Wir freuen uns, die Keynote-Speaker für die” Safe Democracy Convention" am 13. Februar im Wiener Rathaus vorzustellen! 
🎤 Freuen Sie sich auf inspirierende Vorträge von führenden Expert:innen wie Paul Nemitz und Simona Levi, die mit ihrer Expertise und Vision unsere Diskussionen bereichern werden.

🌍 Nehmen Sie an der Safe Democracy Convention 2025 am 13. Februar im Wiener Rathaus teil! Entscheidungsträger und Führungspersönlichkeiten aus Österreich und anderen Ländern werden erkunden, wie Technologie die Bürgerbeteiligung, Datensicherheit & Transparenz stärken kann, um Demokratien zu fördern.

What does #participation really look like in practice? GoVocal's Jelena Gregorius explains their 360-degree participation—across methods, mediums, and topics—and how you can accomplish it in your project. Get the briefing: briefing.innovationinpolitics.eu/cours…

In participatory budgeting, institutional initiatives often overshadow those of individuals. To create a level playing field, Milena Kowalska, Poland's youngest councillor, advocates for implementing measures that ensure fair representation and opportunity for all participants.

Do you know who is responsible for city planning in your area? Demokratie-Wegweiser is a map that shows German residents which politicians they can approach on different issues in their area. We spoke with Franziska Hollstein about the importance of transparency for local democracy.

“Data should be treated as a communal resource” ProjectTogether's Re:Form is creating a network of innovators at all levels of government across 🇩🇪. Recently, they’ve been exploring how municipalities of various sizes can use data, both public and private. We spoke to Robert Peter about his work.

Renamed to Go Vocal because "we felt we had outgrown it" says CEO Wietse Van Ransbeeck. We asked him about the platform's use of AI as a moderator for deliberative, co-creative decision-making and supporting process design.

Through hacking, disinformation, and micro-targeting, operations like 'Team Jorge' manipulate elections and pose a real threat to democracy. Experts Patrick Penninckx and Peter Wolf stress the need for strict regulations, vigilance, and innovation to safeguard electoral integrity. From our archive:

Open data portals contain a huge variety of information, from cycle lane maps to government spending. They offer practical information, while also allowing journalists, researchers, and the public to monitor governments. Find out more about how they work in our guide:

"The idea was to use icons that everyone, regardless of literacy levels, would be able to recognise” explains Titus Kaloki. We spoke to him and Arjama Mukherjee about U_CODE, the software fostering citizen-urban planner collaboration.

“Democracy should be based on the principle that nothing is too complex for citizens to have a say on” Belgium's citizens' assembly on AI is the first EU consultation of its kind, engaging the public in shaping European AI policy.

Condominium E-Voting began as a digital alternative for apartment meetings in Kyiv. Now, it keeps Kyivans connected to city life, whether displaced or at home, while also serving as a threat warning system. Kateryna Mohylnytska shares how it engages 83%+ of the population.

Op-Ed | The EU has taken big steps toward regulating AI – but regulation alone is not enough. Karen Boers argues that public procurement could be key to boosting innovation while also maintaining European values.

We spoke to Michal Hladký about how Košice 2.0 is transforming city services with data-driven approaches. Overcoming challenges like data quality and GDPR, the project enhanced transparency and fostered citizen engagement. democracy-technologies.org/industry-new...

Raphaël Pouyé shares insights on African civic tech: entrepreneurial, anti-corruption, & community-driven. He highlights the importance of knowledge exchange and citizen scrutiny. Read more in this piece from our archive: democracy-technologies.org/participatio...

During the yellow vest movement, France promised to digitise the grievances that protesters shared in notebooks placed in town halls. Five years later, this remains undelivered. These "lists of grievances" highlight vital lessons on democratic innovation.

Sortition is the process of randomly selecting citizens to discuss key issues. Despite challenges such as representation and transparency, it offers promise for more diverse voices in decision-making, enhancing democracy beyond elections. Learn more from this piece from our archive:

Change It! is Říčany's youth participatory budgeting initiative, engaging 12 to 25-year-olds in decision-making, fostering interest in shaping the city's future. Adéla Ambrožová discusses being a finalist in the Innovation in Politics Awards.

"Is it really possible, with this highly technical approach, to ensure that AI is not going to violate our most basic rights?" Angela Müller of AlgorithmWatch talks to us about loopholes in the Council of Europe's AI Convention & the EU's AI Act.

We spoke to Iwan Ittermann, a Bertelsmann Stiftung Fellow, about his project Pluralism, which promotes respectful dialogue on social media to tackle to the toxicity of online interactions.

From our archive: Xabier E. Barandiaran delves into 'Artificial Collective Intelligence' and AI's impact on democratizing platforms such as #Decidim. Embracing open-source AI, he envisions inclusive governance through technology. democracy-technologies.org/participatio...

As more people turn to social media for news, the potential harm of disinformation on democracies is rising. Here are nine ways governments can team up with others to counter disinformation:

Curious about the latest in digital participation, e-voting, and other forms of digital democracy? Subscribe to Democracy Technologies — your source for in-depth knowledge in these areas. Join over a thousand political professionals receiving our newsletter. democracy-technologies.org/subscribe/

From our archive: Radical Data is a small collective on a mission “to redefine technology as a tool for communities, subverting its oppressive uses by big tech.” Co-founder Rayén Jara Mitrovich discusses AI biases, Chile's constitution, and blending art, activism, and technology.

To help tackle disinformation, Bertelsmann Stiftung and the German Ministry of the Interior are leading a citizens' assembly that merges online and off-line participation. We caught up with Dominik Hierlemann from Bertelsmann Stiftung to talk about the project.

