Critical ChangeLab model, a pedagogical workshop that uses participatory, creative and critical approaches to encourage youth to think about their relationship to democracy. Apply now.
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Open Call for Partnerships Organisations Working on Critical Literacy for Youth in Europe
💡 Research – Reach out – Resist Activation series. Deadline: January 10, 2024
Exposing the Invisible collaborates with TBA21 Academy and its Ocean Archive project in its OCEAN / UNIVERSITY Spring 2024 series "Pacific Resistance", that will take place between January 31 – April 4, 2024. Exposing the Invisible will run a series of five workshops under the title "Research – Reach out – Resist", which aim to collectively shape and share digital research tools that foster agency and influence decision-making processes related to extractivism and ecology. Apply for the Activation Series here
THE GLASS ROOM ON DISPLAY WORLDWIDE ✨
✨THE GLASS ROOM FEAT. WHAT THE FUTURE WANTS IN LARISSA, GREECE. NOVEMBER 16 – DECEMBER 15, 2023
Last days to visit the double exhibition hosted by our partners Homo Digitalis, Digital Detox Experience and Open Lab Athens. Learn how social media and the internet have transformed how information is managed and how young people can reclaim their digital futures.More information
✨ THE GLASS ROOM MISINFORMATION EDITION AT THE COMPUTER HISTORY MUSEUM LJUBLJANA, SLOVENIA. UNTIL DECEMBER 15, 2023
This exhibition explores Misinformation, why it is shared, how it spreads and how we, individual users, participate in the process through our many clicks, likes and shares. Find out more.
✨ THE GLASS ROOM: COMMUNITY EDITION AT EUROPE HOUSE SKOPJE, MACEDONIA. UNTIL DECEMBER 26, 2023
"The Digital World – Personal Data Trap exhibition allows youth to foster critical debates and discussions. The exhibition is organised by our partners, the Macedonian Institute for Media (MIM) and the Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of North Macedonia. Find out more
✨ 'FAKE NEWS. LA FÁBRICA DE MENTIRAS' EXHIBITION - ESPACIO FUNDACIÓN TELEFÓNICA MADRID, SPAIN. UNTIL JANUARY 7, 2024
What is fake news, and how does it spread? How can we detect and combat them? 'Fake News. The Lies Factory' is an exhibition that aims to review the phenomenon of fake news over the centuries and reflect on its impact on our society. The exhibition includes four apps from The Glass Room looking at Misinformation. More information.
MEET OUR PARTNERS WORLDWIDE 💫
🌟 Fundación Internet Bolivia.org: equipping decision-makers and citizens to advance personal data protection in Bolivia
This organisation, which works to advance digital inclusion and promote the critical use of technology from a human rights perspective, has been actively advocating for the passing of a personal data protection law by the Legislative Assembly in Bolivia. Their strategies to amplify public consciousness and stimulate discourse on these pivotal matters involved the creation of learning platforms, both in the digital and the physical world. Read their impact story
Picture of the events hosted by Fundación Internet Bolivia. Courtesy of our partner.
Picture of one of the events hosted by the International Young Catholic Students Africa. Courtesy of our partners
🌟 International Young Catholic Students Africa: igniting digital transformation in Zimbabwe, Rwanda and Zambia
Through the Peer to Peer approach, IYCS AFRICA trained students from Zimbabwe, Rwanda and Zambia to become peer facilitators, equipping them with the skills to engage their peers effectively. IYCS AFRICA reached over 200 young people in the three countries using the What The Future Wants exhibition. The empowered young trainers hosted workshops in the school libraries and their communities' common spaces, reaching 2100 students directly in the learning institutions." Find out more.
IT'S A WRAP! TACTICAL TECH IN 2023 🎇
As 2023 ends, we want to celebrate some of our main achievements and thank you for your support and collaboration, which have been instrumental in engaging with communities worldwide to explore and mitigate the impacts of digital technologies. This is a curation of twelve Tactical Tech highlights:
💫 OUR PARTNERS CREATED A DIFFERENCE WITH THEIR IMPACTFUL WORK
Their initiatives sparked remarkable transformations within communities and among individuals, particularly empowering young minds to engage in vital conversations about the effects of technology. By promoting proactive responses, our partners invited their communities to improve their relationship with technology. Our partners' influence resonated not only among the public but also caught the attention of decision-makers, drawing them into active participation. Explore the inspiring impact stories of our partners here.
🎂 CHEERS TO OUR 20TH ANNIVERSARY!
This milestone marks two decades of innovation and collaborative efforts alongside our partners, collaborators, and supporters. We commemorated this significant occasion through both digital gatherings and in-person celebrations, uniting everyone who has contributed to this incredible journey. Together, we've impacted over 30 million individuals across 90 countries. Visit our anniversary digital celebration site.
🏆 OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, MAREK TUSZYNSKI, WAS RECOGNISED AS ONE OF THE 25 LEADERS WORLDWIDE SHAPING THE FUTURE OF THE INTERNET
Mozilla's Rise 25 Awards recognised Marek as one of the visionary leaders actively shaping a more ethical, responsible, and inclusive future for the internet. Twenty-five game changers across five categories: activists, builders, artists, creators, and advocates were awarded. Find out more about this recognition here.
💼 THE MEDIA LITERACY CASE FOR EDUCATORS - MLCE- WAS LAUNCHED!
This project equips educators with creative and innovative collaborative tools and methods for media literacy initiatives. Led by European Schoolnet, the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA), Save the Children (Italy), and Tactical Tech, the initiative collaborated with local partners to conduct research utilising educator experience, teen perspectives, and expert insights. Find out more.
