take back the tech

1
www.takebackthetech.net
2

• What is Take Back The Tech?
• A collaborative campaign to reclaim information
  communications technologies (ICTs) to end
  violence against women (VAW).
• A call to every user especially grrls and
  women to take control of ICTs, and use them
  strategically for activism against VAW

3

• P/S Unwrapping Acronyms ?
• ICTs information communications technologies,
  e.g. telephone, internet, sms, TV, radio etc.
• VAW violence against women, e.g. domestic
  violence, sexual assault, violence faced by women
  in situation of conflict etc.

4

• What is the issue?
• Governance, control of resources use of ICTs
  concentrate on locations and people with power
  privileges.
• Gender inequality pervades all aspect of life. It
  intersects with issues like economic and
  political power, ethnicity, disability, sexuality
  etc.

5

• What is the issue?
• This impacts on
• control of communication channels tools,
• knowledge creation dissemination,
• records of our living history,
• the paradigm of technology.
• Who has knowledge, control and access to ICTs are
  able to determine their use, development and
  priorities.

6

• What is the issue?
• VAW is increasingly committed in digital spaces
  through ICTs tools. E.g stalking through the
  internet, using webcams to monitor and control
  partner, etc.
• Basically, what happens at home, in the street,
  at the workplace, also happens in digital spaces.
  

7

• What is the issue?
• ICTs also plays an increasingly powerful role in
  disseminating stories about gender relations,
  sexuality, citizenship, ideas about identity,
  rights and concerns.
• VAW is a violent expression of unequal power
  relations, and these stories play a large role in
  changing or reinforcing where we stand.

8
Responding to this, Take Back The Tech was
initiated!
The Association for Progressive Communications,
Womens Networking Support Programme (APC WNSP)
initiated an action-based campaign on VAW ICTs
in 2006. APC WNSP is a network of over 150 women
from more than 35 countries. We promote gender
equality in the design, development,
implementation, access to and use of ICTs and in
the policy decisions and frameworks that regulate
them. Take Back The Tech! was undertaken
without specific funding, but through the
collective energy of activism by everyone
involved, and commitment to take action on this
issue.
9

• Collaboratively built with
• G2G (Brazil)
• CREA (India)
• Womens Net (South Africa)
• Silence Speaks (U.S.)
• KOMAS (Malaysia)
• AWID (international)
• And many, many individuals collectives in
  different parts of the world who shared their
  knowledge, energy and ideas in shaping the
  campaign and taking action!

10

• Why Take Back The Tech?
• Addressing the intersection between
  communication rights and womens human rights,
  especially violence against women.
• Recognising womens historical and critical
  participation and contribution to the development
  of ICTs.

11

• Why Take Back The Tech?
• Creating digital spaces that protects everyones
  right to move freely, without harassment or
  threat to safety (echoing Take Back The Night
  campaigns).
• Realising our rights to shape, define,
  participate, use share knowledge, information
  and ICTs.

12

• What is this campaign trying to do?
• Build knowledge on how VAW is connected with
  ICTs, based on diverse experiences and realities.
  
• Support and promote local actions, priorities
  and advocacy issues on VAW ICTs in different
  spaces and contexts.

13

• What is this campaign trying to do?
• Collaboratively create strategies on using ICTs
  tactically to counter VAW.
• Changing the landscape, potential paradigm of
  ICTs through active participation.
• Facilitate movement building on the human rights
  of women in relation to the field of ICTs

14
Some examples from 2006 campaign

• Digital PostcardsIf I had
• I could
• Shaping collective visions of technology
• free from VAW

15

• Campaign wiki
• Online platform that enables many different
  people to collectively shape the campaign.

16

• Ka-BLOG!16 days of blogging on VAW
• Connecting content producers
• Changing the landscape of the blogosphere.

17

• Meme transmission
• - Idea practice translated, adapted, and spread
  through
• tags and icons - Emails, blogs, websites, instant
  messaging services, even lamp-posts!

18

• Telling digital stories
• - Disseminating stories where women survivors of
  violence speak for themselves by taking control
  of technology

19

• Sharing knowledge
• - Gathering information expanding knowledge by
  sharing useful online resources.

20

• Daily actions
• Merging learning new skills technology
• with issues
• and activism.

21

• Local actions
• Connecting local activism issues with online
  campaign users.

22

• How Can You Take Back The Tech?
• What are the urgent issues on VAW that you are
  currently facing where you are? What are you
  already working on? Who would you like to work
  with?
• How are communication rights and ICTs connected
  with them? E.g. representation of women,
  visibility, new tools used for VAW or spaces
  where abuses happen, privacy surveillance laws
  etc.

23

• How Can You Take Back The Tech?
• What is the one change you would like to see
  happen at present, and what do you need to make
  it happen? E.g. more knowledge, a larger
  community taking action etc?
• How can ICTs be used strategically and
  creatively to do this? What are the skills,
  spaces, knowledge tools that you already have?
  What do you need?.

24

• What support is available?
• Information resources on VAW ICTs issues.
• Training materials on communication rights
  activism.
• Shared online working space to exchange
  information, ideas tactics.
• Shared campaign website for you to publish your
  own content in your own language to shape this
  movement.

25

• What support is available?
• Advancing visibility of your issue activism
  through online platforms and tools.
• Strategies and tactics on how to counter VAW in
  through ICTs.
• A diverse community of individuals and
  organisations committed to this issue.
• Facilitating partnerships between individuals,
  networks or groups with different knowledge
  experiences on VAW and ICTs.

26
Technology can be powerful, but also a lot of
fun! ) Email us if youd like to brainstorm on
how to take back the tech jac_at_apcwomen.org ideas
_at_takebackthetech.net www.takebackthetech.net
27
www.takebackthetech.net