High-quality government communications can play an important role in tackling disinformation. Examples from the COVID-19 pandemic show how governments can tackle disinformation. democracy-technologies.org/getting-star...

In Brazil, e-voting reshaped the political landscape, raising participation and welfare. More valid votes from less privileged parts of society drove up healthcare spending, showing the power of tech in democracy. Read more in this piece from our archive: democracy-technologies.org/voting/how-e...

Participative processes often start out by promising a quick path to political change, but frustration arises when results lag. Gianluca Sgueo advocates for a nuanced storytelling approach that embraces political complexity. Read the full interview from our archives here: bit.ly/3wjdHmk

Participatory budgeting voting methods shape democratic decision-making, ensure fairness, transparency, and community engagement in resource allocation. Here's a guide from our archives to help you choose the best one for your process. democracy-technologies.org/getting-star...

Op-ed | As disinformation flourishes online, how do we know who to trust? Lists of “trusted sources” are inherently elitist, argues Austin Mackell of Stone Transparency. Instead, journalists need an easy way to share their research process with readers. democracy-technologies.org/opinion/only...

In 2017, a report commissioned by the UK government suggested a pilot program to evaluate e-voting security risks in unions. Over 6 years later, the government has yet to respond. We spoke to Tim Sharp about the reasons behind the delay. democracy-technologies.org/voting/union...

Democracy Technologies was recently invited to observe Meta's “Community Forum on Generative AI” event — a public consultation on the future of AI. The format raises difficult questions about private companies getting involved in deliberative democracy.

🔍 Seeking Recommendations: We are looking for experts, best practices, and success stories of political professionals tackling disinformation. Who/what would you recommend for insights and strategies in the fight against disinformation? Share and tag your suggestions below!

In 2023, AI developers explored new democratic ways to shape technology. Notably, Alignment Assemblies's collaboration with Anthropic and OpenAI showcases the potential of public involvement in AI development, and prompts questions about its place in the broader issue of AI regulation.

In 2024, more people will head to the polls than ever before. With the rising influence of AI on politics, Tim Gordon writes: "Put the two together and it could be a recipe for disaster." Is it too late to prevent it? Check out this interesting read:

Op-ed | In the face of new technological threats to democracy, including AI-generated deep fakes, a group of experts, academics, practitioners and members of civil society is calling for a “Democratic Shield” to protect European elections. democracy-technologies.org/opinion/rais...

In 2021, PM Imran Khan announced e-voting for the following election in Pakistan. Opposition resistance and a vote of no-confidence in 2022 led to his ousting and the reversal of the e-voting plan. What went wrong, and what can we learn? democracy-technologies.org/voting/there...

In our latest interview, Raphaël Pouyé explains that “the Global South is less naive about the benevolence of governments and they want to trust, but they also want to verify”. Therefore a lot of African civic tech is focused on transparency and involving citizens in monitoring public policy.

E-democracy has great potential to bring the public closer to decision-makers, but many governments are hesitant to embrace the change it promises. Find out more about e-democracy, its potential and its shortfalls in this article from our archive: democracy-technologies.org/opinion/relu...

Collaborative city planning can generate acceptance. We spoke to Sven Lohmeyer and Pascal Fuhr, who explore their visions for using digital tools, such as mixed reality and the metaverse, to make participation engaging and interactive. democracy-technologies.org/industry-new...

Launched in 2015, Decide Madrid first garnered global praise. Powered by Consul Democracy, it has since inspired similar projects in 35 countries worldwide. Yet a 2019 local government change, along with user frustration, left its future looking uncertain. democracy-technologies.org/participatio...

Planning successful participation projects isn't easy, even for experienced professionals. Following Antwerp's 10 conditions for good participation is the first step to ensure citizen engagement benefits communities and governments. democracy-technologies.org/getting-star...

While participation projects are good news for democracy, they shouldn’t distract us from the urgent need for broader reforms. Can citizen participation solve the current lack of trust in democracy, or is it just distracting us from bigger problems? democracy-technologies.org/opinion/part...

"Beyond the technology, what is also crucial is the community" We spoke to Jens Kimmel about the importance of Consul Democracy, the role of the foundation and the influence of digital participation on democratic transformations. democracy-technologies.org/industry-new...

One of the many highlights of #DecidimFest2023 was Xabier E. Barandiaran’s talk on Artificial Collective Intelligence. In our interview, he spoke to us about open source AI, the future of participation, and permaculture as a model for democratic life. democracy-technologies.org/participatio...

Exploring digital democracy in , the Participatory Plurianual Plan highlights the balance between inclusive policy-making and digital engagement. Our conversation with Carla Bezerra at Decidim Fest 2023 offers insights into its impact. democracy-technologies.org/participatio...

Just moderated a panel on Open Source in the public sector with @lsdornheim.bsky.social , Arnau Monterde and Paula Grzegorzewska at #SCEWC23. The stressed that it needs (ideally European or international) standards, financial support and a culture of openness and collaboration.

Hopes were high for #Nigeria’s voter accreditation system BVAS ahead of elections in February. But on the day itself, nothing went as planned. Election observer Daniel Stefanov explores what went wrong with the system, and the lessons we can learn from it: democracy-technologies.org/voting/lesso...

🚨 Early bird price for Participate Practically runs out on November 17th. Save your spot now to get 25% off the course 🚨 participatepractically.com/product/part...

Analysing CoFoE a year and a half later: A path to an EU-wide digital democracy or a dead end? We explore the aftermath of the Conference on the Future of Europe (CoFoE) as we assess the lessons learned and the challenges ahead. democracy-technologies.org/participatio...