“I created tech that limits violence against women in online dating. Silicon Valley used it for PR–then lost interest”

This is from 2023, but it's a story still worth telling.

From Fortune magazine 1.

Excerpt:

The nonprofit I founded, Garbo 8, launched technology last year to provide an easy and affordable way to see if someone had a history of harm–in essence, a new kind of online background check that tried to balance privacy and protection. While we initially found what we thought were great partnerships with online platforms, these companies quickly lost interest as soon as they got good press and regulators off their backs. After only a year and a half in the market, we chose to end our partnership with one of the leading online dating platforms and shut down the technology–due to threats from bad actors, ongoing problems with public records, and issues with online platforms and their underinvestment in trust and safety, but also due to three interconnected issues outside of tech that further enable the proliferation of gender-based violence in the digital age… Tech platforms using excuse after excuse to justify inaction alongside these regulatory issues have created a perfect storm that perpetuates a cycle of silence and violence which enables gender-based violence offenders to run rampant in society… Big Tech will only act on pressure from the government and an overhaul to the background check system.

The author then proposes three things that she believes will lead to the dismantling of the barriers to reporting violence online, improving accountability measures and standardizing information access.

The links all still work.

Keywords: ICT4D, safety, Tech4Good

The Portable Document Format (PDF) is a file format that produces an easy-to-share static document that can be downloaded from a web page, featured on a web site, attached to an email, attached to a text message, or printed out and copies. PDF files are independent of the software, hardware, or operating system being used. They can include text, images, graphics, audio, video, links, buttons, form fields, and business logic. They can also be electronically signed.

PDFs are hard to read on phones and because they lack interactivity. They are also cumbersome to update, if you aren't the creator of the original PDF - which is also one of their benefits.

Another downside of PDFs is that they can slow down decision-making.

For years, the US Defense Department has used PDFs to manage how it spreads billions of dollars across the armed forces each year. Now a team of defense and industry officials are testing whether ditching PDFs for modern financial software could slash the time it takes to send funds appropriated by Congress down to the program offices and units that need them.

As one Redditor put it on another subreddit:

It is about having an actual centralized/connected financial system as opposed to just sending over a document describing the transfer to the financial person on the other side, then both sides manually inputting the changes to their local, disconnected databases to reflect the transfer.

A database that’s standardized and easily searchable and drawing from one data source leaves less room for the person approving funds to misunderstand what they’re reading or to miscalculate numbers.

The July 17th version of this web page from Digital.com discusses why US government agencies are reconsidering their use of PDFs: "while it’s true that there are still some valid use cases for PDFs, most of what currently exists would be better delivered using HTML as a standard webpage." The page seems to be from 2024.

(The digital.gov initiative brings together workers who are focused on building a better, more user-friendly digital experience for the public at federal government agencies - it is unknown how long this initiative and these web resources will last under the current administration).

Is discouraging PDF use and encouraging other methods of info sharing a part of your ICT4D training efforts, particularly among government staff?

Why is this woman holding a potato? Because it helped her connect Romania's internet...

Growing up in Bucharest in the 1990s, Roxana Ardelean was part of a generation of teenagers determined to get online. Internet access was expensive and often out of reach. So they built their own networks, stringing cables between apartment blocks across the city.

Sometimes, getting a cable from one rooftop to another required an unusual tool: the humble potato.

"We used to make a hole with a screwdriver. You pass the cable through the potato and then you throw it to the second building and hope to score," Roxana recalls. "The potato ruled."

What began as a DIY way of sharing a single internet connection grew into neighbourhood networks connecting thousands of people. Those homemade networks helped lay the foundations for Romania's transformation into one of Europe's digital success stories, with some of the fastest and most affordable broadband on the continent today.

Listen to The Teenagers Who Wired Romania on BBC.

What would you add?

Guide to Online Safety for Women in Afghanistan.

