Digital technologies are changing our world at an ever faster pace. Global violence is being fuelled by online disinformation and hate speech. Data about every aspect of our lives is mined and weaponised. Blockchain technologies outstrip the carbon footprint of entire countries.
We don’t believe this is the inevitable future of the internet. After all, freedom, equality and democracy are values that it was built on. We believe in a good web that can deliver on that vision: technologies designed, developed and deployed to empower people and help hold power to account.
Our vision at CASM is a digital future which builds healthier information environments: reducing identity-based violence and harms online, without incentivising mass censorship and internet shutdowns. It’s one that seeks to develop accessible services that don’t rely on surveillance capital to be sustainable. It’s one that redistributes power away from unaccountable private corporations, without handing it straight to undemocratic governments.
To do this, we need to understand the online world. CASM, in a joint venture with the University of Sussex, pioneered the use of machine learning to interpret ‘natural language’ big data, enabling us to better understand online spaces and communities and measure what interventions actually work.
We need collaboration: between policy-makers, industry, civil society, and citizens to build a better web. We want to work with everyone who shares our vision, and who can help us unleash the profoundly democratising opportunities presented by the internet. If this sounds like you, we’d love to discuss future partnership opportunities.
Contact Director of CASM Elizabeth Seger to hear more.
