Hi Roger, Here’s a bit of homework for you: show your support for The Privacy Collective’s class-action case against Salesforce and Oracle. It’ll take under 20 seconds to do, and you’ll get extra marks if you share the campaign. As the heat turns up on big tech, we examine a few undercurrents in this debate. It’s also important not to lose sight of positive actions in tech for good, so I’ve made a list of causes for optimism within the tech world. Have a lovely weekend,Will (Tech for Good Global team)‘I was lost but now I’m found, please come to my TED talk’ - understanding #TheSocialDilemma debateI nabbed this line from a great article by Maria Farrell called The Prodigal Techbro. The article lifts the lid on an important issue in the debate about the societal impacts of big tech. As the architects of surveillance capitalism line up to say ‘we’ve created a monster, let us fix it’, some people are a little uneasy about letting the arsonists lead the firefighters.Like many of you, I watched #TheSocialDilemma recently. I don’t want to jump on the bandwagon of saying all the things that are wrong with it (although there are some very valid critiques). At a surface level, it is a persuasive and cogent demonstration about why we all need to be deeply concerned about a worldwide addiction to data-harvesting tools. A white-glove treatment to certain people or issues may be the price of a bigger audience. Were it just a conversation between a handful of dedicated activists, it probably wouldn’t have made such a stir. That said, if you want to see such a conversation, this call between Naomi Klein, Shoshana Zuboff and Simone Browne is amazing. If the goal is to persuade the general public that tech platforms are not innocuous - and are actually quite dangerous - then the documentary succeeds. The support of public opinion cannot be underestimated. To take the argument further, let’s dive into some of the issues it brings to the surface:  Absolution for the offenders, platform for whom?If the Pope says he believes in God, that’s just the Pope doing his job. If the Pope says he’s having doubts about it all, then people start listening. That’s why the confessions of Silicon Valley insiders are so important. They add credibility to the work of tech critics. However, that doesn’t mean they should just be able to smoothly transition from naive (read: greedy) culprit to resistance leader. Critics, scholars and activists are, at best, peripheral in the #TheSocialDilemma. Going forward, the priority should be handing the techbro platform to sharp-eyed critics that called it from the start. There is no shortage to choose from. I even made a quick list from the top of my head - feel free to add to it! The arsonists have made their peace, now let’s back the firefighters. Erm… what next? Mute notifications? Ignore suggested content? Install a cookie-blocking chrome extension? Great, that’s not going to bring down a multi-trillion dollar industry (that said, Mozilla have just released a great Chrome extension for calling out rubbish Youtube recommendations). It’s not just insufficient to say that we can fix it through individual action, it’s deeply impractical: protecting our data privacy is exhausting. Now that attention is raised, let’s translate concern into action. The first step towards this is understanding that change is possible. For example, there are currently two major legal challenges to surveillance tech, the class-action case from The Privacy Collective mentioned in the intro, and a class-action case against Youtube for advertising to children under the age of 13 (by the way, if you have kids that age, they could be in line for compensation). Tech-exceptionalism leads to tech-solutionismBelieve it or not, this isn’t the first time powerful groups have preyed on vulnerable consumers in an ill-regulated environment. As Paris Marx argues, let’s not get too bogged down in the tech, this is the just a symptom of the broader social and economic forces that got us into this dumpster fire in the first place.In the same vein, several mainstream voices seem to suggest that the problem can be solved by tech companies tidying up their act. That’s a convenient narrative for big tech firms, but won’t rewire the engine that drives surveillance capitalism. Unless the incentive and regulatory framework in which these platforms operate changes, any firm that actually takes this issue seriously will quickly lose out to a more brutal organisation. As such, the solution isn’t a tweak to the algorithm, or hiring a few more fact-checkers, but rather a multi-sectoral campaign for change. This must include genuinely enforced and up-to-date laws. Is it even worth saving?The internet doesn’t need to be bad. Perhaps a preferable future will hold a network of decentralised internet architectures. It’s not too much to ask for more Wikipedias and fewer Amazons. Tech is a powerful tool and we need it to solve global issues quickly and at scale. The current Black Lives Matter protests show us why social media is worth saving, argues Will Oremus, and they remind us of the need to re-capture a democratic and decentralised platform for connecting people. (c) via Giphy Reasons to stay hopefulTech news lately has doubled-down on challenging the harms of big tech. The mainstreaming of these conversations is encouraging, but the content is heavy. Sure, there’s a load of naff things going on - like this gig economy startup for evictions - but let’s not use that as a reason to ignore the positive work going on in the world of tech for good at the moment: How do you design a city on a budget? Minecraft, say citizens of Gaza. It’s not just for humans either; AI town-planners are already designing better cities in the game. The class-action case against Youtube isn’t the only public campaign gaining traction against big tech companies. Facebook is being sued over its role in the Kenosha killings. If these legal campaigns set a precedent, we might be on the cusp of meaningful change. Moreover, tech workers are unionising for change. The Markup released a tool allowing you to see how each website uses your data. Don’t like what you see? Here’s how you can change it. The UK’s COVID-tracing app is finally launching. OK, there are plenty of reasons not be hopeful about this (hands-up, my toaster-grade phone can’t even handle QR codes) - but at least it seems to have incorporated a lot of critiques from its iteration. Iceeye are launching small super-fast satellites to report in detail on climate change. Elsewhere, the open source movement takes on climate data and a greener internet is within reach. The UK government has launched an updated data ethics framework, and it’s actually quite good. A surge in online learning is helping to save indigenous languages. I’ve been trying my hand at Nahuatl. Scribd shared a Guide to Responsible Tech: How to Get Involved & Build a Better Tech Future. Crowd17 is a platform facilitating crowdfunding for projects addressing the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Data & Society shared this paper on Poverty Lawgorithms, A Poverty Lawyer’s Guide to Fighting Automated Decision-Making Harms on Low-Income Communities. The internet is just as wacky wherever you go. Rest of World compiled a list of global internet slang.  