#YearOfDemocracy

NDI is proud to support the Global Coalition for Tech Justice, and on the International Day of Democracy, joins other civil society organizations in calling on tech companies to be champions of democracy in 2024 and beyond. 

NDI has long called on technology companies to join us as strong advocates for democracy, as we share the common belief that open markets and ideas allow the space for people to chart their own futures and determine how and by whom they are governed. Through the Design 4 Democracy Coalition and our work to build our own Info/tegrity Initiative, we work to link with organizations around the world to engage companies to promote open, democratic principles in their design and operation. As members of the Global Network Initiative, we look for constructive opportunities to advance free expression, privacy, and transparency. However, NDI continues to be alarmed by the harm generated and allowed to fester on social media platforms. Online violence against women remains one of the greatest barriers to their participation in politics around the world. Access to information and data within the platforms that can inform better practices is limited. Threats around elections to candidates, campaigns, and institutions continue to grow. 

The asks of social media companies by the Global Coalition for Tech Justice embody the principles NDI stands for. Our work every day is to enable democracy for everyone, and our concern is that inequitable decisions made by tech companies to prioritize the English language, to target only the largest markets with products to reduce harms and that this focus will come at the expense of people in the rest of the world. By entering these markets, companies have become integral parts of the societies and political systems in which they operate, and this needs to be recognized and addressed with policies and resources that recognize these realities. The reductions in staff, expertise, and engagement by technology companies is alarming and ultimately will harm democracy, as well as the bottom line of large social media platforms.

We stand with our fellow civil society partners in calling for immediate action, to help create an information space that enables democracy for all people.