Luminate

To address online gender-based violence (OGBV) in Nigeria, our partner TechHerNG developed and deployed Kuram, an online response platform designed to help marginalised groups when reporting and seeking redress for OBGV cases. As they expand across Nigeria’s 36 states, TechHer is building a volunteer network of lawyers to support access to justice for OGBV survivors. If you're an attorney committed to offering survivor-focused legal and psychological support to those experiencing OGBV, apply to join the network today: https://lnkd.in/e4Ch4pc5

Una investigación revela cómo funciones aparentemente inocentes de Facebook (incluyendo sugerencias de grupos basadas en intereses, sistemas de notificaciones y mensajería privada) combinadas con sus algoritmos de recomendación y políticas de zero rating en América Latina crean un embudo de interacción en línea que los depredadores de menores manipulan con precisión. A pesar de contar con tecnología avanzada de moderación de contenido, los sistemas de Meta siguen fallándoles a las personas usuarias más vulnerables. Los grupos denunciados en 2022 continuaron operando en 2024, lo que revela la brecha entre la capacidad tecnológica y la prioridad corporativa. Esto no es solo una falla de moderación, es un defecto básico de diseño que prioriza la interacción en línea sobre la seguridad. Más de nuestra organización aliada Centro Latinoamericano de Investigación Periodística (CLIP), en colaboración con Chequeado y Factchequeado: https://lnkd.in/duwCMWjJ

Five thousand European Meta users have submitted complaints to the company invoking their right to object to being bombarded by direct marketing by Meta. Four of those users have gone further to file formal complaints with data protection authorities (DPAs) in Germany, Spain, and Norway after our partner and campaign group Ekō exposed Meta’s illegal data practices. Eko has also contacted the Dutch DPA about Meta’s non-compliance. Meta processes personal data gathered through surveillance to profile users and target them with ads on and off Facebook. This is data processing for direct marketing purposes. However, the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) gives everyone an absolute right to object to their personal data being used in this way. European citizens are looking to the key Irish authorities now to ensure their rights are respected.

Our partner Access Now is a leader in the digital rights field, defending and extending the digital rights of people and communities at risk. The global organisation engages in technical support, advocacy, and grantmaking, and hosts the annual convening RightsCon, which wrapped up this week in Taipei, Taiwan: rightscon.org Learn more about Access Now in the carousel below and at accessnow.org.

Meta's shift away from professional fact-checking demands a strategic rethinking of philanthropy's funding priorities. In his latest for Alliance magazine‘s monthly column Philanthropy wired, Gaston Wright points to a sobering reality: the estimated $700-900 million invested in civic tech platforms has yielded limited impact. Rather than continuing this approach, funders should prioritise sustainable investments in established digital advocacy infrastructure. From strengthening misinformation detection mechanisms to improving data transparency, discover how refocused funding priorities could protect digital civic spaces: https://lnkd.in/eJzzcj5F

A new resource from the Pulitzer Center's AI Fellow Tatiana Das offers a blueprint for investigating the hidden labor behind AI systems. This methodological guide demonstrates innovative techniques for uncovering the entire data supply chain powering artificial intelligence—revealing how workers in the Global South perform "microtasks" for minimal pay while tech giants profit from their labor: https://lnkd.in/ehcd_E7S As AI reshapes our world, understanding the human infrastructure behind technological innovation is essential for ensuring these systems evolve responsibly. Em português: https://lnkd.in/ekrbb2hS

👋 I'm super happy to have joined the Luminate delegation at RightsCon this year. Just hours before the conference, the new US administration effectively made the defence of surveillance capitalism -- and the tech companies exporting and exploiting it -- a key pillar of its foreign policy. As always, it's about power and profit, and never about people and the planet. The challenge ahead of us could not be bigger. While the world's political energy is focused on a senseless "race" to build new AI technologies with uncertain and risky outcomes, and tech oligarchs plaster the world with surveillance technologies that trample people's rights and freedoms, it's the most vulnerable and marginalised whose expertise and experience is sidelined. Against this background, RightsCon happens at exactly the right time. It's energising to walk through the halls and see so many people from so many places around the world determined to connect, conspire and work together. The collective intelligence inside these walls gives me hope that together we can change the trajectory the world is in. We need solidarity, smart strategies, and resilience. I hope to be able to meet many old and new friends during these days. Thank you to the #RightsCon and Access Now teams for putting off yet another great RC!

Democracy Playbook out now! 🚨 What does it really take to defend democracy? From labor strikes to climate battles, from court victories to grassroots movements—democracy isn’t fading, it’s fighting back. Democracy Playbook is a cross-border journalism collaboration from Unbias the News highlighting successful strategies to resist democratic decline. We work with local reporters from across the globe to reveal victories – big and small, past and present – in the battle for democracy and human rights. These are stories of the tactics that worked. Sharing them across the globe, we believe they can keep making a difference. 🔥 Explore our first three stories out now at https://lnkd.in/eVsyGT4C Unbias the News team Tina Lee – Editor-in-Chief Gabriela Ramírez– Multimedia Editor Ankita Anand – Editor Purple Chrystyl Romero – Editor Ruby Russell– Editor Mercy Abang, MBA – Managing Director Julia Vernersson – Managing Director Judit Csikos – Finance and Administration Web Design by Sofia Kounti Additional research by Marlene Keller Democracy Playbook project was developed with the support of Stichting Democratie en Media, the European Cultural Foundation, and the Deutsche Postcode Lotterie. We are grateful for the institutional support of Luminate and Limelight Foundation. #DemocracyPlaybook #UnbiasTheNews #Authoritarianism #Democracy #HumanRights #People #Activism

Luminate is proud to be supporting RightsCon this year. With Big Tech, social media platforms, and AI companies often harming human rights and social justice — all while frontline organisations come under strong pressure — RightsCon is more important than ever. For us and many of our partners, RightsCon is a space to exchange ideas, to learn, to elevate the voices of those driving change, and to find even more effective ways to protect marginalised communities in the digital age. It’s a critical moment for the digital rights ecosystem – a place where ideas, network, and action draw strength from each other. Congratulations to the entire Access Now team!

As Dr. Abeba Birhane reflects, the recent Paris #AIActionSummit sparked crucial conversations about what "public interest AI" really means. Making AI more accessible or less biased is important, but is it enough? Real public interest work requires shifting fundamental power dynamics in how AI is developed, deployed, and governed. Moving beyond surface-level solutions toward meaningful public benefit requires new frameworks for development and governance. Democratic oversight of AI is essential to ensure technology serves humanity rather than concentrate power in the hands of the few. More from Dr. Birhani: https://lnkd.in/ez2EbqGV