Agenda

John Postill

In this talk, I build on my previous anthropological work on techno-political activism aka ‘nerd politics’ (Postill 2018) and on more recent research into the anti-woke movement (Postill 2024) to explore some of the links between nerd politics and the global culture wars. I am primarily interested in those leading individuals and groups working at the intersection of nerd politics and the global culture wars who are battling over issues of race, gender, public health, and/or climate change – for example, the tech billionaire Elon Musk, the investigative journalist Glenn Greenwald, the QAnon conspiracy/movement (Coleman 2023), K-pop fans supportive of Black Lives Matter (Cho 2022), or the Latin American hacktivist group Guacamaya (Levet 2023). I argue that some techno-political nerds are at the forefront of the conflicts that are polarising our contemporary world, while others are engaged in early efforts towards depolarisation.

Powen Shiah

Paul Sharratt

Through its work, the Sovereign Tech Fund (STF) demonstrates one approach towards digital sovereignty, advocating for a collaborative, secure, and open digital future. Ensuring digital sovereignty and fostering open source are closely intertwined goals. This talk will introduce the Sovereign Tech Fund as a new public organisation at the intersection between “nerd” politics and digital governance, illustrating its approach towards fostering digital sovereignty, security, and innovation. Backed by the German government, the STF champions the development, maintenance, and improvement of open digital infrastructure. This session will unpack STF’s approach to investing in essential open source projects in the public interest. It will explore how the STF's mission aligns with and diverges from traditional narratives in digital governance, "nerd" politics, and the role of the state in ensuring access to and maintenance of digital infrastructure and services. We will also highlight open source technologies STF has supported, introduce how a government-funded organisation operates iteratively, share lessons we’ve learned along the way, and offer some ideas on where nerds and governments around the world can go from here.

g0v Jothon

Reviewing the operation model of the g0v community, it can be summarized into four elements: 'People, Project, Hackathon, Source.' Through physical and online collaborative infrastructure (Hackathons), numerous contributors implement various types of civic tech projects and actions, open-sourcing the results as public resources and establishing channels for community sponsorship (Source). This workshop focuses on the sustainability issues of 'Hackathon' and 'Source,' and invites you to become part of the 'Save the Hackathon Team.' Process of our workshop: (1) The Save the Hackathon Team will present recent results of the 'Save the Hackathon Initiative.' (2) Group discussions on action items: Community Infrastructure Group, Financial Open Source Group, Transformation Prospects Group (3) Each group will summarize the results of their discussions and integrate them into a combined action plan. You are welcome to join the #fundraising-救松團-募款執行 channel in g0v Slack.

Chuang Mu Hua

Peii

Sandra

ddio

Ronny Wang

Can we solve the problem just by starting a project? With the widespread adoption of digital infrastructure, an increasing number of public issues, whether by governments or the private sector, seek digital tools as solutions. However, is the relationship between solutions and problems simply linear, like that of a hammer and nail? Or does the nature of the tool actually lead to different outcomes? Since its establishment three years ago, Disfactory has observed many digital tools with open-source or government DNA being deployed in response to public issues. By discussing these characteristics and the effects of projects derived from them, we aim to explore the frontline of digital tools vs. public issues.

Patipat Susumpao

Hal Seki

Ohyeon Kweon

This workshop, organized by National Democratic Institute (NDI), is aimed at building dynamic strategies for civic tech and civil society professionals to communicate and collaborate with tech platforms. Bringing together professionals and activists in the Asia-Pacific region, this workshop will identify shared concerns and challenges in safeguarding/advacing platform-related digital human rights, share experience and know-how in platform engagement, and strengthen the network among workshop participants.

