Info-activism is about turning information into action Posted by Adel Mubarak , Saturday, October 24, 2009 at 12:08 AM, in Labels: FOSS

10 tactics for turning information into action includes stories from more than 35 rights advocates around the world who have successfully used information and digital technologies to create positive change. This project, from Tactical Technology Collective, includes a video featuring 25 interviews with advocates alongside a deck of cards that details info-activism case studies, features tools and provides advice from people about the tactics and tools they have used in different contexts.

Stephanie Hankey, co-founder of Tactical Tech says, “The project came about when we hosted an info-activism camp in India earlier this year. The event brought together more than 100 rights advocates, technologists and designers from around the world who we knew had really interesting stories to tell about how they had turned information into action using digital technologies. We decided to document and explore people's stories throughout the camp. When we had finished we knew that what we had collected was pretty remarkable. Many of the stories highlighted ground-breaking use of the internet and digital technologies. They show what is possible for rights advocates to achieve now even with very few resources.”

The 35 info-activism stories included are from 24 different countries including Lebanon, India, Tunisia, Egypt, Kenya, Indonesia, South Africa and the UK. They include the story of Noha Atef whose blog, TortureinEgypt.net, has led to the release of illegally detailed prisoners in Egypt. Sami Gharbia, explains how activists upset the government in Tunisia when they used Google Earth and Google Maps to highlight stories of rights abuses. Dale Kongmont explains how he uses video karaoke and YouTube in Cambodia to spread word about the mistreatment and rights of sex workers in Asia. Ken Banks, the creator of FrontlineSMS, tells how this software, which allows people to send and receive bulk mobile text messages, was used for citizen reporting during this year's violent clashes in Madagascar. Dina Mehta, from India, explains what it was like to be part of an online group that worked via Twitter to get blood donors and other essential support to hospitals during the Mumbai Terror attacks.

Tanya Notley, who managed the project says, “We hope these stories can be used to inspire others. The video and cards provide the sort of in-depth background information you usually don't have access to. People have told us how much their digital activism cost, what tools they used, what skills they needed, what the local context was and they have revealed exactly what happened. All of this information can be used by other people to develop their own ideas.”

10 tactics for info-activism will be first launched December 4th in London.