This library of "DemTools" consists of software, approaches, toolkits and guides that DemTech regards as trusted technology-related resources for the democracy community. It is not meant to be comprehensive, but rather a curated list of tools and resources known by DemTech experts to be valuable for enabling democratic actors to conduct their work in a safe, reliable, and cost effective way.
Before you get started, please read these important considerations for using digital tools.
This guide is designed to help democracy practitioners better understand social media trends, content, data, and networks. By sharing lessons learned and best practices from across our global network, the guide empowers monitors to make democracy work online by helping them:
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A playbook for CSOs to identify, respond, and build resilience to info manipulation developed with IRI and the Stanford Internet Observatory. The playbook is intended to help leapfrog the first six months of the electoral preparation process and enable societies to effectively push back…
5G adoption is happening around the world, even in places with low internet penetration. As of February 2021, 131 countries had announced plans to invest in 5G and more than 60 of the 98 countries NDI…
An NDI-published white paper examining how Free and Open Source (FOSS) public interest technology is essential to combatting digital authoritarianism and supporting democracy. The white paper draws on NDI’s programmatic expertise, as well as research and interviews with key leaders in the…
The goal of this paper is to understand how digital ID systems can impact individuals' abilities to exercise their civic and political rights, particularly for members of marginalized communities, and to provide recommendations for building inclusive, secure, and transparent ID systems. Despite…
This white paper examines blockchain technology's potential application to supporting democracy, improving government service delivery, fighting corruption, and demonstrating the integrity of elections and political processes.
The National Democratic Institute, in collaboration with members of the Design 4 Democracy Steering Committee, has developed this Statement of Principles in their shared commitment that technology platforms and products help build a more just and democratic world, and to bring together the…
Within NDI’s Democracy and Technology team (DemTech), the Info/tegrity initiative provides a framework to lead and support institutional initiatives countering disinformation and other forms of online manipulation, while strengthening the integrity of the information space. Through Info/tegrity…
The Handbook is an open-source resource designed to help parliaments develop an understandable and implementable cybersecurity plan. It includes explanations of key security topics that parliaments and their staff should be aware of, essential strategies and recommended tools to limit risk, and…
NDI's Practical Cybersecurity for Organizations Online Course provides civil society organizations, political parties, and parliaments a unique online course opportunity to develop an understandable and implementable cybersecurity plan. The course, built off the material in NDI's…
The Handbook is an open-source resource designed to help political parties develop an understandable and implementable cybersecurity plan. It includes explanations of key security topics that parties and their staff should be aware of, essential strategies and recommended tools to limit risk,…
The Handbook is an open-source resource designed to help civil society organizations develop an understandable and implementable cybersecurity plan. It includes explanations of key security topics that organizations and their staff should be aware of, essential strategies and recommended tools…
Authy is a free two-factor authentication application that works on both iPhone and Android. It allows users to generate time-based one-time passcodes, even without access to internet, that they can type into their login prompt to complete the two-factor authentication process.
An anti-malware software for Microsoft Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS. Bitdefender offers a free version that provides strong basic anti-virus capabilities for Windows, macOS, and Android devices. Paid versions of Bitdefender offer extra features and are also available for iPhones.
Tunnelbear, a trusted VPN (virtual private network), helps users avoid internet censorship and surveillance. While a for-profit tool available to paying users, Tunnelbear provides free credits to democratic actors in countries where secure communication and internet freedom is under threat. They…
Duo mobile is a two-factor authentication application that allows users to verify their identity by approving push notifications before accessing applications. Duo also allows users to generate time-based one-time passcodes that they can type into their login prompt to complete the two-factor…
Google Authenticator is a free two-factor authentication application that works on both iPhone and Android. It allows users to generate time-based one-time passcodes, even without access to internet, that they can type into their login prompt to complete the two-factor authentication process.…
An encrypted desktop-based password manager that allows users to set up a vault on their device to secure their passwords and other sensitive information, protected by one primary password. KeyPass is open-source and free to use.
An anti-malware software for Microsoft Windows, macOS, Chrome OS, Android, and iOS that finds and removes malware with a free basic version and paid-for premium plans.
A service that allows Outlook and Microsoft 365 users to adopt enhanced security settings on their accounts. Eligible global nonprofit organizations with sensitive information stored in their Microsoft accounts should strongly consider applying for AccountGuard, which can help them (at no…