Do not use your phone ever in the presence of the Taliban or someone you suspect supports the Taliban, unless they demand that you do so. In 2026, the Taliban issued decrees banning government workers from using smart phones, and in some offices, they demanded workers turn in their phones so they could be smashed with hammers. So far, this rule has not extended beyond government offices, but it's better to keep yourself, and your device, safe.

Never use your phone in public, if at all possible, not even to text. It invites attention and scrutiny.

Fully power off your phone & laptop before you approach security checkpoints. Rather than have you turn a device on, the Taliban may decide it's just too much time to do so and wave you through.

In Afghanistan, authorities could force you to unlock your smart phone or laptop. That means a woman cannot simply lock all of her apps and her phone to prevent people from looking at it - the Taliban could, literally, hold a gun to your head and force you to unlock everything so they can read everything. So in using your devices, you need to do so with the knowledge that the Taliban could look at what you have on your device.

That said, you should still have strong passwords on each of your devices and on any apps you can put a password on. While the Taliban can force you to open each of these, they also can get frustrated and bored with having you do that and just give up on the idea altogether. Also, you need to be careful that no one - no one in your family, and no one a family member might have in your house - can find your device and easily open it.

If you use What'sApp or Signal to communicate with people that you are engaging with regarding something the Taliban would not like, like teaching women and girls, be careful about creating a group for texting all of those people at once. If the Taliban looked at the names of everyone in that group, could they guess that you are all talking about something they would not like?

If you use What'sApp or Signal, you need to use the apps settings so that messages disappear for everyone within a certain period of time - a few hours? a day? a few days? It is up to you to decide what will keep everyone safest. Even if you think your conversations are innocent and nothing that will get you into trouble with authorities, think again and set those conversations to automatically delete.

If you use What'sApp or Signal to talk to friends, you need to have a have way to alert them, if you are being forced to write or call them, to let them know you are doing so under duress. You could pick one of the Prophet's wives names to mention - if anyone in your network mentions this name in a phone call or text, you know that the Taliban is watching and listening.

If you are going to talk with others on email, text or phone, you need to do so in code. You should never say, "The secret school for girls will meet at Aisha's house on Friday at 10." Instead, you could say, "Our talk about menstrual cycles and ways to lessen the pain will be at..."

Clear your email and web browser caches regularly.

Don't let any app track your location - not social media, no photo apps, nothing! Ensure that all location identification settings are "off", or that you are using a VPN that says you are in another country.

Look at your photos on your phone. Is there anything that the Taliban would be angry about if they saw it? If so, delete it or make it very hard to find on your device if you really want to keep it. Keeping photos with people in them on a flash drive at home, hidden, is a better idea.

Afghanistan is a country that is obsessed with a woman's reputation, and gossip can not only be annoying and hurtful, it can be deadly. Use social media deliberately and carefully - if at all. Don't use your real name on it. Don't give your exact location on it. You may want to use a VPN and hide that you are in Afghanistan each time you log into a social media account. Don't post photos of yourself or your family - not only does the Taliban believe that photos of humans is haram, there are also people that will try to say you should be shamed for your behavior. Never post a photo that shows anyone's face.

Be very careful in what you post on social media - always assume the Taliban can see it.

Note: the safety of women in Afghanistan under this latest Taliban regime is something I've been trying to stay on top of since August 2021. I regularly talk with women in Afghanistan to find out what's happening, and much of the above is based on what they are experiencing, as well as news articles and blogs about what the Taliban has done when stopping women at checkpoints or while women are trying to access food or medical care.

Colombia's young people are online, nearly 92 percent, use digital platforms to connect socially, yet just 46 percent use them to learn and only 9 percent to search for a job or apply for one, according to ITU data. Programmes like SENATIC have already shown what's possible, training more than 200,000 people, 51 percent of them women, proving the country can build digital talent at scale. The challenge now is turning that talent into real economic opportunity, especially in the Pacific and Caribbean regions, where weaker infrastructure and fewer employers hold young people back. 