Deger Turan

With Talk to the City, AI Objectives Institute’s bet is that democratic deliberation, a process proven to work well at in-person events to bridge views and gain mutual understanding, could be scaled with LLMs and potentially even amplified & simulated. Being able to interact with a social group of any size through qualitative discourse would allow policymakers to quickly iterate on policy proposals and address concerns that are crowded out in traditional social choice mechanisms. In this speech, we are going to discover the primitives for building shared world models.‘’‘

Isabel Hou

Chewei Liu

Through g0v’s experiences over the past decade and interactions with civic tech advocates from different countries, the g0v community has managed to extract elements and models for initiating “civic tech communities and projects”, which are included in the “2023 g0v Civic Tech Project & Community Handbook.” The handbook begins with an overview of the g0v civic tech community, then delves into how to develop civic tech communities and expand networks, including the four stages of community initiation and societal environmental factors. It also shares ways and templates for initiating civic tech projects and provides case studies to aid readers’ understanding. Finally, this book draws from past experiences from exchanges among various Asian countries, as well as feedback from participants in the Digital Rights Asia-Pacific Assembly 2023 and 2023 FtO Jeju. It shares insights into the regional diversity and differences in East and South Asia, the impact and relationship of governments on civic tech development, and the involvement of young people from Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea in civic tech communities. This helps us understand the evolving civic tech development models in different societal contexts. Read & Download Handbook: https://g0v.hackmd.io/@jothon/ctpbook_en/

Mesud Gebeyehu RETA

1. Consortium of Ethiopian Human Rights Organizations: CEHRO is a Consortium of 18 CSOs working on Human Rights, democracy and peace building in Ethiopia. Civic space in Ethiopia remains significantly restricted, categorized as "Repressed" by the CIVICUS Monitor. 2. Positive Developments: The GoE shall undertook major Legal reforms, released some political prisoners detained in the wake of the 2021 elections, declared a ceasefire and signed peace agreement to end the Tigray conflict, and established the National Dialogue Commission aimed at fostering national reconciliation. 3. Limitations and Key Concerns: there are however continued Violent Conflicts, Internet Shutdowns & Digital Surveillance, Media Repression & Intimidation, Shrinking Operating Environment for HRDs, Political Repression & Arrests & Increased Vulnerability of HRDs. 4. Recommendations: We recommend that the GoE shall Guarantee the safety & security of journalists, media freedom, HRDs, Enact laws to prevent violation of the rights of HRDs, Ensure full &unfettered access for human rights CSOs and humanitarian actors in conflict affected areas & guarantee freedom of movement, End the practice of internet shutdowns & uphold the right to freedom of expression online, and Engage in constructive dialogue with CSOs and other stakeholders to address the challenges to civic space.

Datasketch / Jp Marin Diaz

This talk explores the transformative power of open data in fostering public participation and informed decision-making. We delve into three compelling use cases: Mexico City's innovative open data portal, a Colombian research institute's collaborative biodiversity data project, and a Spanish newsroom's integrative approach to data-driven journalism. Each case highlights the challenges and breakthroughs in constructing platforms that democratize information via visual uses of the data. In Mexico City, citizens can upload personal data to the city's portal, intersecting it with official datasets, enhancing transparency and community engagement. Colombia's case showcases a network collaborators weaving indigenous wisdom with scientific research to map biodiversity, emphasizing the value of diverse knowledge systems. The Spanish newsroom scenario illustrates how consolidating varied data sources creates impactful, verifiable reporting on critical issues. These examples underscore the complexities of building accessible, user-friendly platforms while maintaining data integrity and security. Key learnings include navigating technical, cultural, and ethical considerations to create tools that not only present data but also actively engage communities in meaningful public discourse. This session aims to provide insights into leveraging open data as a catalyst for civic action and societal change.

Ming Ju Lee

Tu Ying Chiu

June Liu

Claire Liu

With the rapid development of digital technology, "digital sexual violence" has become a serious issue facing society. In January last year, the Legislative Yuan passed "Amendments to the Four Laws on Sexual Imagery", aiming to curb the occurrence of digital sexual violence. However, the amendments still did not address many of the suggestions from civil society groups, and there are still legal loopholes in the protection of victims that need to be addressed. Additionally, due to the rapid and open nature of the internet, the effectiveness of removing sexual imagery has been minimal, posing challenges and dilemmas in digital governance. This workshop invites experts and scholars to introduce the amendment process and suggestions, discuss the prevention of digital sexual violence, improve victim protection mechanisms, and eliminate the distribution of sexual imagery.

