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takebackthetech.bsky.social
Take Back The Tech!
@takebackthetech.bsky.social
290 followers 26 following 94 posts
Take control of technology to end violence against women! An @apc.org campaign working with grassroots movements around the world since 2007.
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takebackthetech.bsky.social
Take Back The Tech! @takebackthetech.bsky.social · Nov 24
Across the globe, Women Human Rights Defenders organise for justice & equality.

#WHRDs face intense attacks — disinformation, surveillance, stalking — but continue the work in a remarkable display of hope & care.

So even as we say #NoTechForWar, we continue to #TakeBackTechJoy! [1/2] @apc.org
On a dark purple background are surveillance icons and "16 Days of Activism" is on the top left corner. The central image is of diverse women holding glowing tech devices, surrounded by flowers. Text in the middle: Networking resistance #NoTechForWar
Reposted by Take Back The Tech!
takebackthetech.bsky.social
#SexWorkerPrideDay passed us by, but #SexWorkerPride hasn't 😉

Today, we honour sex workers’ labour, resilience & ongoing fight for dignity and justice. ❤️ @apc.org

Bookmark #SexWorker led research that foregrounds the lived experiences of sex workers in Uruguay: www.genderit.org/feminist-tal...
Black background with text "Sex work is work." running across the top and bottom. Main text: Sex work is... a human rights issue. a labour rights issue. a public health issue. a criminal justice issue. There is a red umbrella on the bottom right corner and the Take Back The Tech logo on the bottom left corner.
September 15, 2026 at 6:09 PM
takebackthetech.bsky.social
#SexWorkerPrideDay passed us by, but #SexWorkerPride hasn't 😉

Today, we honour sex workers’ labour, resilience & ongoing fight for dignity and justice. ❤️ @apc.org

Bookmark #SexWorker led research that foregrounds the lived experiences of sex workers in Uruguay: www.genderit.org/feminist-tal...
Black background with text "Sex work is work." running across the top and bottom. Main text: Sex work is... a human rights issue. a labour rights issue. a public health issue. a criminal justice issue. There is a red umbrella on the bottom right corner and the Take Back The Tech logo on the bottom left corner.
September 15, 2026 at 6:09 PM
takebackthetech.bsky.social
A.I. dehumanises human beings.

In #militarised contexts, #AI identifies, tracks, and eliminates "targets" within seconds.

Life-and-death decisions are made via systems that do not understand context, history or humanity ⬇️ @globalvoices.org @apc.org #military #war

globalvoices.org/2026/04/22/f...
For AI to work for us, it will have to stop pretending to be us
Could there be a version of this technology that allows us, as feminists and human rights advocates, to engage with it without compromising our politics or our commitment to defending intersectional h...
globalvoices.org
August 18, 2026 at 10:36 AM
takebackthetech.bsky.social
We have to change the language around AI models, as well as the technology itself... because "A.I." is misleading.

What would you call it instead of AI? 😉

a. Glorified autocorrect
b. Large Language Model
c. Hallucination generator
d. Water bankruptcy aid

Bookmark: globalvoices.org/2026/04/16/t...
There is no connection but human: Why it is vital to value human creativity in the age of AI
Generative AI does not write, design or paint: it generates statistically closest patterns; these are probabilistic automation systems, which make them fundamentally different from human cognition or ...
globalvoices.org
August 17, 2026 at 8:18 AM
takebackthetech.bsky.social
It is 2026, and AI companies still do not have profitable business models or meaningful proposals on how to use their products.

Yet we keep being sold the "magical" vision of overfunded A.I. models. ⬇️ @apc.org @globalvoices.org

globalvoices.org/2026/04/16/t...
There is no connection but human: Why it is vital to value human creativity in the age of AI
Generative AI does not write, design or paint: it generates statistically closest patterns; these are probabilistic automation systems, which make them fundamentally different from human cognition or ...
globalvoices.org
August 15, 2026 at 1:50 PM
takebackthetech.bsky.social
India’s current AI governance framework encompasses soft guidelines, an unenacted ethics bill & data protection rules — creating a system where AI can be deployed first/questioned later. @apc.org

“Responsible AI” without accountability is merely an aspiration. ⬇️

globalvoices.org/2026/04/24/i...
India’s race to adopt AI sparks a deeper question: How can technology respect human rights?
India’s recent AI Impact Summit highlighted the Indian government’s ambitions and economic promise, yet critics warned that surveillance and facial recognition restrict civic space, hamper human right...
globalvoices.org
August 13, 2026 at 3:19 PM
takebackthetech.bsky.social
Human-centred AI should embed humanity as the foundation upon which systems are designed, built, used & governed.

