In The Loop December 2024
10 minutes read | First published: December 10, 2024
Join the In the Loop community!
🌟 Getting future-ready for 2025
2025 is almost here, and the challenges in the political and digital information environment are expected to keep intensifying. But don’t worry—Tactical Tech and our incredible network of partners worldwide are working non-stop to prepare you and keep you ahead of the curve. In 2024, we empowered individuals, communities, and organizations with the knowledge, skills, tools, and practices needed to navigate the ever-evolving information ecosystem effectively.
We also made an impact with over 200 critical digital literacy events and exhibitions across 50 countries, engaging 50,000+ people in conversations about misinformation, AI’s impacts, privacy, and the powerful actors shaping the digital landscape. We also created collaborative spaces that brought together more than 600 journalists, activists, artists, technologists, and investigators to exchange knowledge and create strategies for information integrity and tackling pressing societal issues, from climate change and digital influence to synthetic technologies. With cutting-edge exhibitions, innovative resources, and transformative training programs, 2024 was a dynamic, impactful year.
So, what’s next? Get ready—2025 is about making big changes. Together, we’ll continue tackling technology’s impacts on societies, democracies, and our planet. Let’s make 2025 the year we take back control.
💪 Drive Your Mission Forward with Our Events, Training Programs, and Consultancy Services
For the first time, Tactical Tech offers a groundbreaking portfolio of products and services designed to help organizations achieve their goals through engaging, impactful experiences and tools. With 20 years of global expertise at the intersection of technology and society, we are making our award-winning methods and resources available to you. Launching in January 2025, this comprehensive portfolio will empower organizations and communities to navigate the challenges of digital acceleration responsibly and effectively.
🎉 Create impactful Events and experiences
Planning an event and need a creative, immersive experience? We help museums, festivals, conferences, and corporate events captivate audiences with engaging exhibitions and activations. Our experiences are designed to explore technology's societal impacts in a playful yet thought-provoking way, and they’re easy to install in diverse spaces. Let us tailor these experiences to align with your goals and maximize impact. Explore More
💼 Equip Your Audiences with Essential Skills
Hosting an event and looking for dynamic, hands-on workshops? Our training programs provide audiences with the tools to navigate technology’s challenges—whether improving digital well-being, enhancing privacy and security, or combating misinformation. We also offer specialized programs for journalists, researchers, and decision-makers, equipping them with investigative methods and insights. Fully customizable to your needs. Explore More
🔍 Future-Proof Your Organization
Prepare your organization to tackle the challenges of digital technologies with our expert consulting services. Drawing on two decades of experience, we provide strategic advice tailored to your mission, whether it’s curating projects, designing toolkits, or organizing impactful events and training programs. Together, we’ll ensure your organization is ready to thrive in a digital-first world. Explore More
📩 Interested in collaborating? Reach out to our partnerships team: partnership@tacticaltech.org
Tactical Tech Wrap-Up 2024: How We’re Preparing You for a Future-Ready 2025
🌐 Empowering People to Navigate the Information Disorder Landscape
- Equipping Individuals and Communities: We empowered individuals, communities, and organizations to navigate the impacts of technology, particularly the spread of misinformation. Through initiatives like The Glass Room and the Data Detox Kit, we partnered with hundreds of organizations in 13 countries across Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Europe, conducting 80+ events that engaged over 40,000 visitors in conversations about privacy, digital well-being, misinformation, and the effects of technology. Find out more
- Improving Digital Well-Being: Our Data Detox Kit, which provides practical tips for enhancing privacy and digital well-being, includes resources on tackling the spread of misinformation and mitigating the impacts of technology and AI. Amnesty International featured the kit in its Digital Security Resource Hub for Civil Society. Explore the Data Detox Kit
- Critically Examining the power structures behind technology: Our GAFAM Empire Project dissected the acquisitions of Google, Amazon, Facebook, Apple, and Microsoft. Featured in Atlas du Numérique (Sciences Po, Paris), it sheds light on the power structures shaping our tech landscape. Explore the project
- Championing Transparent Technologies: We advocate for trustworthy, privacy-conscious alternatives—search engines, apps, and software that prioritize transparency, accountability and access to information. Find out more about how we work
Students interacting with the Glass Room exhibition. Photo courtesy of Macedonian Institute for Media, 2024
Participants interacting with the Glass Room in Taiwan. Photo courtesy of C-LAB Taiwan.