Tiff Lin

Kangaroo

Vincent Xu

In the civic technology community, participants' autonomous contributions can bring a sense of self-worth and social change, but there is also the possibility of internal burnout leading to departure. However, the foundation of any community is its people, and how to treat oneself and others well is key to maintaining enthusiasm for participation and community development. This session will focus on the original intentions, challenges, solutions, and impacts on personal development for those participating in civic tech communities/projects. It will start with "Dao Dao Ah Xue", a self-learning community, sharing experiences from four years of nearly a hundred volunteers collaborating to develop a learning resource website. Following this, a "World Café" format will invite attendees to share their experiences, clarifying motivations, finding methods, and uncovering secrets to maintaining community momentum through dialogue.

mashbean

The fancy terms like web3, blockchain, and digital autonomy often lead people to mistakenly believe that many flashy tools can instantly solve social issues. Indeed, there are numerous international examples of digital democracy accomplished through web3. However, if you are an actual practitioner of web3's public nature, you'll find that tools are not very useful once you dive in. The real challenge is ""how citizens can empower themselves and shake the structure."" This thematic forum invites activists from the da0 project and its associated community networks over the past year to discuss how to ""play"" with tools, be played by tools, and share the actual outcomes of their actions.

Liying Wang

The fancy terms like web3, blockchain, and digital autonomy often lead people to mistakenly believe that many flashy tools can instantly solve social issues. Indeed, there are numerous international examples of digital democracy accomplished through web3. However, if you are an actual practitioner of web3's public nature, you'll find that tools are not very useful once you dive in. The real challenge is ""how citizens can empower themselves and shake the structure."" This thematic forum invites activists from the da0 project and its associated community networks over the past year to discuss how to ""play"" with tools, be played by tools, and share the actual outcomes of their actions.

Peixing Liao

The fancy terms like web3, blockchain, and digital autonomy often lead people to mistakenly believe that many flashy tools can instantly solve social issues. Indeed, there are numerous international examples of digital democracy accomplished through web3. However, if you are an actual practitioner of web3's public nature, you'll find that tools are not very useful once you dive in. The real challenge is ""how citizens can empower themselves and shake the structure."" This thematic forum invites activists from the da0 project and its associated community networks over the past year to discuss how to ""play"" with tools, be played by tools, and share the actual outcomes of their actions.

MOON

We will explore the issues raised by the South Korean government's misuse of citizens' data, and how these concerns can be addressed in other societies. While AI technology and facial recognition are being regulated in many countries around the world, the South Korean government has taken a different approach, leading to various other forms of misuse, including - Facial recognition of citizens and foreigners - Encouraging companies to use personal information, including health-related data - Indiscriminate collection of biometric data, such as fingerprints - Implementing digital identification systems - Use of AI-based public safety cameras Throughout the session, we will look at the consequences of such misuse and discuss the importance of data governance and protecting citizens' privacy. In addition, we will explore the role of community collaboration in addressing these issues and propose potential solutions that civil society can adopt to protect citizens' data and prevent its misuse.

mashbean

The fancy terms like web3, blockchain, and digital autonomy often lead people to mistakenly believe that many flashy tools can instantly solve social issues. Indeed, there are numerous international examples of digital democracy accomplished through web3. However, if you are an actual practitioner of web3's public nature, you'll find that tools are not very useful once you dive in. The real challenge is ""how citizens can empower themselves and shake the structure."" This thematic forum invites activists from the da0 project and its associated community networks over the past year to discuss how to ""play"" with tools, be played by tools, and share the actual outcomes of their actions.

Frank Hu

Weijen Liu

The fancy terms like web3, blockchain, and digital autonomy often lead people to mistakenly believe that many flashy tools can instantly solve social issues. Indeed, there are numerous international examples of digital democracy accomplished through web3. However, if you are an actual practitioner of web3's public nature, you'll find that tools are not very useful once you dive in. The real challenge is ""how citizens can empower themselves and shake the structure."" This thematic forum invites activists from the da0 project and its associated community networks over the past year to discuss how to ""play"" with tools, be played by tools, and share the actual outcomes of their actions.

Mami Takesada

Shun Nakajima

To connect the research of experts to social implementation, we have to consider the possibility of collaboration between civic tech and citizen science, and collaboration in civic tech communities in East Asian countries. Code for Japan has taken an increasing number of approaches to social implementation of knowledge and algorithms from research institutions in recent years, including a project to visualize carbon dioxide emissions in collaboration with the National Institute for Environmental Studies and a sleep measurement project with the National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry. Let's think and work together to create an environment where not only civic tech in times of disaster or emergency, but also civic tech in normal times can contribute to civil society.

