Partnership
This Program is partly supported by the partnership with the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation.
Why Technology and Democracy?
While the tech industry thrives, we are also living through a crisis of liberal democracy and trust. Researchers have shown that “trust crisis” is connected to the loss of a “shared reality”, including the ability to agree on basic facts or to argue disagreements civilly. Historian Yuval Harari suggests the crisis of liberal democracy, despite being multifaceted, “appears to be intertwined with current technological developments” and that it will likely worsen. Recently, revelations from the “Facebook whistleblower” Frances Haugen, seem to confirm what many scholars and some technologists have argued for a while: monetization imperatives shape functions and forms of mainstream social networks, which in turn are leading to antidemocratic processes, such as the amplification of hate and disinformation, hyperpolarization, and even anti-scientific theories that have regained followers. Our Technology and Democracy Program aims to nurture a civic-tech movement to bolster democracy in the digital age, respond to anti-democratic processes fueled online such as disinformation and produce actionable knowledge about the impacts of technology for societies.
Program Director Julie Ricard outlines the vision behind the Program in the blog post linked below.
(WEF, based on Edelman Trust Barometer)
Methods
The work of this Program is carried out in conjunction with the media literacy organization Eureka (non-profit fostering social awareness) and by utilizing mixed-methods research and machine learning-based tools.
Products
Infocracy Studies in Global Majority Countries
- Burkina Faso, Senegal, Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA)
- October 2022 - March 2023
- Partner(s): Agence Française de Développement - AFD (Funder)
DPA developed a comprehensive ecosystem approach to address the multifaceted nature of disinformation in two West African countries. Recognizing the need to examine disinformation beyond social media, our methodology considered the interconnected networks of online influencers, traditional media, and groups weaponizing (dis)information for socio-political purposes. We also investigated the underlying economic, political, and social motivations driving the weaponization of disinformation by powerful groups or individuals, and allowing false or inaccurate narratives to be anchored in society. This approach enabled pinpointing the most effective intervention points within the (dis)information cycle in Senegal and Burkina Faso, providing valuable insights and recommendations, particularly concerning the role of bilateral aid agencies such as AFD.
- Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), Mexico
- February - June 2023
- Partner(s): Conexión Migrante, International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) (Funder), PolitiFact, Proceso, The Associated Press, VerificadoMX
To fill the information gap brought on by complex migratory processes, poor institutional communication, and lack of trust in authorities, Latin American migrant communities transiting through Mexico on their way to the USA often resort to the use of social media and instant messaging apps. While sometimes a source of helpful information, these are also polluted with disinformation and scams, ranging from alleged “opening” days/hours of Mexico’s northern border, to fallacious legal advice, to false job and visa offerings. In collaboration with Conexión Migrante, VerificadoMX, PolitiFact and The Associated Press, the DPA team investigated the business models that leverage and finance the disinformation that can put migrants’ lives at risk. The investigation was published by multiple media outlets, including our partner Proceso.
- Brazil, Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC)
- November 2024 - January 2026
- Partner(s): Align (Advancing Learning and Innovation on Gender Norms) by ODI (Funder), DRPC (Development Research and Projects Center)
Technology-facilitated Gender-Based Violence (TF-GBV) against women in politics is an increasing, global concern for democracies. It is situated within the rising anti-gender and anti-feminist backlash and further aided by resistance from technology companies for greater regulations of their activities and responsibility to prevent and address such violence. This research project is implemented in partnership with Align and seeks to identify how social (gender) norms and other factors shape political parties’ responses to TF-GBV against women in politics in Brazil and what practices can be adopted by political parties to address it and to create a more enabling environment. A partner organization will be conducting similar research in Nigeria.
- Global
- January - August 2021
- Partner(s): UNESCO (Funder)
DPA worked alongside UNESCO to develop an analytical methodology and data partnerships to monitor and understand the status of press freedom and media development worldwide. DPA collected and analyzed over 150 data sources to produce comprehensive, data-driven evidence on global and regional trends in media freedom, media pluralism, media independence, and safety of journalists, all examined through a gender-sensitive perspective. The results were incorporated into UNESCO’s flagship publication “World Trends in Freedom of Expression and Media Development Global Report 2021-2022”.
- Brazil
- April 2020
- Partner(s): Harvard Kennedy School Misinformation Review
With over 30,000 confirmed cases, Brazil is currently the country most affected by COVID-19 in Latin America, and ranked 12th worldwide. Despite all evidence, a strong rhetoric undermining risks associated to COVID-19 has been endorsed at the highest levels of the Brazilian government, making President Jair Bolsonaro the leader of the “coronavirus-denial movement”. To support this strategy, different forms of misinformation and disinformation have been leveraged to lead a dangerous crusade against scientific and evidence-based recommendations. The article was published by the Harvard Kennedy School Misinformation Review.