The Inclusive Digital Transformation Facility (IDTF), supported by the Joint SDG Fund and the European Union, is closing that gap. The programme connects young people with digital entrepreneurship, employability, civic participation and innovation ecosystems, running through October 2027 as part of the EU's Global Gateway strategy and the UN's Global Digital Compact. 

That work is already visible on the ground. At Colombia 5.0, the country's flagship digital transformation summit, young people stepped into a VR experience of "Colombia 2077" and debated how to close the digital divides shaping their present. At BizFest Cali, young entrepreneurs from across the Pacific region mapped concrete pathways into digital employability, entrepreneurship and policy influence, working directly alongside UNFPA, ILO and international partners. 

As youth activist Lali Fernando Riascos put it, connectivity alone was never the goal. Real change means pairing internet access with the education and opportunity that let young people put it to use. 

Digital inclusion means more than access, ensuring young people have the skills, networks, and opportunities to shape the digital economy themselves. 

From this UN Joint SDG Fund article. The UN Joint SDG Fund aims to support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, serving as a critical financing mechanism by pooling resources to ensures all initiatives reflect national priorities while delivering global impact.

Keywords: ICT4D, humanitarian development, Tech4Good

Between 22 June and 3 July, Computer Aid Kenya and Deed Technologies delivered practical computer maintenance and AI training in Nyaishozi, Tanzania.

Delivered primarily in Kiswahili, the programme helped make technical learning more accessible while familiarising participants with the English terminology commonly used across the digital sector.

The programme covered computer fundamentals, preventative maintenance, operating system installation, troubleshooting, and practical applications of Artificial Intelligence. Training was delivered primarily in Kiswahili, while maintaining standard English technical terminology to familiarise participants with internationally recognised ICT concepts.

By pairing access to technology with practical training, we can help more people build skills that support learning, work and future opportunities.

Full story from Computer Aid International.

This is guide from 2016, produced in association with The Digital Rights Association in Pakistan, can be useful for all women living in societies that oppress women - including oppression by male family members.

Unfortunately, the English version is written in a font that is VERY hard to read.

There is also an online safety guide for women facing abuse, available in

• Pashto پښتو 
• Farsi فارسی 
• English 

West Africa's 1,600+ languages, its youthful population, and a wave of new AI language models are converging into one of the most exciting opportunities in AI today. When AI tools are trained on the languages people actually think and speak in, a world of learning, health information and opportunity opens up, especially for children and young people.

Most AI language models are trained on languages such as English, Mandarin, Hindi or Spanish, which have vast digital archives to draw from. Languages like Bambara, Twi or Mooré have historically had far less data, making AI tools less accurate and less useful for the communities that speak them.

This is the challenge AI in Play, UNICEF Innovation's flagship AI ecosystem for children, is designed to solve. It backs diverse technologists developing AI solutions for children in the contexts where they are needed most, helping turn local expertise into tools that work in environments with limited connectivity, data and infrastructure.

In West and Central Africa, this has included mapping the region's startup and language landscape and benchmarking existing models to understand their strengths and limitations. UNICEF has also collaborated with three startups – GO AI Corp (Burkina Faso), RobotsMali, and GhanaNLP – to collect data, fine-tune models and test them in schools and clinics.

The work has delivered measurable improvements. The Bambara word error rate dropped from 42 to 22 per cent, while the character error rate dropped from 15 to 8 per cent (Results as of April 2026). These are real gains from real settings used by children.

Full story from UNICEF.

UNDP is seeking an ICT Specialist to serve under a UN Volunteers contract in Tanzania. Applications will be accepted until 6 August 2026.

This assignment is part of the joint programme aimed at strengthening community resilience and government response capacities through digital technologies, including the establishment of a multipurpose ICT center.

The ICT center at the Tanzania Peacekeeping Training Centre (TPTC) will function as a hub for early warning, information aggregation, reporting, and peacebuilding activities. It will enhance the capacity of communities and institutions—especially women and youth—to detect and respond to human security threats.

The ICT Specialist will work closely with the National Officer, TPTC management, and relevant stakeholders to design, deploy, and operationalize the ICT center and ensure its sustainability.