Ael

g0v has been positioned as Taiwan’s soft power in digital diplomacy and pioneer in civic tech by the West. But what does that actually mean or impact us? The talk is about the personal struggles to break the Orientalist gaze upon Taiwan and point out how Taiwan has been placed in the global imperial structure dominated by the West. From those problematics, the speaker would share their experiments in decolonisong tech and design workshops and other global initiatives. It is an open invitation to more discussion for Taiwanese to have our own agency in the global tech and democracy discourse and practices. - Taiwan can help. We are more than geopolitics. - g0v.london: the consequence of being naive to white supremacy - From seeking White recognition to our own agency - How might we decolonise the narratives/perspectives on Taiwan’s civic tech in English? As we are not an exotic, experimental alternative playground.

mashbean

Frank Hu

Weijen Liu

The government of British Columbia, Canada, has established the public-private collaboration platform Code With Us (CWU) and revised procurement regulations to a more flexible mode, enabling effective collaboration between public servant and the civic tech community. Recently, British Columbia launched an open-source digital identity wallet called BC Wallet, embodying the spirit of self-sovereign identity. Let's discuss the feasibility of this model.

Ted Lu

To promote student participation in the community and make g0v a more youth-friendly space for civic tech issues, this session track invites students who conducted research on ""Opportunities and Sustainability for Student Participation in Civic Tech Communities"" as part of the Y.L. Lin Program. Additionally, participants who represented students at the FtO Jeju 2023 ""Taiwan-Japan-Korea Civic Technology Hackathon"" are also invited to discuss student involvement in g0v and the civic tech community. This includes challenges and breakthroughs in student community participation, as well as diverse student perspectives on project execution and civic technology. Through this session, we aim to share models and barriers to community engagement from the students' viewpoint and attract more students to participate in the g0v community.

Vivian Wu

Yvonne Cho

Yuting Ta

To promote student participation in the community and make g0v a more youth-friendly space for civic tech issues, this session track invites students who conducted research on ""Opportunities and Sustainability for Student Participation in Civic Tech Communities"" as part of the Y.L. Lin Program. Additionally, participants who represented students at the FtO Jeju 2023 ""Taiwan-Japan-Korea Civic Technology Hackathon"" are also invited to discuss student involvement in g0v and the civic tech community. This includes challenges and breakthroughs in student community participation, as well as diverse student perspectives on project execution and civic technology. Through this session, we aim to share models and barriers to community engagement from the students' viewpoint and attract more students to participate in the g0v community.

Ted Lu

Sky Hong

Astrid

CHEN-WEI MAO

To promote student participation in the community and make g0v a more youth-friendly space for civic tech issues, this session track invites students who conducted research on ""Opportunities and Sustainability for Student Participation in Civic Tech Communities"" as part of the Y.L. Lin Program. Additionally, participants who represented students at the FtO Jeju 2023 ""Taiwan-Japan-Korea Civic Technology Hackathon"" are also invited to discuss student involvement in g0v and the civic tech community. This includes challenges and breakthroughs in student community participation, as well as diverse student perspectives on project execution and civic technology. Through this session, we aim to share models and barriers to community engagement from the students' viewpoint and attract more students to participate in the g0v community.

John Postill

In this talk, I build on my previous anthropological work on techno-political activism aka ‘nerd politics’ (Postill 2018) and on more recent research into the anti-woke movement (Postill 2024) to explore some of the links between nerd politics and the global culture wars. I am primarily interested in those leading individuals and groups working at the intersection of nerd politics and the global culture wars who are battling over issues of race, gender, public health, and/or climate change – for example, the tech billionaire Elon Musk, the investigative journalist Glenn Greenwald, the QAnon conspiracy/movement (Coleman 2023), K-pop fans supportive of Black Lives Matter (Cho 2022), or the Latin American hacktivist group Guacamaya (Levet 2023). I argue that some techno-political nerds are at the forefront of the conflicts that are polarising our contemporary world, while others are engaged in early efforts towards depolarisation.

