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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
#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
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
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
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
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
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
takebackthetech.bsky.social
On the #InternationalDayToEndViolenceAgainstSexWorkers, we're spotlighting the incredible work done by Nawara Women’s Network for the MENA region.

They supported a digital tool to collect information about violence against sex workers in the MENA region. ⬇️ @apc.org

www.apc.org/en/news/new-...
A translucent image of a woman holding up a sign. On a browser tab is text: Report VASW is a website, not an app — nothing needs to be downloaded. Plus: using a website is safer than an app for people whose phones may be surveilled — it is harder to find on a device. On a phone screen is text: It works like a form, and asks whether the violence was online (e.g. sharing personal information) or in real life (e.g. physical violence), what happened, where, and whether the survivor would like to be contacted by Nawara. On the top right corner is text: Source: A new tool to help sex workers who experience violence https://www.apc.org/en/news/new-tool-help-sex-workers-who-experience-violence-2 On the bottom right corner is text: #InternationalDayToEndViolenceAgainstSexWorkers
December 17, 2025 at 7:03 PM
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
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
Supporting Women Human Rights Defenders' advocacy is now more important than ever before.

As Anais from #NavegandoLibres puts it: "Funding #WHRDs means funding the fight for a dignified world... asking for our rights and dignity is never extreme." #TakeBackTechJoy #NoTechForWar @apc.org #16Days
December 10, 2025 at 5:07 AM
takebackthetech.bsky.social
The methods of the #Varakashi social media stalkers are both brazen and subtle. They are so adept [and] can quickly morph [identities], says a former digital #stalker working for Zimbabwe’s government.

Read here: genderit.org/feminist-tal...

#NarrativesOfPower #NoTechForWar #16Days

@apc.org
Image of a woman looking at a computer with hate speech and surveillance eyes. Text: The name of the digital stalkers army working at the behest of the Zimbabwe regime is called ‘Varakashi’. When translated from Zimbabwe’s vernacular Shona language, this means ‘Digital Destroyers’. ‘Varakashi: Here and abroad, Zimbabwe´s state online-stalkers brigade hunts female prey’ Narratives of Power on GenderIT Image of a woman looking at a computer with hate speech and surveillance eyes. Text: “Their job description is ruthless and clear-cut: to surveil dissidents at home and abroad, to disrupt social media or e-news sites debate, to sow rapid fire digital misinformation and suppress criticism of Zimbabwe’s governing regime.” Yasin Kakande Africanist, Zimbabwe expert and author.
December 9, 2025 at 9:12 AM
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
takebackthetech.bsky.social
Ha’åni Lucia Falo San Nicola from Guåhan writes about the intersecting struggles of #Indigenous communities and women’s rights. #WHRDVoices

This is definitely a must-read, and possibly a bookmark. On #GenderIT: genderit.org/Unyielding_A...

#SafetyForVoices #16Days @apc.org #Hawaii #IndigenousWomen
An outlined illustration of a women’s protest in Guam (Hawaii), with the banners revolving around Indigenous women’s (Famalao’an) rights. Text: “To experience colonisation as an Indigenous woman is to reckon with subjugation on multiple fronts, a compounding pressure that is unfortunately neglected or disregarded when addressing decolonisation and social justice.”
December 8, 2025 at 3:40 AM
takebackthetech.bsky.social
Trans people are often stalked online. #NarrativesOfPower #16Days

A lot of times, such stalking aims to discredit, silence, and amplify rampant anti-trans #disinformation — this has real consequences for an already vulnerable community.

Read: genderit.org/feminist-tal...

@apc.org
An illustration of a butterfly net catching butterflies in trans colours, while mouse cursors point to the catching. Text: Trans activists who support extreme right-wing ideologies become allies of the very system that marginalises them, perpetuating their own oppression. An illustration of a butterfly net catching butterflies in trans colours, while mouse cursors point to the catching. Text: Cyberstalking has become a fundamental tool in this dynamic. Text adapted from “When The Oppressed Use The Master’s Tools To Oppress: Cyberstalking From Anti-rights Trans Activists” (in smaller text) A partial illustration of the butterflies. Text: In the case of trans people, cyberstalking is not an isolated phenomenon. It is a manifestation of the structural violence that has existed for centuries. A partial illustration of the butterflies. Text: The ecosystem of misinformation that develops around cyberstalking makes it even more complex. Digital platforms are used to spread lies about gender identity, transition, and human rights.
December 7, 2025 at 12:45 PM
takebackthetech.bsky.social
#WHRDVoices: Read the reflection of Mariam, a #Palestinian woman human rights defender, on the recent #Israeli colonial violence, the challenges, and what kept Palestinian human rights defenders going.

Now on #GenderITorg: genderit.org/Unyielding_A...