🔎 THE SECOND SEASON OF COLLABORATIVE AND INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM INITIATIVE KICKED OFF
Through training, resources, investigation and networking opportunities, the initiative works with independent media outlets and journalists to strengthen the collaborative journalism ecosystem in Europe. Led by Delfi, Free Press Unlimited (FPU), Fundacja Reporterow (FR), OBC Transeuropa (OBCT), Reporters Without Borders (RSF), and Tactical Tech, CIJI partners with media organisations like Investigate Europe, Journalists in Need Network and the Rise Project România to promote collaboration and exchange. Find out more.
🌐 THE INFLUENCE INDUSTRY STUDY CASES UNCOVERED HOW DATA IS USED TO INFLUENCE ELECTIONS WORLDWIDE
From Lebanon and Nepal to Argentina and Indonesia. All across the world, private firms offer services to political parties to influence the outcome of elections. We have partnered with journalists, investigators and researchers to examine the influence industry in their countries and contexts. Read the cases here that cover a wide range of topics like polling and misinformation, the Transparency of Facebook Disclaimers, Google Ads in Election Campaigns and Political Influence Operations. Explore and read the study cases here
🌠 THE EXPOSING THE INVISIBLE PODCAST SEASON AND THE VIDEO EXPLAINERS TOOK CENTER STAGE
Our second season of Exposing the Invisible podcast was a success! We hosted interviews with investigators and journalists who shared insights into their experiences, projects and challenges. Meanwhile, our video explainer series cracked open essential topics like safety protocols and evidence-collection techniques. But this is not all. Our partners made the Exposing the Invisible Kit available in Spanish and Portuguese. Discover the newest resources and catapult your investigative endeavours to new heights. Go to the project website.
🖼️ THE GLASS ROOM TRAVELED ACROSS THE WORLD
In 2023, The Glass Room collaborated with long-standing and new partners in over 20 countries worldwide. Over 100 educational interventions were organised to raise awareness and build capacity on digital and media literacy through exhibitions and events. The Glass Room Misinformation edition which looks at how misinformation spreads, was translated into new languages: Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian, Turkish, Greek, Hindi and Khmer. To date, it is available in over 15 languages. Discover the latest news
🚀 OUR WHAT THE FUTURE WANTS PROJECT IS GREW
The What the Future Wants exhibition became available in 9 more languages: Basque, Khmer, Swahili, Croatian, Turkish, Greek, Slovak, Bosnian, and Albanian. We also launched new workshops for educators and facilitators, including activities, lesson guides and toolkits designed to increase digital literacy among young people. These workshops build the knowledge and skills of young people and provide them with the space to discuss how technology impacts them and their communities. Go to the exhibition and workshops outlines.
🆕 THE DATA DETOX KIT BROUGHT NEW SECTIONS AND GUIDES TO THE LIGHT
Our Data Detox Kit has expanded to cover crucial areas like health and the environment, offering a set of guides and articles packed with practical tips. From navigating internet scams to understanding how to reduce your digital footprint, we've got you covered. We've spruced up our kit with a brand-new Download Center, a Partnership Showcase, and a News & Recognitions hub. Dive into these sections to get valuable resources and discover our partners' initiatives. Explore the new sections, guides and resources available on the Data Detox Kit website.
💻 OUR WEBSITE GOT A WHOLE NEW LOOK!
We gave our website a makeover and included new features, sections and fresh content. While on our 'Resources section', you can explore, filter and access our resources by topics, media type, language and project, on our partners section, you can get inspired by the work of our partners worldwide. Finally, we created a news section where you can easily find our latest announcements and impact stories from our partners in the field. If you haven't checked our updated website, this is the time. Go to the website.
🤔 WE INTRODUCED OUR 'TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY INSIGHTS' PIECES
We published several pieces to help people and organisations understand what it means to work in a technology and data-saturated environment. How digital technology influences peoples' responses to the environmental crisis and how to tell stories using complex data sets are some of the topics covered in our articles and pieces Explore here.
TWELVE ESSENTIAL READINGS AND RESOURCES FOR EVERYONE WORKING IN THE MEDIA LITERACY FIELD
- [💡 Technology and Society Insights] There Is Plastic In The Clouds. How technology defines, determines and shapes how we perceive our role in the world under crisis and its limitations.Read here.
- [🔎 Research] An Assessment of the Needs of Educators and Youth in Europe for a Digital and Media Literacy Education Intervention. Go to the resource.
- [🔎 Research] Digital and Media Literacy Education: Navigating an Ever-Evolving Landscape. Go to the resource.
- [💡 Technology and Society Insights] Data Scavengers. How to deal with such data sets and how to work through them in order to yield interesting results and stories. Go to the resource.
- [🧰 Kit] Exposing the Invisible - The Kit. A comprehensive set of investigative resources and methodologies. Available in English, Spanish, French and Portuguese. Go to source.
- [📝 ARTICLE] OSINT Tools for Online Political Research: the Context of Argentina. Go to the resource.
- [🧠 Learning Hub] Influence Industry Learning Hub. An educational guide to help you learn about the role of private firms in political influence and the collection, analysis and sales of political data. Go to the hub.
- [🎙️ Interviews] Influence Industry interviews with experts, researchers and investigators from around the world. Go to the resource.
- [📝 Guide] Exposing Internet Scam Operations. Go to the resource.
- [💻 Resources downlod center] Print and giveaway the Data Detox Kit! This page compiles downloadable content from across the Data Detox Kit project that you can use in classrooms, workshops, events and share with friends and family. Go to the resource.
- [💡 Technology and Society Insights] Adventures in Mapping Digital Empires. Go to the resource.
- [💡 Exhibitions and public interventions] The Glass Room and the What The Future Wants Exhibitions and resources are definitely a must-have in your digital literacy toolbox. Explore the projects latest resources here.
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