The Watchdogs of our Digital Future
It seems like everyday we hear of data breaches, privacy issues, cyberbullying, cybercrimes of various sorts, foreign disinformation campaigns, sleeplessness due to screen use and many other social, psychological and physiological issues, gender and race bias in Artificial Intelligence and the weaponisation of digital technologies. It can seem like we’re already in a dystopian world. We’re not. Not yet.
So who’s fighting for our human rights? Free will, the preservation of democracy, the battle against disinformation? Increasingly, it is non-profits and IGO’s that are ringing the alarm bells and stating the case. Here are the organisations watching out for us humans and our future society.
There are a surprisingly large number of organisations around the world looking to protect and defend human society in the digital age, so I’ve listed some main ones. You’ll note that these are all in democratic countries.
Human Rights, Data and Civil Liberties Organisations
Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF): One of the better known non-profits that started in 1990, EFF is working to protect civil liberties. They’ve been around since 1990. They’re based out of San Francisco and do work in Canada and the EU and UK and sometimes other countries as well, but are largely focused on issues of human rights and civil liberties in the United States. They cross a multitude of technologies and play a vital role in helping ensure the rights of average citizens are protected.
Access Now: This organisation is much more multi-national with a greater emphasis on nations with little to know human rights laws and a fragile Rule of Law as a whole. You can find their website here. They have a key event called RightsConwhich is a summit on human rights in the digital age. It’s powerful. They also engage in legal and public policy from amicus briefs to expert opinions in state-level to international proceedings. Another cool thing they have is a Digital Security Helpline providing real-time technical assistance to people at risk such as journalists, human rights defenders and activists in fragile and authoritarian states.
Center for Humane Technology: Focused on our digital infrastructure and addressing a number of key issues around technology use in our digital world. From exposing the dangers of digital products and raising awareness across all facets of society of the harms of digital technologies. They have a number of toolkits to help kids and adults deal with the risks of our digital lives. They’re behind the two time Emmy award winning documentary The Social Dilemma. You can find them here.
Data Ethics: Based in Denmark with an EU-centric, but also global outreach, this organisation is focused on the ethical use of data in public society. They want a more human-centric approach to data governance in society. They conduct research as well as advise on public policy to governments and have several toolkits available to corporations, governments and other organisations.
Fight for the Future: A collaboration of artists, technologists, engineers and activists that have organised a number of online protests and achieved results in policy and law making in democracies around the world. Their initiatives lately revolve around banning facial recognition, net neutrality and canceling Amazon partnerships with police. They’re U.S. centric but have global outreach. You can find them here.
Software.Org U.S. based this non-profit wants to ensure diversity, inclusion and a better future workforce and society by helping governments and organisations understand the impacts of software on our world and societies. They publish research reports and develop programs. You can find them here.
Artificial Intelligence & Public Policy Organisations
Ada Lovelace Institute: Named after the British woman mathematician who was considered a trailblazer for women and was the daughter of the famed poet Lord Byron. The organisation was established by a number of groups including the Alan Turing Institute. Their aim is to ensure that Artificial Intelligence and data work for humans and society. They’re heavily focused on research and policy as well as practice, covering regulation, health data, biometrics and public sector use of AI and data. Their website is here. They also support a program called JUST AI, which is a group of independent researchers with multi-disciplinary approaches to AI development.
The Alan Turing Institute: They’re partnering with the Nuffield Foundation (also based in the UK) that created the Ada Lovelace Institute, while the Turing Institute is older and focused on more broader issues and engaging in public policy. You can find them here.
Center for AI and Digital Policy: This Washington, DC based institute is focused more in the areas of AI and sometimes other digital technologies for social inclusion, fundamental human rights, democracy and rule of law. They bring together thought leaders from around the world. More U.S.-centric but they play a significant role in policies that are relevant globally. You can find them here.
Algorithmic Justice League (AJL): This is a a very important organisation with an emphasis on ensuring algorithms in our world are not gender and racially biased. An issue we have seen cropping up time and again. Based in the U.S. they’re largely focused on the issue in America, but it has profound implications around the world. You can find them here.
Montreal AI Ethics Institute: As the name says, they’re based in Montreal, Canada. They help organisations developing AI to have an ethics program and also compile research and advances in AI ethics globally. They have a great newsletter on the state of ethics in AI. You can find them here.
There are a number of these organisations around the world. None in authoritarian states however, for obvious reasons, but that’s another article. Feel free to add ones in the comments.