Chuang Mu Hua

Peii

Sandra

ddio

Ronny Wang

Can we solve the problem just by starting a project? With the widespread adoption of digital infrastructure, an increasing number of public issues, whether by governments or the private sector, seek digital tools as solutions. However, is the relationship between solutions and problems simply linear, like that of a hammer and nail? Or does the nature of the tool actually lead to different outcomes? Since its establishment three years ago, Disfactory has observed many digital tools with open-source or government DNA being deployed in response to public issues. By discussing these characteristics and the effects of projects derived from them, we aim to explore the frontline of digital tools vs. public issues.

mashbean

The fancy terms like web3, blockchain, and digital autonomy often lead people to mistakenly believe that many flashy tools can instantly solve social issues. Indeed, there are numerous international examples of digital democracy accomplished through web3. However, if you are an actual practitioner of web3's public nature, you'll find that tools are not very useful once you dive in. The real challenge is ""how citizens can empower themselves and shake the structure."" This thematic forum invites activists from the da0 project and its associated community networks over the past year to discuss how to ""play"" with tools, be played by tools, and share the actual outcomes of their actions.

Liying Wang

The fancy terms like web3, blockchain, and digital autonomy often lead people to mistakenly believe that many flashy tools can instantly solve social issues. Indeed, there are numerous international examples of digital democracy accomplished through web3. However, if you are an actual practitioner of web3's public nature, you'll find that tools are not very useful once you dive in. The real challenge is ""how citizens can empower themselves and shake the structure."" This thematic forum invites activists from the da0 project and its associated community networks over the past year to discuss how to ""play"" with tools, be played by tools, and share the actual outcomes of their actions.

Peixing Liao

The fancy terms like web3, blockchain, and digital autonomy often lead people to mistakenly believe that many flashy tools can instantly solve social issues. Indeed, there are numerous international examples of digital democracy accomplished through web3. However, if you are an actual practitioner of web3's public nature, you'll find that tools are not very useful once you dive in. The real challenge is ""how citizens can empower themselves and shake the structure."" This thematic forum invites activists from the da0 project and its associated community networks over the past year to discuss how to ""play"" with tools, be played by tools, and share the actual outcomes of their actions.

mashbean

The fancy terms like web3, blockchain, and digital autonomy often lead people to mistakenly believe that many flashy tools can instantly solve social issues. Indeed, there are numerous international examples of digital democracy accomplished through web3. However, if you are an actual practitioner of web3's public nature, you'll find that tools are not very useful once you dive in. The real challenge is ""how citizens can empower themselves and shake the structure."" This thematic forum invites activists from the da0 project and its associated community networks over the past year to discuss how to ""play"" with tools, be played by tools, and share the actual outcomes of their actions.

Frank Hu

Weijen Liu

The fancy terms like web3, blockchain, and digital autonomy often lead people to mistakenly believe that many flashy tools can instantly solve social issues. Indeed, there are numerous international examples of digital democracy accomplished through web3. However, if you are an actual practitioner of web3's public nature, you'll find that tools are not very useful once you dive in. The real challenge is ""how citizens can empower themselves and shake the structure."" This thematic forum invites activists from the da0 project and its associated community networks over the past year to discuss how to ""play"" with tools, be played by tools, and share the actual outcomes of their actions.

mashbean

Frank Hu

Weijen Liu

The government of British Columbia, Canada, has established the public-private collaboration platform Code With Us (CWU) and revised procurement regulations to a more flexible mode, enabling effective collaboration between public servant and the civic tech community. Recently, British Columbia launched an open-source digital identity wallet called BC Wallet, embodying the spirit of self-sovereign identity. Let's discuss the feasibility of this model.

Ted Lu

To promote student participation in the community and make g0v a more youth-friendly space for civic tech issues, this session track invites students who conducted research on ""Opportunities and Sustainability for Student Participation in Civic Tech Communities"" as part of the Y.L. Lin Program. Additionally, participants who represented students at the FtO Jeju 2023 ""Taiwan-Japan-Korea Civic Technology Hackathon"" are also invited to discuss student involvement in g0v and the civic tech community. This includes challenges and breakthroughs in student community participation, as well as diverse student perspectives on project execution and civic technology. Through this session, we aim to share models and barriers to community engagement from the students' viewpoint and attract more students to participate in the g0v community.