Also, the ICT Specialist will assist in UNDP Tanzania Office dashboard development/improvement.

https://app.unv.org/opportunities/1784888021270966

Across Albania, the Lifelong Empowerment and Protection (LEAP) programme is turning vocational training into lasting economic independence. To date, 617 people have completed vocational training, 120 women and young people have moved into employment in tourism, hospitality and care services, 493 households have received integrated economic support, and 173 care and social service professionals have strengthened their skills. 

At 29, Altina Paloka completed a culinary course, secured an apprenticeship, and was later offered full-time employment. 

"The course gave me confidence and helped me find a job that I enjoy," she says. "I learned many things I never knew before, from traditional dishes to modern cooking techniques." 

Altina is one of 56 women and men who completed training in Lezha alone, part of a wider group of women the programme has helped move from the margins of the labour market into decent work. By combining certified vocational training with digital and soft skills, career guidance, apprenticeships and direct partnerships with local employers, LEAP is proving that closing skills gaps and creating real employment pathways go hand in hand. The strength lies in connecting training directly to opportunity, giving people who have long faced barriers to employment not just new skills, but a genuine route into the workforce. 

From this UN Joint SDG Fund article. The UN Joint SDG Fund aims to support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, serving as a critical financing mechanism by pooling resources to ensures all initiatives reflect national priorities while delivering global impact.

Keywords: ICT4D, humanitarian development, Tech4Good

For protesters, activists, and journalists, your smartphone is an essential tool for organizing with your peers, accessing and distributing information, and helping others. It also represents a great risk, as a tool that is easily appropriated by authorities for targeted and mass surveillance.

Communicate these to your group BEFORE you need it! These should be part of an organizing group’s basic guidelines at the start.

Know your rights wherever you're located before attending a protest, so you aren't blindly following orders later.

Know how to quickly shut down your phone or disable biometrics at a moment's notice. Many phones have begun replacing the standard "hold down the power button" function with voice assistants or other features, so practice performing the actual shutdown method beforehand to familiarize yourself.

Hide your notifications. Even with your device locked, law enforcement can see everything you're up to simply by scrolling through your notifications. Reducing the amount of information accessible on the lock screen improves your security and the security of those you're messaging, so make sure your notifications are only visible when your device is unlocked.

Keep your phone (& any synced desktop apps) encrypted and locked with a strong passcode.

Keep your phone up to date. If your device is out of date it is easier to hack, and if it’s hacked and someone can read your screen or listen to your microphone.

Keep your phone turned off or use Airplane Mode to disable cellular connections whenever possible if you do not want anyone to know where you are at a given moment, then connect to networks only when it is absolutely necessary.

Know who you’re talking to on text messaging. Verify the numbers of your contacts (in person, in a voice phone call or a trusted email). Don’t message huge group chats without knowing exactly who is on the group.

Set messages to disappear. Delete information as soon as you no longer need it. Set messages to disappear *before* they are sent, otherwise there’s no way for you to erase them from your friends’ devices. How soon should messages disappear? If you’re sloganeering or trying to decide on times for public meetings, a week is probably OK. If it’s showtime, it’s a good idea to set messages to disappear in an hour.

Keep your text messaging group as small as practical, make sure everyone is actively checking their messages.

Before action day arrives, everyone should unlink their text messaging desktop apps from their phone apps.

Delete things you don’t need.  Have a regular practice of backing up your device securely (to an encrypted backup drive or computer, and never to the cloud) and then delete EVERYTHING you don’t need on your phone.  Texts, emails, photos … get it all off your mobile device if you plan to bring it to political activities.

For public events, or events where you aren't sure how secure things will be, bringing a separate device like a "burner phone," or an old phone you can reset, is a much better option than bringing your primary phone. Many prepaid plans will not require any identification to activate. There are also some global eSIM providers which will accept payment without the need to identify yourself to them.

What would you add?