By grounding AI in human rights, we can ensure that it mirrors our highest values — instead of magnifying our oldest biases @apc.org @globalvoices.org

globalvoices.org/2026/04/29/t...
The digital crown: Reclaiming human dignity in the age of AI
By grounding AI in the right to life, equality, speech, essentials and privacy, we ensure it serves as a mirror of our highest values, rather than a magnifier of our oldest biases.
globalvoices.org
August 12, 2026 at 1:55 PM
takebackthetech.bsky.social
In #Brazil, a local civil society network launched the first open source AI model in #Portuguese to detect anti-LGBTQ+ hate speech. 🏳️‍🌈

A.I. use generates more questions than answers — but that may not be a bad thing. ⬇️ @globalvoices.org @apc.org

globalvoices.org/2026/05/05/o...

#AI #AIuse #Tech
On the need to generate more questions than pleasant answers
“Human activity is rife with contradictions. The very same human being who creates art, who imagines futures, who develops technologies, is the one who uses them for their own destruction.”
globalvoices.org
August 6, 2026 at 1:54 PM
takebackthetech.bsky.social
What does it mean to centre the human in a A.I. world, when "the human" itself (as a category) has historically been structured by white supremacy, patriarchy, ableism and cis-heteronormativity? @apc.org

Xonorika Kira writes ⬇️ @globalvoices.org

globalvoices.org/2026/04/16/o...

#AI #Human #AntiAI
An image of beautiful blue and pink sunset with a single tree in the front surrounded by big boulders; looks like a desert landscape.
August 5, 2026 at 1:09 PM
Reposted by Take Back The Tech!
takebackthetech.bsky.social
Tired of pre-programmed responses generated by opaque algorithms designed to please you and hold your attention? @apc.org

#AskAPeer by GenderIT.org & @globalvoices.org centers human creativity and connection in the age of AI ⬇️

globalvoices.org/special/dont...

#AI #ArtificialIntelligence #Human
Don't Ask AI, Ask A Peer Illustration of three people sitting and talking with glowy cyber plant like things behind them.
August 4, 2026 at 1:40 PM
takebackthetech.bsky.social
Tired of pre-programmed responses generated by opaque algorithms designed to please you and hold your attention? @apc.org

#AskAPeer by GenderIT.org & @globalvoices.org centers human creativity and connection in the age of AI ⬇️

globalvoices.org/special/dont...

#AI #ArtificialIntelligence #Human
Don't Ask AI, Ask A Peer Illustration of three people sitting and talking with glowy cyber plant like things behind them.
August 4, 2026 at 1:40 PM
Reposted by Take Back The Tech!
takebackthetech.bsky.social
Bookmark this!

A speculative story begins with the death of an artisanal miner in a “sacrifice zone” and dives into... not just loss, misinformation, and the erasure of working-class lives — but also inside “narrative repair” that remediates mass media ⬇️ @apc.org

genderit.org/feminist-tal...
On a wall is text “The media is complicit in everything” and another poster that says “Stilfontein is now. Stop the sacrifice” with a few words below scratched/blurred out. There is a figure in the middle.
May 27, 2026 at 5:20 AM
takebackthetech.bsky.social
Bookmark this!

A speculative story begins with the death of an artisanal miner in a “sacrifice zone” and dives into... not just loss, misinformation, and the erasure of working-class lives — but also inside “narrative repair” that remediates mass media ⬇️ @apc.org

genderit.org/feminist-tal...
On a wall is text “The media is complicit in everything” and another poster that says “Stilfontein is now. Stop the sacrifice” with a few words below scratched/blurred out. There is a figure in the middle.
May 27, 2026 at 5:20 AM
takebackthetech.bsky.social
"We're not trying to build the next big app. We're trying to keep our tools alive long enough for people to survive." #RightToRepair

The right to repair is one of the most powerful ways we know how to resist — peek into #FeministRepairLabs around the world ⬇️ @apc.org

genderit.org/feminist-tal...
On a black background, there is the Take Back The Tech! Logo on the bottom right corner and illustrations of code language running through the middle. Text: "When something breaks here, it hits hard. You might not [be able to] afford another one. You might not be able to charge it. You might not even know what went wrong." Nearly 600 million people in sub-Saharan Africa don't have steady electricity. In West Africa, heat kills battery life faster, humidity eats away at circuits, power surges fry routers and chargers, floods soak radios, phones, solar gear.
May 22, 2026 at 6:20 AM
takebackthetech.bsky.social
The digital divide is a political divide.

