ICT & media
Tactical Tech
MATCHING TECHNICAL EXPERTS AND ACTIVISTS
It doesn’t take Stephanie Hankey, director of Tactical Tech, long to answer the question when she is asked about the reason why Tactical Tech was set up. ‘In order to enable activists in the areas of human rights and social justice to use new techniques so that the effectiveness of their work is increased.’ Does that sound vague? In practice it is not.
Among many non-governmental organisations in the South Tactical Tech has become known for NGO-in-a-box, a cd with software which activists can use to keep their email and internet surfing activities secret. Tactical Tack also made cds with programmes to produce audio and video material and with open source software in the area of word processing, photography and bookkeeping. 'The NGO-in-a-box cds have been a great success,' says Tactical Tech director Stephanie Hankey.
'At conferences and training meetings we have given out over four thousand copies. Moreover, about two thousand times a month, software is downloaded from the Tactical Tech website. Every year Tactical Tech organises one or two so-called Source camps where activists and ICT experts from the region meet up and exchange experiences. Time and again we hear from participants from the South that our software has really helped heir organisation. That is very encouraging.'
'Over the coming years mobile telephony will become increasingly important within the work of Tactical Tech,' Hankey continues. 'Many people in the South don’t have access to the internet, but they do have mobile phones. We have just finished the first version of amobile telephony toolkit. It has been developed at the request of our partners in the South who can see many uses for it. for example, providing female owners of small businesses in the country access to market prices. It also makes it possible to put web logs on the internet using mobile phones to enable people to make con ference calls; to enable them to send large numbers of text messages cheaply, for example to call on supporters to attend meetings or rallies. In addition, it makes it possible to organise mini polls among supporters in order to successfully record their wishes and opinions.'
As well as developing general software, which can be used by a large number of organisations, Tactical Tech is also working on more specific projects. 'In Cambodia 90% of all sex workers are raped, often by the police,' says Stephanie Hankey. 'Many sex workers in cambodia have mobile phones. However, sending texts messages is a problem because many of them are illiterate and furthermore there are no Khmer fonts for texting on mobile telephones. Tactical Tech is currently developing software which will allow sex workers to report rapes by pressing just a couple of keys. They will also be able to send photos. These reports are then immediately and anonymously posted on a website.'
'Any evidence contained in the phone is automatically deleted. In this way the reports are almost campaign material in themselves. As more and more reports come in, there will be increased pressure to undertake action. What is also important in this project is the fact that the target group itself will be handed the key to the solution. That increases the chances of success, certainly within a marginalised group like sex workers who live in their own subculture. Tactical Tech, as usual, is only involved in the work behind the scenes.'
Type of organisation
Service organization /non-profit
Sector
ICT & Media
Country
Worldwide
Founded
2003
Hivos partner since
2005
MYHIVOS LOGIN