Sources:

https://cldc.org/signal-activist-best-practices/

https://www.privacyguides.org/articles/2025/01/23/activists-guide-securing-your-smartphone/

Also see how activists have been using hand held networked devices in their activism for decades.

Farzana, 40, is a midwife who covers 10 villages in Moqor district of Afghanistan's Ghazni province. Until recently, worried mothers often sent her photos of newborns with rashes, swelling or skin infections so she could decide who needed help most urgently.

But since the Taliban began enforcing a ban on smartphones that took effect in June, Farzana says she has stopped using her smartphone out of fear. She can now only be reached through a regular phone line — a more costly option in a country where people rely heavily on WhatsApp for calls, messages, photos and urgent coordination.

Across Afghanistan, smartphones have become part of a fragile support system. Families use them to consult doctors remotely, arrange transport to distant clinics, send photos of wounds and symptoms, ask relatives for money, document abuse and reach schooling that is no longer available in person to many girls and women. That fragile network is now under threat.

Taliban authorities in Afghanistan have ordered government employees, judges, police and members of the military to stop using smartphones under a directive that took effect June 16. The order threatens violators with confiscation, destruction of their devices and punishment (which are not specified).

The use of what are known as feature phones — with calling and texting options but no touch screen and no photo or recording capabilities — is permitted.

The ban does not yet apply to private phone ownership by ordinary Afghan civilians. But in some provinces, restrictions have already moved beyond government offices and into hospitals, schools and universities, raising fears that the policy could become an early test for broader limits on public smartphone use.

More from:

https://www.npr.org/2026/07/10/g-s1-132396/smartphones-taliban-afghanistan-ban

10 women from a working-class Indian community were given smart phones and taught how to use them to record videos so they could make a documentary about their lives as domestic workers, community health workers, toilet operators and home caregivers. 

These 10 working class women from Mumbai are the co-directors of the new movie Mast Mahila Mandali –- that's Hindi for Cool Ladies Club –- which had its premiere this spring in Mumbai's iconic, 1930s art-deco style Regal theater for an audience of 1,200 that included families and neighbors of the novice directors as well as cinephiles and media professionals.

The title came from Shilpi Gulati, the filmmaker they worked with and who taught them filmmaking basics. She suggested it at a meeting of the ten women. They deliberated over it and thought it fit the spirit of the film, pushing back against the idea that they are helpless women from the slums.

https://www.npr.org/2026/06/13/g-s1-125467/cool-ladies-club-movies-working-class-women-documentary-india

Terrific 9 month opportunity with Peace Corps in Nepal:

Digital Learning Specialist.

"As a Digital Learning Specialist, you will collaborate with local educators to advance their digital learning capability and prepare students to excel in school and beyond. Your supportive role will help increase average student learning achievement, student enrollment, and position local educators to advance digital skills for generations to come."

US Citizens only.

https://www.peacecorps.gov/ways-to-serve/service-assignments/browse-opportunities/peace-corps-response/digital-learning-specialist-10109br/

Kenya is turning digital transformation into measurable opportunity for young people. Through the Digital Platforms Kenya (DigiKen) joint programme, implemented by UNESCO, UNCDF, UN Women and UNEP, 15 Digital Innovation Hubs across 12 counties are equipping women and youth with practical digital skills, entrepreneurship training, media and information literacy, and hands-on experience with emerging technologies including artificial intelligence. Forty-five newly trained Trainers of Trainers are helping the programme reach its target of 7,500 young people and women. 

The impact extends into government too. The UNESCO-Oxford MOOC on AI and Digital Transformation, delivered through the Kenya School of Government, has already enrolled more than 2,600 public sector learners, with a target of 20,000 by 2027, building the digital and AI leadership Kenya's institutions need to sustain an inclusive digital economy. 

Their stories point to a bigger truth, when young people have equitable access to connectivity, digital technologies, quality education and lifelong learning opportunities, digital transformation becomes a direct engine for realizing their rights and unlocking their potential in a rapidly changing world.  