Vivian Wu

Yvonne Cho

Yuting Ta

To promote student participation in the community and make g0v a more youth-friendly space for civic tech issues, this session track invites students who conducted research on ""Opportunities and Sustainability for Student Participation in Civic Tech Communities"" as part of the Y.L. Lin Program. Additionally, participants who represented students at the FtO Jeju 2023 ""Taiwan-Japan-Korea Civic Technology Hackathon"" are also invited to discuss student involvement in g0v and the civic tech community. This includes challenges and breakthroughs in student community participation, as well as diverse student perspectives on project execution and civic technology. Through this session, we aim to share models and barriers to community engagement from the students' viewpoint and attract more students to participate in the g0v community.

Ted Lu

Sky Hong

Astrid

CHEN-WEI MAO

To promote student participation in the community and make g0v a more youth-friendly space for civic tech issues, this session track invites students who conducted research on ""Opportunities and Sustainability for Student Participation in Civic Tech Communities"" as part of the Y.L. Lin Program. Additionally, participants who represented students at the FtO Jeju 2023 ""Taiwan-Japan-Korea Civic Technology Hackathon"" are also invited to discuss student involvement in g0v and the civic tech community. This includes challenges and breakthroughs in student community participation, as well as diverse student perspectives on project execution and civic technology. Through this session, we aim to share models and barriers to community engagement from the students' viewpoint and attract more students to participate in the g0v community.

John Postill

In this talk, I build on my previous anthropological work on techno-political activism aka ‘nerd politics’ (Postill 2018) and on more recent research into the anti-woke movement (Postill 2024) to explore some of the links between nerd politics and the global culture wars. I am primarily interested in those leading individuals and groups working at the intersection of nerd politics and the global culture wars who are battling over issues of race, gender, public health, and/or climate change – for example, the tech billionaire Elon Musk, the investigative journalist Glenn Greenwald, the QAnon conspiracy/movement (Coleman 2023), K-pop fans supportive of Black Lives Matter (Cho 2022), or the Latin American hacktivist group Guacamaya (Levet 2023). I argue that some techno-political nerds are at the forefront of the conflicts that are polarising our contemporary world, while others are engaged in early efforts towards depolarisation.

Powen Shiah

Paul Sharratt

Through its work, the Sovereign Tech Fund (STF) demonstrates one approach towards digital sovereignty, advocating for a collaborative, secure, and open digital future. Ensuring digital sovereignty and fostering open source are closely intertwined goals. This talk will introduce the Sovereign Tech Fund as a new public organisation at the intersection between “nerd” politics and digital governance, illustrating its approach towards fostering digital sovereignty, security, and innovation. Backed by the German government, the STF champions the development, maintenance, and improvement of open digital infrastructure. This session will unpack STF’s approach to investing in essential open source projects in the public interest. It will explore how the STF's mission aligns with and diverges from traditional narratives in digital governance, "nerd" politics, and the role of the state in ensuring access to and maintenance of digital infrastructure and services. We will also highlight open source technologies STF has supported, introduce how a government-funded organisation operates iteratively, share lessons we’ve learned along the way, and offer some ideas on where nerds and governments around the world can go from here.

Deger Turan

With Talk to the City, AI Objectives Institute’s bet is that democratic deliberation, a process proven to work well at in-person events to bridge views and gain mutual understanding, could be scaled with LLMs and potentially even amplified & simulated. Being able to interact with a social group of any size through qualitative discourse would allow policymakers to quickly iterate on policy proposals and address concerns that are crowded out in traditional social choice mechanisms. In this speech, we are going to discover the primitives for building shared world models.‘’‘

