The internet is a powerful tool for women in politics, but it can also be a dangerous place that enhances their risk - both online and offline. Women are more likely than men to experience online violence and harassment, leading to a chilling effect on their political participation and further limiting their ability to achieve equal representation in parliaments, governments, and other areas of power. 

Video conferencing was becoming an important tool for online collaboration well before March 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic solidified its central role in modern workplaces. For organizations like the National Democratic Institute, this also meant that many program activities also had to move online, and two years later it is hard to imagine how civil society groups, parliaments, political parties or election observers functioned without video conferencing tools. 

Building an open, free and healthy digital global ecosystem is central to democracy and as such, is a central focus for us at NDI. But the time and effort it takes to protect democratic values, create tools to empower people and foster transparency takes a dedicated team.

Hello, world! My name is Vanessa Revilla, and I am thrilled to be joining NDI’s DemTech team as a Program Associate specializing in Cybersecurity! 

Hey, world! My name is Tristan Gutbezahl, and I am incredibly excited to start working with NDI’s DemTech team as a Temporary Project Assistant.

My name is Cat Ramsey, and I am excited to start promoting democracy at NDI as the new Temporary Project Assistant on the DemTech team!

Last year, I participated in the UN’s Internet Governance Forum’s (IGF) Best Practice Forum (BPF) on Cybersecurity. The BPF working groups form part of the IGF’s intersessional work between annual forums, and are designed to facilitate collaborative, community-led research around a certain topic affecting the internet and internet governance.

Are you passionate about the global impact of the internet on democracy? Come join our team!