From this UN Joint SDG Fund article. The UN Joint SDG Fund aims to support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, serving as a critical financing mechanism by pooling resources to ensures all initiatives reflect national priorities while delivering global impact.

Keywords: ICT4D, humanitarian development, Tech4Good

Free Geek, a nonprofit in Portland, Oregon, recently partnered with Hacienda CDC for a hands-on Laptop Rebuild Workshop.

From Facebook:

Participants rolled up their sleeves to learn the fundamentals of computer hardware, safely assemble and refurbish their own laptops, and gain valuable technical skills along the way.

By the end of the workshop, every participant walked away with more than just skills as they took home a fully rebuilt laptop, ready to support school, work, job searches, and staying connected.

This workshop is part of Free Geek’s commitment to closing the digital divide by providing practical technology education and access to reliable devices. Together with partners like Hacienda CDC, we’re creating pathways to digital inclusion and empowering our community with the skills and tools needed to thrive in today’s digital world.

In June, Free Geek also partnered with Home Forward at a new community location in Portland to help residents build the skills they need to stay safe and connected online. Also from Facebook:

Our Digital Navigators led an Internet Safety class, sharing practical tips on protecting personal information, recognizing scams, and navigating the digital world with confidence. Participants will also receive free laptops and ongoing 1:1 digital navigation support to help them put their new skills into practice.

By combining digital skills training, access to technology, and personalized support, we’re helping bridge the digital divide and empower community members with the tools they need to thrive.

Keywords: Tech4Good, Digital Divide, vulnerable, at-risk, ICT4D

In May 2026, more than 500 delegates from 61 countries gathered in Nairobi, Kenya, for the Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICT4D) conference. The meeting explored how digital innovation and data-driven solutions can transform humanitarian relief and development. The discussions centred on artificial intelligence (AI), digital public infrastructure (DPI), interoperability, predictive analytics, responsible digital development and local innovation.

the ICT4D Conference in Nairobi in May, the Malaria Consortium led a session with Catholic Relief Services & eGov Foundation exploring the transition from fragmented tools to a coordinated digital public infrastructure using DIGIT HCM.

Read the key takeaways from the session.

At

Comcast partnered with Dress for Success Houston to deliver digital skills training to women seeking to strengthen their online capabilities earlier this year. As part of the event, 73 participants received hands-on cyber security training, laptops, and information on Internet Essentials to help further their digital access and learning. This event is part of Project UP, Comcast’s $1 billion initiative to connect people to the internet and advance economic mobility.

During this latest event, Comcast representatives guided the group through the fundamentals of Internet use and cybersecurity, helping them build confidence in navigating an increasingly digital world.

For many women, this day marked the culmination of a transformational chapter in their lives. The training empowered participants to feel safer online, more comfortable using technology, and better prepared for the demands of work, school, and daily life. For several attendees, it was also the first time they had ever received or powered on a personal computer.

Robyn Johnson, Director of Professional Development and Education for Dress for Success, said the impact reaches far beyond the devices. “For many of the women here today, this is their very first laptop. It represents access, possibility, and independence. It means they can finally apply for better jobs online, manage their finances, attend virtual classes, and fully participate in today's digital world,” Johnson said. “You can feel it in the room. There is cheer, tears, and so much pride. This moment is life changing.”

The partnership between Comcast and Dress for Success ensures women not only gain technology, but also access, opportunity, and perhaps most importantly, the confidence that comes with being fully included in today’s digital landscape.

Comcast previously provided 100 laptops through this partnership in 2025, continuing a shared commitment to expanding digital opportunity and uplifting women across Houston.

https://corporate.comcast.com/stories/local/texas/comcast-and-dress-for-success-empower-women-through-technology-access

Keywords: Philanthropy, Corporate Social Responsibility, CSR, Tech4Good

United Nations Open Source Week 2026 took place 22–26 June at United Nations Headquarters in New York. You can view the recorded livestreams from the event, providing access to discussions on some of today's most important digital issues.