Mesud Gebeyehu RETA

1. Consortium of Ethiopian Human Rights Organizations: CEHRO is a Consortium of 18 CSOs working on Human Rights, democracy and peace building in Ethiopia. Civic space in Ethiopia remains significantly restricted, categorized as "Repressed" by the CIVICUS Monitor. 2. Positive Developments: The GoE shall undertook major Legal reforms, released some political prisoners detained in the wake of the 2021 elections, declared a ceasefire and signed peace agreement to end the Tigray conflict, and established the National Dialogue Commission aimed at fostering national reconciliation. 3. Limitations and Key Concerns: there are however continued Violent Conflicts, Internet Shutdowns & Digital Surveillance, Media Repression & Intimidation, Shrinking Operating Environment for HRDs, Political Repression & Arrests & Increased Vulnerability of HRDs. 4. Recommendations: We recommend that the GoE shall Guarantee the safety & security of journalists, media freedom, HRDs, Enact laws to prevent violation of the rights of HRDs, Ensure full &unfettered access for human rights CSOs and humanitarian actors in conflict affected areas & guarantee freedom of movement, End the practice of internet shutdowns & uphold the right to freedom of expression online, and Engage in constructive dialogue with CSOs and other stakeholders to address the challenges to civic space.

Datasketch / Jp Marin Diaz

This talk explores the transformative power of open data in fostering public participation and informed decision-making. We delve into three compelling use cases: Mexico City's innovative open data portal, a Colombian research institute's collaborative biodiversity data project, and a Spanish newsroom's integrative approach to data-driven journalism. Each case highlights the challenges and breakthroughs in constructing platforms that democratize information via visual uses of the data. In Mexico City, citizens can upload personal data to the city's portal, intersecting it with official datasets, enhancing transparency and community engagement. Colombia's case showcases a network collaborators weaving indigenous wisdom with scientific research to map biodiversity, emphasizing the value of diverse knowledge systems. The Spanish newsroom scenario illustrates how consolidating varied data sources creates impactful, verifiable reporting on critical issues. These examples underscore the complexities of building accessible, user-friendly platforms while maintaining data integrity and security. Key learnings include navigating technical, cultural, and ethical considerations to create tools that not only present data but also actively engage communities in meaningful public discourse. This session aims to provide insights into leveraging open data as a catalyst for civic action and societal change.

MOON

We will explore the issues raised by the South Korean government's misuse of citizens' data, and how these concerns can be addressed in other societies. While AI technology and facial recognition are being regulated in many countries around the world, the South Korean government has taken a different approach, leading to various other forms of misuse, including - Facial recognition of citizens and foreigners - Encouraging companies to use personal information, including health-related data - Indiscriminate collection of biometric data, such as fingerprints - Implementing digital identification systems - Use of AI-based public safety cameras Throughout the session, we will look at the consequences of such misuse and discuss the importance of data governance and protecting citizens' privacy. In addition, we will explore the role of community collaboration in addressing these issues and propose potential solutions that civil society can adopt to protect citizens' data and prevent its misuse.

Mami Takesada

Shun Nakajima

To connect the research of experts to social implementation, we have to consider the possibility of collaboration between civic tech and citizen science, and collaboration in civic tech communities in East Asian countries. Code for Japan has taken an increasing number of approaches to social implementation of knowledge and algorithms from research institutions in recent years, including a project to visualize carbon dioxide emissions in collaboration with the National Institute for Environmental Studies and a sleep measurement project with the National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry. Let's think and work together to create an environment where not only civic tech in times of disaster or emergency, but also civic tech in normal times can contribute to civil society.

John Postill

In this talk, I build on my previous anthropological work on techno-political activism aka ‘nerd politics’ (Postill 2018) and on more recent research into the anti-woke movement (Postill 2024) to explore some of the links between nerd politics and the global culture wars. I am primarily interested in those leading individuals and groups working at the intersection of nerd politics and the global culture wars who are battling over issues of race, gender, public health, and/or climate change – for example, the tech billionaire Elon Musk, the investigative journalist Glenn Greenwald, the QAnon conspiracy/movement (Coleman 2023), K-pop fans supportive of Black Lives Matter (Cho 2022), or the Latin American hacktivist group Guacamaya (Levet 2023). I argue that some techno-political nerds are at the forefront of the conflicts that are polarising our contemporary world, while others are engaged in early efforts towards depolarisation.

g0v Jothon

Reviewing the operation model of the g0v community, it can be summarized into four elements: 'People, Project, Hackathon, Source.' Through physical and online collaborative infrastructure (Hackathons), numerous contributors implement various types of civic tech projects and actions, open-sourcing the results as public resources and establishing channels for community sponsorship (Source). This workshop focuses on the sustainability issues of 'Hackathon' and 'Source,' and invites you to become part of the 'Save the Hackathon Team.' Process of our workshop: (1) The Save the Hackathon Team will present recent results of the 'Save the Hackathon Initiative.' (2) Group discussions on action items: Community Infrastructure Group, Financial Open Source Group, Transformation Prospects Group (3) Each group will summarize the results of their discussions and integrate them into a combined action plan. You are welcome to join the #fundraising-救松團-募款執行 channel in g0v Slack.