Here's why: The ability to connect becomes a matter of survival in times of crises. It decides how you access emergency services, and the difference between being helped and being ignored ⬇️ @apc.org #ClimateCrisis #KeepItOn

genderit.org/feminist-tal...
On a white background, there is the Take Back The Tech! Logo on the top right corner and an illustration of a typhoon with a house and tree on the bottom right side. Text: When Typhoon Haiyan made landfall in the Philippines in 2013, it tore through the country. It was the most powerful typhoon ever recorded to make landfall anywhere in the world. Cell towers collapsed alongside homes, and survivors walked for days just to send a single message to relatives: “Buhay pa kami” We are still alive.
May 19, 2026 at 3:03 PM
takebackthetech.bsky.social
Let's talk about the 🐘 in the room: in an increasingly #BigTech consolidated world, is taking back the tech still a real possibility?

We have to say — despite it all — YES it is. From #FeministRepairLabs to #CodingCare, GenderIT.org delves into it ⬇️ @apc.org

genderit.org/editorial/co...
On a black background, text: The digital divide is a political divide. Because in an emergency, it matters if you can... Receive accurate information when fires force communities to evacuate. Send a message to loved ones in times of crisis. Share details of affected persons on the ground when storms disintegrate already fragile infrastructure. Access emergency services when floods cut through villages. There is a visual element of a glitchy error message on the top right corner and the Take Back The Tech! logo on the bottom right corner.
May 18, 2026 at 1:03 PM
takebackthetech.bsky.social
#FeministTechJoy: For the first time in India, a project implemented in partnership with the Rajdhani App Workers Union was used to track (self-reported by workers from the "10 minute" delivery apps):

➡️ Earnings
➡️ Expenses
➡️ Working hours
➡️ Work-related concerns (1/3) @apc.org
Wage fluctuation in “ten minute delivery apps” is a feature; not a bug. Wage fluctuation pushes and pull workers into a dynamic labour pool — to meet supply and demand. In these apps, wage fluctuation is also gamified and incentivised. This keeps workers perpetually “playing” for more — as base pay constitutes only a minor share of the total income in most cases, it’s not a real choice. Seeding change: A feminist action research project addressing wage disparities and platform power in India Association for Progressive Communications
May 12, 2026 at 1:18 PM
Reposted by Take Back The Tech!
takebackthetech.bsky.social
#WorldPressFreedomDay

In the latest report by UN Women (April 2026), increasing levels of digital violence have forced a 50% jump in women journalists & media workers self-censoring on social media, bringing the total up to 45%

Find more data at GenderIT.org ⬇️✍️🏿

@apc.org @pressfreedom.bsky.social
#WorldPressFreedomDay Illustration of a woman journalist laughing and using a video camera. Text: We don’t just fear surveillance for political reasons — it feels intensely personal, intrusive in ways men may not fully grasp. Our private lives become ammunition. Source - Weaponised Surveillance: Ethiopia’s Digital War on Women Human Rights Defenders GenderIT.org #WorldPressFreedomDay Illustration of a disabled Hijabi woman writing on a desk while using a wheelchair. Text: They release intimate conversations to silence us. It's psychological warfare — knowing your most private moments can be weaponised publicly. Source - Weaponised Surveillance: Ethiopia’s Digital War on Women Human Rights Defenders GenderIT.org #WorldPressFreedomDay Illustration of a Hijabi woman using a camera. Text: Once, security officials entered my neighbourhood and started asking around about me. In a small community, people start to wonder what I’ve done wrong. Security officials treat people of my gender as if it’s a weak spot to shut us down. Source: How India Weaponises Kashmiris Against Kashmiris GenderIT.org #WorldPressFreedomDay Small illustrations of a microphone, press ID and notepad. Text: I isolated myself, stopped using my phone for some time completely, avoided sharing anything online and even limited my circle. It feels safer this way. Over time, I’ve tried to find strength in sharing with other journalists here. That sense of shared experience has helped, even if just a little. Source: How India Weaponises Kashmiris Against Kashmiris GenderIT.org
May 3, 2026 at 2:49 PM
takebackthetech.bsky.social
#WorldPressFreedomDay

In the latest report by UN Women (April 2026), increasing levels of digital violence have forced a 50% jump in women journalists & media workers self-censoring on social media, bringing the total up to 45%