Odds and Ends Here’s everything else from this week:Mark Zuckerberg is threatening to remove Facebook from Europe if he’s forced to comply with EU laws. Here’s what that might look like. No, wait, sorry - like this. Elsewhere, Twitter is under scrutiny for a photo preview tool that favours white people (a bias AI? Surely not…) What was invented the year you were born? This could become some kind of new Zodiac - I’m Year of the DVD.  When Hootsuite (a BCorp) took up a contract with ICE, here’s how one employee responded.  Even the best laid plans of ICT4D often go awry. Here’s why we need to share these stories. Online activism takes many shapes around the world. In Africa, internet shutdowns do not spell the end of digital-led movements. Here’s how they adapt. By contrast, this paper investigates the differences and similarities between left and right wing online activism. In short, right-wingers are more engaged on alternative platforms, left-wingers stick to low-input ‘clicktivism’ and offline activism that’s no excuse not to click The Privacy Collective link). Finally, Platform Labor examines the impact of digital platforms and community activism in the Netherlands throughout the pandemic. Last December, the UK Labour party suggested universal basic internet connection provision. It was seen to be too radical. Now, with so many parts of our lives relying on decent broadband, the case for digital public infrastructure is stronger than ever. Here’s how broadband internet can be made available for everyone. Does tech shape society or does society shape tech? Can we influence its effects? Check out this article on Law and Tech realism (includes an awesome graph). 📣 Opportunities 📣AWS are offering up to $200,000 in grants and in-kind support for non-profits in the USA using technology to solve social and environmental problems (Sep 30). Call for Submissions: Innovating Education in Africa Expo 2020. Up to $100,000 in grants available (Oct 9).Innovate UK is offering 10 Women in Innovation Awards to female entrepreneurs across the UK. The winners will receive a £50,000 grant and a bespoke package of mentoring, coaching and business support (Oct 14).Dev collated an amazing list of grants available to charities and non-profits at the moment; check it out! The GSMA innovation fund for SMEs working in assistive tech is open, grants of £100,000-£250,000 available (Oct 16) The European AI fund opened applications for projects that strengthen the ability of civil society organisations in Europe to shape and influence public and policy debates about digital transformation, up to 1m EUR in grants available (Nov 1). Nesta opened a call to provide grants for ideas that combine CI and AI to create more equitable and sustainable futures as we recover from the pandemic (Nov 4).If you have a prize, speaking gig, a funding round, grant or any other opportunity - let us know! What’s going on? 📅Check out the tech for good near you map. YSYS are organising a launch for the #KnowYourData campaign (Sep 30). Ada’s List is holding a conference on Oct 15th.The Great Wave (Oct 16-19) is looking to reinvent business norms in light of the pandemic. Discounts are available for tech for good subscribers using the code RIPPLES_TECHFORGOOD.Want an event publicising? Add your event on our website! We’ll make sure to pop it in the next edition.Working in tech for good 💼Have a job you want adding? Let us know. Snook - the friendly service design agency - are looking for a Principle Developer to lead the new and growing team of developers within their Digital team, and set the standard for their coding approach (Oct 2) Bethnal Green Ventures, Europe’s leading tech for good VC, is hiring a Communications Associate and a Programme Associate (Oct 16) Apolitical is a learning platform for government. They’re currently on the lookout for an Instructional Designer and a Head of Growth (rolling) Beam, a crowdfunding platform that helps homeless people into new careers, is hiring a Director of Business Development (rolling) Betwixt are on a mission to make mental resilience epic. They’re hiring a UX/UI designer (rolling) Virtual yoga superstars Breathe Happy are looking for a Founding Engineer/ Technical Lead (Rolling). Lightful, who provide charities with access to the best tech tools, are searching for a Digital Fundraising Coach (Sep 25). The global Open Food Network community is recruiting a professional fundraiser to help develop their philanthropic funding revenue and strategy (Oct 23). Hattusia is a tech ethics campus, community and consultancy. They’re looking for a campus manager (Oct 5). Impact Shakers is looking for a Programme Manager / Content Creator (Oct 15). Provenance is using tech to power the transparency movement, they’re looking for a Software Engineer and an Account Manager (Oct 31) People of Color in Tech (POCIT) are hiring a Content Exec (rolling). Beacon is looking for a Senior Full-Stack JavaScript Engineer (Sep 30).  Finance Innovation Lab is recruiting a Chair of the Trustee Board (Sep 28). Vault is striving to improve work culture for good. For this: they’re on the lookout for a Senior Full Stack Developer (Sep 30). Countable drives action and impact for campaigns, non-profits, and corporations by offering a brand-safe platform to educate and activate communities - they’re hiring a Full Stack Engineer (Sep 30). Medical scheduling startup DrDoctor is hiring for several positions (rolling).  Second Nature is hiring an Associate Health Writer, and a Dietician Manager (rolling).If you have an opening or know of a job opportunity to do with tech for good, please head to to our shiny new website and we can look into adding it to the jobs board.. and for something completely different What happens when you accidentally hack Australia’s former PM? This account is hilarious 🇦🇺 That awkward moment when your old TV knocks out the internet for your entire village, every day, for 18 months 📺techforgood/highlights is powered by Bethnal Green Ventures.*Copyright © 2020 Tech for Good Global, All rights reserved.*You opted in to hear from Tech for Good Global to receive updates, news and insights about tech for good.**Our mailing address is:**Tech for Good Global20-30 Whitechapel RdLondon, London E1 1EWUnited KingdomAdd us to your address bookWant to change how you receive these emails?You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

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