#16DaysOfActivism #NoTechForWar @apc.org
Image of people mobilising for Palestine. In the backdrop is a large wall or fort-like structure which is outlined. Text: “From childhood, we learn that Palestinians live a different reality from other people.” Image of people mobilising for Palestine. Text: “One becomes accustomed to going through Israeli military checkpoints, being subjected to searches, harassment, arrests, tear gas firings and sounds of gunfire.” Partial image of the outlined wall/fort-like structure. Text: “You inherit a level of trauma which, though normalised, grows with you and leaves a long-term impact.” Partial image of people mobilising. Text: “We also carry a particular anxiety as women, doing the best we can while thinking of our family and of others around us, who may, for example, face some form of surveillance or intimidation from the IOF or be subjected to visa or residence permit denial…”
December 7, 2025 at 8:43 AM
takebackthetech.bsky.social
What would you do if a casual acquaintance...

➡️ found your personal email address 📩

➡️ showed up at events you’re going to 🧑🏾‍🤝‍🧑🏽

➡️ spread a completely fake story (with serious allegations) about your loved one? 💔

Well, Vickie kept receipts 😉: genderit.org/feminist-tal... #16Days @apc.org
An illustration of a woman on a stage speaking into a mic. Text: “I don’t think anyone noticed when I disappeared. I stopped performing stand-up, stopped using my voice. No one asked me why I had stopped showing up at open mics.” “I keep receipts” Vickie Wang
December 7, 2025 at 2:45 AM
takebackthetech.bsky.social
Highly visible movements are targeted on social media as “a calculated effort to reverse the gains of the 2010s, and to isolate and punish those who dared to be visible,” says Zoya Rahman. #WHRDVoices #16Days @apc.org

Deconstruct #BigTech visibility on @GenderITorg: genderit.org/Unyielding_A...
An outlined illustration of a protest with barbed wire graphics. Text: “State crackdowns on digital spaces often attempt to fracture the collective by isolating and punishing visible individuals.” Barbed wire graphics with part of the protest imagery visible. Text: “It is a strategy designed to dismantle the "we" by targeting the faces that make the political work more discernible.” Barbed wire graphics with part of the protest imagery visible. Text: “What we name as online visibility is never neutral. It is shaped by who is watching, who is targeted, who is deemed expendable.” Barbed wire graphics with part of the protest imagery visible. Text: “Where internet access is dictated by the state, digital erasure is a form of political silencing. Digital access shapes who gets seen and who remains invisible.” (in small text) This post has been adapted from an anthology by Women Human Rights Defenders by Safety For Voices.
December 6, 2025 at 1:45 PM
takebackthetech.bsky.social
In South Africa, it’s common practice for retail stores to display a cashier’s full name.

For women, it turns into a nightmare.

A booming retail industry and an abundance of labour means that women are scared to ask for safety concessions. #16Days @apc.org

Read: genderit.org/feminist-tal...
An illustration of a distressed woman behind a checkout counter going through a very long list of unsolicited messages and images. Text: “I would be fired on the spot to tell male store managers to redesign the checkout tech. On any day in my store, there are 100 other desperate women with CVs in the books of labor brokers, waiting to take up my cashier’s job anytime.” Agnes Ndaba Former checkout cashier Currently a trade union gender activist with the National Union of Retail Workers of South Africa You look cute: How electronic checkout slips became a stalking nightmare for South Africa’s women (in smaller text)
December 6, 2025 at 4:18 AM
takebackthetech.bsky.social
“The moment an opinion divulges from the status quo, their personal identity becomes a weapon for character assassination.”

Have you seen this happen around you? #India

Read on @GenderITorg: genderit.org/feminist-tal...

#NoTechForWar #NarrativesOfPower @apc.org
Illustration of a long-haired person holding up a signboard: We the people of India. Behind them is a fire. Four panels of illustrations. Panel 1: A yelling mouth coming out of a phone screen with eyes on it. Panel 2: A figure surrounded by browser tabs filled with insults and hate speech. Panel 3: Two hands pointing towards a figure on the corner. Part 4: A phone with text on the screen: Lock your profile. Social media icons and text bubbles coming out of it. A browser tab with web address: http://shameladyboy.sendthreats.com The screen is divided into multiple panels with eyes, figures of women, hate speech, and sexual advertisements. Browser tab with the same web address. Text: “The act of voicing dissent, engaging in political praxis, or even articulating alternative ideas has historically entailed significant socio-political risks… leaving them more vulnerable in a world governed by the digital.” Under digital siege: How marginalised genders survive online stalking in India
December 5, 2025 at 11:57 AM
takebackthetech.bsky.social
#WHRDVoices: Graciela, a campesina woman deeply rooted to the land, writes about how disinformation campaigns existed before the internet, and its parallels with disinformation campaigns on the internet.

Read on #GenderITorg: genderit.org/Unyielding_A...

#SafetyForVoices #16Days @apc.org
An outlined illustration of three women photographed together, close to each other. Text: “We have experienced repression and harassment from the Hierarchical Church, from large landholders and from the government, who for decades accused our struggle of [being communist].” Text with block patterns behind: “The bishop used mass services to question young people, telling the congregation that it was communism.” (in small text) This post has been adapted from an anthology by Women Human Rights Defenders by Safety For Voices.
December 5, 2025 at 7:04 AM