Ethical tech and responsible tech
While the first generations of tech-for-good work took a solutionist approach to addressing existing problems with new technology, scholars and activists are driving growing awareness of the problems with technology itself. By exposing the negative consequences, intended or otherwise, of tech, these communities draw attention to issues with tech-centric approaches. Not all of the projects here adopt an ethics lens in their work, but we use it here for simplicity's sake.
Suggested reading:
- 10 things we should all demand from Big Tech right now, Vox (2019)
- Technology Ethics in Action: Critical and Interdisciplinary Perspectives. Edited by Ben Green.
Bridgy Fed
Bridgy Fed connects web sites, the fediverse, and Bluesky.
Mozilla Corporation
Putting people before profits since 1998
Modal Foundation
Open social tech in the public interest
WeLivedit.AI
Centering lived experience in managing online toxicity
RightsDDact
Supply chain compliance solution
Thaura
Meet Thaura, your ethical AI companion
Anthropic Societal Impacts team
Working closely with the Anthropic Policy and Safeguards teams, Societal Impacts is a technical research team that explores how AI is used in the real world.
AI Safety Atlas
Distilling safety research into a complete learning ecosystem
Deuxfleurs
fabriquons un internet convivial
Sparkable
Sparkable is a nonprofit aiming to strengthen democracy and social cohesion by rebuilding social media into a force for good.
Apagalo
Ayudamos a personas, familias, escuelas y empresas a encontrar un uso equilibrado de la tecnología.
mosa.cloud
The complete workspace solution that puts you in control of your data.
Twake Workplace
Privacy-First Open Source Workplace
Gander
The Social Media You Want, Built in Canada
Kagi Search
Free of ads. Free of surveillance. Free of noise. With Kagi, you are the customer, not the product.
Wabi
Mini apps based on your taste, habits, and context.
Petty Propolis
Petty Propolis cultivates visionary resistance through poetry, literary workshops, anti-racism facilitation, and social justice initiatives.
EquiLabs
EquiLabs is a digital rights laboratory driving a future where data and AI serve people and the planet, putting human rights, fairness, and accountability first.
Time to Refuse / Day of Deletion
Organizing a public “mass deletion” event where participants collectively delete one digital account to reclaim autonomy from tech platforms
eurosky
Eurosky is building the future of social media—open, pluralistic, and made in Europe.
Nothing Personal
An editorial platform for independent thinkers, technologists, and creatives on the front lines of digital culture.
Code encounters: algorithmic risk-profiling in housing
Academic research project on algorithmic risk assessments mediating access to private renting, social housing, mortgages.
The Maybe
Challenging the power and politics of tech
Really Simple Licensing (RSL)
RSL is an open standard that lets publishers define machine-readable licensing terms for their content, including attribution, pay per crawl, and pay per inference compensation.
TechEquity
A Better Tech Industry for Everyone
NIST AI Risk Management Framework
In collaboration with the private and public sectors, NIST has developed a framework to better manage risks to individuals, organizations, and society associated with artificial intelligence (AI).
The State of Independent Technology Research 2025
A report on the struggle to keep public-interest technology research alive—and the growing Coalition working to protect it. DOWNLOAD THE REPORT
AI Safety Index
The Future of Life Institute's AI Safety Index provides an independent assessment of seven leading AI companies' efforts to manage both immediate harms and catastrophic risks from advanced AI systems.
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Numérique en Commun[s]
Numérique en Commun[s] propose de travailler collectivement les conditions de l’émancipation des citoyens et des citoyennes en contexte numérique, à l’échelle locale et européenne.
LaSuite.coop
La boite à outils libres, open source et modulable pour les organisations collaboratives !
Caixa-Preta
Caixa-Preta é um podcast que trata de assuntos ligados ao impacto da tecnologia na sociedade.
Algorights
Red colaborativa que promueve la protección de los derechos humanos y la participación de la sociedad civil en el ámbito de las tecnologías de la IA.
Antivírus
Debates sobre tecnologia, direitos e pandemia
Blueprint on Prosocial Tech Design Governance
This Blueprint on Prosocial Tech Design Governance lays out actionable recommendations for governments, civil society, researchers, and industry to design digital platforms that reduce harm and increa...
Focus on Features
Minimize digital harms through design, a guide for product managers and lawmakers.
InternetBolivia.org
Organización ciudadana para la defensa de derechos digitales y el uso ético del internet en Bolivia
Data Privacy Brazil (DataPrivacyBR)
Our mission is to promote fundamental rights and values rooted in social justice in the face of contemporary technologies and datafication processes.
European Association for Algorithmic Fairness (EAAF)
The European Association for Algorithmic Fairness was founded in 2023 with the goal of fostering academic research and industrial implementation of algorithmic fairness of AI applications in the conte...
Masaar
We are a group of lawyers and technologists interested in enhancing and promoting digital rights and related freedoms in Egypt.
IA Ciudadana
Somos una coalición de organizaciones que trabajan para defender los derechos humanos en el contexto de las tecnologías digitales.
Datavoros
Datávoros is a research project on data collection through mobile applications developed by governments and companies. Their analysis focuses on understanding what data is collected and how, what perm...
Aapti Institute
We want an equitable and just digital world where people are empowered to negotiate with technology
Conference of the International Association for Safe and Ethical AI (IASEAI)
Participation is by invitation only, based on submission of a statement of interest or proposed talk/poster abstract.
International Association for Safe & Ethical AI (IASEAI)
Ensuring safe and ethical artificial intelligence is a global challenge. We must work together to achieve it.
Moedict
“Moedict” is an enhanced version of The Mandarin Chinese Dictionary of the Ministry of Education.
Herstory in East Asia
We want to show "herstory" in East Asia from local perspectives with a timeline and a map in our local languages, so that people from different regions of East Asia can learn more about the stories an...
Public Spaces Incubator
An international partnership between six public service media organizations and New_ Public to develop prototypes for digital conversation spaces that offer a healthy forum for connection and increase...
Big Tech M&A Database
The Big Tech tracker for mergers and acquisitions provides an overview of companies that have been acquired by Big Tech (2019-2025). Search for a merger!
AI Safety Asia (AISA)
AI Safety Asia (AISA) is a global non-profit dedicated to the international governance of safe AI by Asia, starting in Southeast Asia.
No Tech for Apartheid
No Tech For Apartheid is a worker-led campaign of Google and Amazon workers organizing against the companies' $1B Project Nimbus cloud computing contract with the Israeli government and military.