Book and Movie Clubs for Social Change
- Global, Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC)
- May - August 2024
- Partner(s): Catherine D’Ignazio, Data Against Feminicide Project, Data Feminism Network (DFN), Eureka, MIT Data + Feminism Lab, MIT Press (Funder)
This Book Club, featured the book “Counting Femicide: Data Feminism in Action” by Catherine D’Ignazio, which documents the creative, intellectual, and emotional labor of data activists across the Americas as they seek to fill the institutional gap in counting femicides and gender-related killings. The Book Club facilitated a safe space for discussion with the author herself during 8 live discussion sessions. Both the events and the by-weekly summaries were available for participants in English, but also in Spanish and Portuguese, thus expanding the reach of the book. This initiative gathered over 500 participants from across the globe, including academics, activists, journalists, policymakers, planners, and citizens interested in Data Feminism, feminicides, gender equality and activism.
- Global
- January - April 2024
- Partner(s): Eureka, Patrick J. McGovern Foundation (Funder)
With the generous support of the Patrick J McGovern Foundation, Data-Pop Alliance and Eureka proudly launched the free Book and Movie Club titled “Technology Through Feminist Lenses.” The club conducted sessions in three languages: English, Portuguese, and Spanish. Throughout its three months, we utilized curated content to explore technology as a lens to discuss intersectional feminist perspectives, race, class, and technology, and visions of our future based on technological advancements. The club gathered over 700 participants and also served as a platform to foster community and establish cross-cultural connections between like-minded individuals passionate about technology, gender equity, and social justice. If you are interested in reading more about the Book and Movie Club’s progress, access the highlights of each month on the Data-Pop Alliance website.
- Brazil, Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC)
- December 2024 - March 2025
- Partner(s): Eureka, Instituto da Hora (Funder)
The Book and Movie Club “‘Re’Imaginando Tecnologias: Caminhos para o Futuro” (“‘Re’Imagining Technologies: Paths to the Future”), conducted in Portuguese together with Instituto da Hora and Eureka, invites participants to explore the intersections of technology, the future, and the challenges and perspectives shaping these debates through sci-fi narratives. Featuring thought-provoking discussions, live meetings, and an in-person event, the club fosters critical reflection and dialogue on the potential and limitations of technology, inspiring participants to re(imagine) possible futures.
- Global
- January 2021 - Currently available
Eureka is the first book-film club for social change. We are a non-for-profit and non-data extractive social media platform designed for users to find books and films on a particular topic, discuss it with a community and ultimately, inspire engagement and action towards social change. Our goal is to use culture content as an excuse to promote deep dialogue. Our strategy is to prompt “Eureka moments”, which we define as individual revelations that can impact or transform the collective. Eureka’s one-of-a-kind feature is the “thematic cycles”, designed to leverage the vast potential of books and films to trigger deep and transformational thinking, and to build community. Eureka was developed as part of a fellowship supported by the Mozilla Foundation.
- Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC)
- November - December 2021
- Partner(s): Eureka
This Book and Movie Club, a joint effort between Eureka and DPA, focused on addiction, disinformation, and violence stemming from social media in the context of Latin America. The Club featured two documentaries, a fiction movie, and a book related to the topic that addressed questions such as, Does monetization imply addition? How is social media used to spread hatred and violence? What is surveillance capitalism, and how does it relate to the business model of Internet platforms? The Club concluded with a panel discussion led by Paula Villarreal (Data Scientist & Full Stack Engineer), Matías González (Observatorio Legislativo del CELE), and Julie Ricard (Eureka Founder), and moderated by Ivette Yáñez (DPA).
Eureka Moment Workshops
- Global, Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC)
- September 2023 - Ongoing
- Partner(s): Eureka
During these 2 hour sessions, we leverage the best of our experience conducting the trilingual Book and Movie Club “Technology Through Feminist Lenses” to conduct an interactive workshop titled “Eureka Moment: Feminism, Culture, and AI to Reimagine Our Futures”. The ultimate goal is to foster critical and transformative dialogue about artificial intelligence (AI) and technology through an intersectional feminist perspective by leveraging the Eureka methodology. The workshop has been presented at several international events, including MozFest 2023, the Code for All Summit 2023, CryptoRave 2024, Fórum da Internet No Brasil (FIB14) 2024, ACM FAccT 2024, and the Global Digital Development Forum (GDDF) 2024.
Transversal Projects
- Global
- 2023 - 2024
- Partner(s): Patrick J. McGovern Foundation (Funder)
The Patrick J. McGovern Foundation granted $400,000 to DPA to support key projects. For the Technology and Democracy Program, this grant funded our “Infocracy Studies,” which aimed to address the implications of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) on the democratic process. Additionally, the grant enabled us to organize a Book and Movie Club that attracted over 700 participants worldwide. This club fostered essential discussions on the future amidst the AI revolution, viewed through an intersectional and feminist lens.