As a donor to social movement organizing and virtual office that spans the globe, FRIDA recognizes that the tech we use to communicate is far from neutral. We collect a wide range of information from grassroots groups led by young feminists. From climate and environmental injustice, gender based violence, unfair and unequal legal, political and economic systems that marginalise girls, womxn and trans and intersex youth, the young feminist organizing we support is transforming some of the world’s most oppressive power holders with few resources and at great risk.
Big tech corporations are dominated by straight white men and usually work with governments to enable mass surveillance of human rights defenders. Popular and mainstream tech platforms are notorious for their inaction when it comes to harassment, trolling and persecution faced online by girls, young womxn and trans and intersex youth. With all these vulnerabilities to our freedom of information and right to privacy we are left with no choice but to create our own safe, autonomous and overall, feminist digital spaces.
Over the past 18 months, FRIDA staff have engaged in a deep reflection process on the technology we use. We worked with cyberfeminist groups, coders and organizations to review, understand and question the apps, platforms and tech tools we thought were convenient and weighed them against a political context of persecution and suppression of freedom of expression faced by young feminist human rights defenders. FRIDA is committed to supporting movement resiliency, sustainability and safety when doing their activism. We strive to be an example, to always question, experiment and innovate to respond to an ever changing tech ecosystem fit to our needs and priorities. Tech is fundamentally a human and social process that is as personal as it is collective.
Below you will find the result of a collective reflection on what the foundations of our tech and data look like. With this document, we contribute to the amazing work done with the Happiness Manifestx adding digital care to the principles that rule our safety, wellness and happiness at work.
Over the coming months, we will be sharing some of the amazing work that we have done internally to strengthen our digital security practices. Stay tuned!
