social justice Archives | Beatrice Martini

Joining the 2020 cohort of Stanford University’s Digital Civil Society Lab Fellows

I am honored to have been awarded a research fellowship by the Digital Civil Society Lab at the Stanford Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society.

The Digital Civil Society Lab is a research initiative at Stanford University investigating the challenges and opportunities for civil society to thrive in the digital age. Launched in 2017, the fellowship program provides social sector leaders with the time, space, expertise and resources to help turn ideas and prototypes into action. Fellows undertake yearlong projects to advance the safe, ethical and effective use of digital resources in civil society.

You can read more about the Digital Civil Society Lab and this year’s stellar cohort of fellows here.

Targeted surveillance, overpolicing and technology for resistance

On the upgrades of centuries-old systems of oppression and present-day tools to fight back

Yemeni women during a rally commemorating the fifth anniversary of the 2011 Arab Spring uprising. Taez, February 2016. AFP / Ahmad Al-Basha.

Globally, law enforcement agencies are adopting increasingly sophisticated surveillance technologies to employ predictive policing and monitor already overpoliced communities and demographics. Prevalent grounds for discriminatory conduct are race, class, citizenship, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation.

We hear from the news about phone interceptions, seized devices, hacked accounts. But most often, the civil society is provided with small to no information about how far these monitoring activities go.

How is technology employed to control targeted groups? And how can technology support who’s controlled to reclaim and protect their rights?

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Real Rad Care – co-creating a podcast on intersectional self-care at #AMC2015

The Allied Media Conference is about to start (June 18-21, get ready)!
It’s my first one, I’m very excited about it, and I’m also honoured to join as both participant and session facilitator.

One of the sessions I’ll host (a sneak peek of the other one can be found here) is called Real Rad Care: a podcast on intersectional self-care. The name already says a lot!

Continue reading Real Rad Care – co-creating a podcast on intersectional self-care at #AMC2015

Digital civil disobedience: tactics, tools and future threads

Protests, uprising and unrest are key elements of freedom of expression, contributing to the shape of society and public debate through history.
Over the centuries, individuals and groups have adopted countless tactics to reclaim rights and fight for justice – changing over time, transforming strategically according to different historical and political contexts.

What’s the current state of the art? Which are the tools adopted by protesters to raise awareness, unrest and mobilise?
Technology has entered the the world of activism, and we can recognise forms of protests which combine offline and online elements, as well as expressions of dissent which exclusively operate in the digital space.
This article aims to provide an overview of how digital civil disobedience looks like today, observe which tactics are in use and consider a possible path to develop the future tools which will help global citizens reclaim their rights.

Civil disobedience tends to be taken on by the few. But it creates an environment where broader grass roots social movements can thrive.

— Gabriella Coleman (@BiellaColeman) May 24, 2015

Continue reading Digital civil disobedience: tactics, tools and future threads

An intersectional take on technology, rights and justice

There’s a word – which is an entire multi-faceted concept in itself – which comes to my mind very often, whether I’m reading the news, working, talking with loved ones or following someone’s train of thoughts online.

Intersectionality.

The concept it expresses has always been at the core of my perspective of the world and of my work, exploring how technology can most effectively serve justice and rights.

So I decided to write about it, as it might turn out to be useful for others as well – next time you’re scraping data to investigate the patterns behind an issue, supporting a group in building their advocacy strategy, or making up your own mind before going to the polls.

Continue reading An intersectional take on technology, rights and justice