Welcome to TfD Weekly

TfD Weekly is the newsletter of Technologists for Democracy (TfD), a Toronto-based civic tech organisation working at the intersection of technology, privacy, and democratic accountability. Each week we recap what's happening at Civic Tech Toronto, share updates on our campaigns, and keep an eye on legislation that affects Canadians' digital rights.

Our active campaigns: - Stop Cineplex from Facial Detection - People's Consultation on AI

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This Week at Civic Tech Toronto

Attendees at Civic Tech were treated to an interactive presentation by Poe Han Thar Kyaw, a consistent contributor to our community who works at the intersection of geopolitics and technology. Poe's talk explored how AI could/should be governed in Canada by observing examples set in the United States, EU, UK, China and Singapore. The talk will be uploaded on YouTube so make sure you're subscribed.

Subscribe to the Civic Tech Toronto YouTube channel

Civic Tech Toronto meets every Tuesday, you can sign up for the next gathering here.

Civic Tech Toronto events

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Jane's Walk: The Surveillance Stroll

TfD is taking part in this year's Jane's Walk festival with The Surveillance Stroll, a guided walk exploring the camera surveillance infrastructure built into our city's streets and buildings. The walk takes place on May 3rd, from Union Station GO to St. Andrew's.

RSVP on Luma | Jane's Walk Festival listing

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Waymo in Ontario

TfD is working on a petition and open letter addressing the arrival of Waymo robo-taxis in Canada. Our concerns span digital sovereignty, job loss, city infrastructure strain, the hidden costs of accommodating self-driving vehicles, and questions around adherence to traffic laws.

We'd love your help. If you have experience or interest in social media, self-driving car safety research, or politician lobbying, get in touch.

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DemocracyXChange

Many TfD members attended DemocracyXChange, an annual conference in Toronto. There were a variety of insightful talks and discussions that took place, we're putting together a 'greatest hits' blog post of the key points that resonated with us. If you have any friends who might be interested in this round-up, forward them this email and make sure you're subscribed to our newsletter.

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Next Volunteer Meeting

Our monthly volunteer meeting takes place on the second Wednesday of every month -- block your calendar for May 13th. The link is already live on Luma, so let us know if you can make it.

RSVP on Luma

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Find Us Online

Follow TfD on Mastodon:

Technologists for Democracy (@techfordemocracy@thecanadian.social) - TheCanadian.Social

7 Posts, 24 Following, 72 Followers · We are Canadians keeping tech accountable. Canadians using technology towards better democracy for all

Follow TfD on LinkedIn: Technologists for Democracy

Follow TfD on Instagram: techfordemocracy

Follow TfD on Bluesky: techfordemocracy.bsky.social

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Technologists for Democracy is a community of Canadians who work with technology towards better democracy for all. Learn more at techfordemocracy.ca