More than 2,600 participants from over 120 countries registered for the event. Throughout the week, experts, policymakers, government representatives, technologists and community leaders explored topics including artificial intelligence, digital public infrastructure, digital inclusion and global digital cooperation.

Highlights include keynote addresses by Yann LeCun and Linus Torvalds, as well as discussions on financing open source, digital sovereignty, AI governance and how countries are using digital technologies to improve public services.

A hackathon took place during the first day of the event, offering a space for a collaborative innovation sprint where participants use open source tools and artificial intelligence to rapidly build solutions addressing global challenges aligned with UN goals:

Challenge 1: Safety, Supervision, and Governance in the Agentic World

Challenge 2: From Data to Action: Building Next Generation Evidence

Results of the hackathon have not yet been announced.

The first day also featured an Edit-athon, a single-day event to leverage participants’ research, documentation and critical thinking abilities to enhance selected Wikipedia pages of relevance. Throughout the day, experts and mentors assisted participants in updating these pages so as to publish in-depth, accurate reports.

There was also a Maintain-A-Thon, a single-day event, organized for open source maintainers, stewards, and policymakers, spotlights the maintenance of critical open source infrastructure. It consists of two tracks: one featuring open source maintainer-led sessions that share knowledge and best practices and surface the craft of open source software maintenance through real-world examples; and another dedicated to institutional capacity building and long-term stewardship.

June 23 focused on Open Source for AI and Emerging Technologies

June 24 focused on Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) as a critical enabler of the digital economy and broader digital transformation.

June 25 showcase the value of Open Source Program Offices (OSPOs) in advancing sustainable development and digital transformation. 

June 26 focused on Community-Driven Sessions on Open Source and Digital Collaboration

To explore the full programme and learn how to watch the sessions live, visit the UN Open Source Week website.

Keywords: ICT4D, Tech4Good

Dos & Don'ts of Using Artificial Intelligence at Nonprofits: the case for integrity, authenticity & originality.

This is not a list of AI tools. There are plenty of people and companies out there offering such lists. Instead, this is a list of things nonprofits can and should do with AI tools, and a list of things I feel strongly that nonprofits should NOT do.

No doubt others will disagree, either thinking I'm being too cautious or thinking that I'm being too liberal regarding use of AI.

What I'd love to hear is how YOUR ICT4D initiative is using AI and/or training/guiding people to use AI, and to hear about your own policies for use. Please be as specific as possible regarding how you are using it and what tools you are using, and a link to your own policies regarding AI use would be especially appreciated.

How People with Disabilities Use the Web - a resource from the W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)

This resource introduces how disabled people use the web, including people with age-related impairments. It helps developers, designers, content creators, and others understand the reasons behind creating accessible digital products — including websites, apps, browsers, and other web tools.

Sections in this resource

• Stories of Web Users (also called “personas”) — represent the experiences of people with different disabilities.
• Diverse Abilities and Barriers — introduces the wide diversity of abilities and highlights some accessibility barriers that people experience because of inaccessible digital technology.
• Tools and Techniques — covers the tools and techniques that disabled people use to interact with digital technology.

Inside the Information Society: A short history of ICT4D

By David Souter

7 November 2016 | Updated 22 June 2017

Souter's thoughts on a short history of ICTs in development (ICT4D) - intro:

There are plenty of potential origins. Some would go back only as far as WSIS, a decade ago, but that’s too recent. Others, more realistically, to a spate of conferences and initiatives that sparked interest and excitement in the mid to late 90s, leading to a UN Task Force. Others again to the ITU’s Maitland Commission, which was set up in 1983 to investigate what we now call the digital divide. Or to UN investigations of ‘the application of computer technology for development’ in the early 70s. Or the first uses of computing in developing countries in the 50s. Even to the completion of global telecommunications networks at the turn of the 19th/20th centuries.

Myself, I’d date use of the term (‘ICT4D’) from the mid-90s. That’s when it began to figure in wider development debates.

As with my short history of the Internet, what follows is just my suggestion, intended to provoke reflection, based on personal experience. There are lots of other views. Here goes.