Participants interacting with the Glass Room exhibition organised by the Western University of Canada. Photo courtesy of Western University of Canada, 2024
Students at the Escola Sigismundo Gonçalves - Photo courtesy of Criatura Lab, 2024
🤖 Demystifying Artificial Intelligence
- Navigating AI Challenges: New Data Detox Kit guides tackled AI’s influence on scams, elections, and bias, helping users regain control over their digital experiences. Developed with the Goethe-Institut Brazil, these resources address AI’s impact on individuals and the planet. Find out more
- Sparking Conversations on AI's impacts: Supercharged by AI is our latest exhibition exploring how AI amplifies existing harms like scams, harassment, stereotype amplification, and bias. This exhibition, produced in collaboration with DensityDesign Lab and IFLA, was funded by the European Media & Information Fund (EMIF). It is available in 10 languages. Between November 2024 and March 2024, it will travel to 10 European countries and be shown in over 50 events. Discover the Exhibition
- Engaging Youth: We increased the awareness of young people for the challenges posed by AI with the launch of Everywhere, All the Time, an exhibition for youth and educators that explores the impacts of technology and AI on their lives, communities, and the planet. Over 70 organizations working with youth have accessed and used the exhibition. Discover the Exhibition
A person interacting with one of the posters of the Supercharged by AI exhibition. Photo of Tactical Tech,2024.
Participants interacting with the Everywhere, All the Time at the RNW Conference, 2024
💫 Putting Young People at the Center of Digital Transformation
- Youth-Driven Initiatives: We built the capacity of educators and youth-focused organizations in 50 countries to empower young people. Our What The Future Wants project partnered with organizations worldwide to host 125 exhibitions, workshops, and events that engaged over 5,000 young people and educators in discussions to shape their digital present and future. The Council of Europe featured this initiative in its report on AI’s impacts on youth. Explore the project
- Encouraging Democratic Participation: We engaged youth in conversations about how digital technologies influence their participation in democracy. Through the Critical ChangeLab sessions, we partnered with 10 youth-focused organisations in Europe, which hosted these sessions and invited over 100 teens from diverse backgrounds to envision a different future for democracy. Find out more
A young person interacting with the posters of the What The Future Wants Exhibition, 2024. Photo courtesy of the International Young Catholic Students IYCS AFRICA
Participants at the CCLAB session, 2024. Photo courtesy of of Goethe Institut Skopje (North Macedonia)
🛠️ Building the capacity of civil society with a focus on information integrity
- Empowering journalists and investigators tackling pressing issues such as climate crises, AI and its impact on societies, political influence and misinformation: Through the Collaborative and Investigative Journalism Initiative (CIJI), our Exposing the Invisible project trained over 500 journalists, investigators, and technologists in digital investigation methods, open-source tools and techniques, and safety best practices. Find out more
- Making methodologies and tools accessible: We equipped journalists, investigators, artists and citizen investigators with new resources on crowdsourcing methods, storytelling, tracking misinformation networks, and investigating the influence industry in election campaigns. Explore the resources
- Fostering Collaboration: We created spaces for cross-disciplinary collaboration through the Digital Investigation Residency from November 18–22, 2024. Over 50 journalists and other media professionals from 24 countries gathered to share knowledge, connect and collaborate on new investigation projects. The event was focused on cross-disciplinary collaboration, skill development, and the use of OSINT tools and methods that will enable participants to address critical issues surrounding climate change, the regulation and use of AI, and political influence. Stay tuned for future events
Citizen investigators at a Workshop hosted by Tecnicas Rudas, 2024. Photo courtesy of Técnicas Rudas, 2024
Participants at the Digital Investigation Residency in Berlin, 2024
🔍 Advancing Knowledge at the Intersection of Digital Influence, Democracy, and Climate Change
- Shedding Light on Influence Campaigns: We advanced understanding of digital campaigns' impact on elections and democracies. The Influence Industry Project collaborated with 19 partner journalists and investigators in 15 countries, such as Brazil, Canada, India, Italy, and Paraguay, to develop 26 study cases highlighting how political groups engage with companies to influence election outcomes using private data and data-driven technologies. Explore the resources
- Empowering Voters: We empowered citizens to understand how their data is used in elections through INFORM: A Voter Literacy Resource Center. This platform includes 11 resources, including workshop curricula, activities, and tools to spark conversations about digital technologies’ role in shaping democratic participation. Discover INFORM
- Exploring Digital Influence and Climate Change: We created spaces for capacity building and cross-disciplinary collaboration at the intersection of digital influence and climate Friction. More than 30 journalists, researchers, investigators, activists, and artists came together to explore the connections between technology, digital influence and societal responses to the climate crisis. New resources advancing knowledge on this topic will result from the event. Stay tuned for future events
Participants at the Digital Influence & Climate Friction Gathering in Berlin, 2024
Picture of the Influence Industry report in Paraguay by TEDIC, 2024
🌟 Thank You to Our Partners and Supporters
Our 2024 achievements were possible thanks to our partners worldwide and the support of our funders: the European Union, the European Media & Information Fund (EMIF), the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, the Swedish Postcode Lottery Foundation, and our supporters: Proton, and DuckDuckGo.
💖 Finally, we want to wrap up 2024 by thanking you for being an essential part of our community and for your unwavering support of our team and initiatives. Our community is our greatest motivation as we continue to push forward together.
Support our work!
If you share our vision and would like to support our work, we provide the option to donate directly or support us through our merchandise campaign.