Isabel Hou

Chewei Liu

Through g0v’s experiences over the past decade and interactions with civic tech advocates from different countries, the g0v community has managed to extract elements and models for initiating “civic tech communities and projects”, which are included in the “2023 g0v Civic Tech Project & Community Handbook.” The handbook begins with an overview of the g0v civic tech community, then delves into how to develop civic tech communities and expand networks, including the four stages of community initiation and societal environmental factors. It also shares ways and templates for initiating civic tech projects and provides case studies to aid readers’ understanding. Finally, this book draws from past experiences from exchanges among various Asian countries, as well as feedback from participants in the Digital Rights Asia-Pacific Assembly 2023 and 2023 FtO Jeju. It shares insights into the regional diversity and differences in East and South Asia, the impact and relationship of governments on civic tech development, and the involvement of young people from Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea in civic tech communities. This helps us understand the evolving civic tech development models in different societal contexts. Read & Download Handbook: https://g0v.hackmd.io/@jothon/ctpbook_en/

Ming Ju Lee

Tu Ying Chiu

June Liu

Claire Liu

With the rapid development of digital technology, "digital sexual violence" has become a serious issue facing society. In January last year, the Legislative Yuan passed "Amendments to the Four Laws on Sexual Imagery", aiming to curb the occurrence of digital sexual violence. However, the amendments still did not address many of the suggestions from civil society groups, and there are still legal loopholes in the protection of victims that need to be addressed. Additionally, due to the rapid and open nature of the internet, the effectiveness of removing sexual imagery has been minimal, posing challenges and dilemmas in digital governance. This workshop invites experts and scholars to introduce the amendment process and suggestions, discuss the prevention of digital sexual violence, improve victim protection mechanisms, and eliminate the distribution of sexual imagery.

Patipat Susumpao

Hal Seki

Ohyeon Kweon

This workshop, organized by National Democratic Institute (NDI), is aimed at building dynamic strategies for civic tech and civil society professionals to communicate and collaborate with tech platforms. Bringing together professionals and activists in the Asia-Pacific region, this workshop will identify shared concerns and challenges in safeguarding/advacing platform-related digital human rights, share experience and know-how in platform engagement, and strengthen the network among workshop participants.

Tiff Lin

Kangaroo

Vincent Xu

In the civic technology community, participants' autonomous contributions can bring a sense of self-worth and social change, but there is also the possibility of internal burnout leading to departure. However, the foundation of any community is its people, and how to treat oneself and others well is key to maintaining enthusiasm for participation and community development. This session will focus on the original intentions, challenges, solutions, and impacts on personal development for those participating in civic tech communities/projects. It will start with "Dao Dao Ah Xue", a self-learning community, sharing experiences from four years of nearly a hundred volunteers collaborating to develop a learning resource website. Following this, a "World Café" format will invite attendees to share their experiences, clarifying motivations, finding methods, and uncovering secrets to maintaining community momentum through dialogue.

Ael

g0v has been positioned as Taiwan’s soft power in digital diplomacy and pioneer in civic tech by the West. But what does that actually mean or impact us? The talk is about the personal struggles to break the Orientalist gaze upon Taiwan and point out how Taiwan has been placed in the global imperial structure dominated by the West. From those problematics, the speaker would share their experiments in decolonisong tech and design workshops and other global initiatives. It is an open invitation to more discussion for Taiwanese to have our own agency in the global tech and democracy discourse and practices. - Taiwan can help. We are more than geopolitics. - g0v.london: the consequence of being naive to white supremacy - From seeking White recognition to our own agency - How might we decolonise the narratives/perspectives on Taiwan’s civic tech in English? As we are not an exotic, experimental alternative playground.