Find more data at GenderIT.org ⬇️✍️🏿

@apc.org @pressfreedom.bsky.social
#WorldPressFreedomDay Illustration of a woman journalist laughing and using a video camera. Text: We don’t just fear surveillance for political reasons — it feels intensely personal, intrusive in ways men may not fully grasp. Our private lives become ammunition. Source - Weaponised Surveillance: Ethiopia’s Digital War on Women Human Rights Defenders GenderIT.org #WorldPressFreedomDay Illustration of a disabled Hijabi woman writing on a desk while using a wheelchair. Text: They release intimate conversations to silence us. It's psychological warfare — knowing your most private moments can be weaponised publicly. Source - Weaponised Surveillance: Ethiopia’s Digital War on Women Human Rights Defenders GenderIT.org #WorldPressFreedomDay Illustration of a Hijabi woman using a camera. Text: Once, security officials entered my neighbourhood and started asking around about me. In a small community, people start to wonder what I’ve done wrong. Security officials treat people of my gender as if it’s a weak spot to shut us down. Source: How India Weaponises Kashmiris Against Kashmiris GenderIT.org #WorldPressFreedomDay Small illustrations of a microphone, press ID and notepad. Text: I isolated myself, stopped using my phone for some time completely, avoided sharing anything online and even limited my circle. It feels safer this way. Over time, I’ve tried to find strength in sharing with other journalists here. That sense of shared experience has helped, even if just a little. Source: How India Weaponises Kashmiris Against Kashmiris GenderIT.org
May 3, 2026 at 2:49 PM
takebackthetech.bsky.social
This #LabourDay, take a minute to read about the hidden labour (mostly of marginalised women & vulnerable communties) that A.I. systems rely on.

The work is harmful, there is no adequate support, and oftentimes — no informed consent, either. 1/3 @apc.org

www.theguardian.com/global-devel...
‘In the end, you feel blank’: India’s female workers watching hours of abusive content to train AI
Women in rural communities describe trauma of moderating violent and pornographic content for global tech companies
www.theguardian.com
May 1, 2026 at 6:00 PM
Reposted by Take Back The Tech!
takebackthetech.bsky.social
What does feminist digital safety look like? Why is it important?

Riddhima from #POVMumbai says: "Feminist digital safety means it is built into platforms, rather than being an afterthought... Safety is a pre-requisite to fully and freely participate online."

#TakeBackTechJoy #16Days @apc.org
December 10, 2025 at 1:21 PM
takebackthetech.bsky.social
Calling all feminists and allies! Repost & bookmark ⬇️

#TakeBackTheTech is completing 20 YEARS of research + activism on tech-facilitated violence — and you're invited 😍

Enter a virtual room of allies and co-creators organising with curiosity, joy, pleasure & creativity ➡️ s.apc.org/7F52aG

@apc.org
Where are we now? What have we learned? Reflecting on 20 years of research and activism on tech-facilitated gender-based violence. CSW70 Parallel Event Wednesday March 18 12-13:30 UTC Registration: https://s.apc.org/7F52aG Feminists have been naming, resisting and documenting technology-facilitated violence since before it had a name. This session asks the hard questions: Where are we now? What have we learned? Where do we stand from impunity to justice? Digital safety |Feminist research | Policy advocacy | Gender Justice | Collective action | 20 years
March 17, 2026 at 6:41 PM
takebackthetech.bsky.social
Are you a technologist, #DigitalRights advocate or digital practitioner? [ONGOING]

Co-hosted by @apc.org, the fourth Global Symposium on Technology-facilitated Gender-based Violence (TFGBV) is taking place right now — 4th & 5th March '26.

Register now: tfgbvglobalsymposium.vfairs.com
"I want a safe and equitable internet" two people on the side with one asking the other: Your opinion on our digital futures? On the bottom is event information: 4 - 5 March 2026, virtual event Fourth Global Symposium on Technology-facilitated Gender-based Violence (TFGBV) Join global advocates, technologists and practitioners in shaping a safe and equitable digital future for all.
March 4, 2026 at 11:27 PM
Reposted by Take Back The Tech!
takebackthetech.bsky.social
Yes, #OnlineStalking of #WHRDs is real.

Marina from @derechosdigitales.org says: "We need a holistic approach.. intersectional, proportional, and contextualised. We need rights-based tech governance [because] when defenders are safe, our democracies are safe too."

#16Days #HumanRightsDay @apc.org
December 10, 2025 at 4:40 PM
Reposted by Take Back The Tech!
takebackthetech.bsky.social
Can digital safety legislation be developed without relying on surveillance-heavy solutions?

Annex from @pollicy.bsky.social says: "Digital safety regulations are important [but] we recommend government bodies to employ a gender lens in [forming] these regulations." #16Days #NoTechForWar @apc.org
December 8, 2025 at 9:08 AM