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

This past Tuesday, Civic Tech Toronto welcomed Terra Loire Gillespie for a talk on how numbers shape (and distort) the stories we tell. Starting from the provocative premise that numbers are not as real as we think, Terra walked through how figures from government budgets to vanity metrics are used to persuade and, sometimes, to mislead.

The talk covered how to critically assess statistics you encounter, and how researchers and communicators can present findings responsibly. Terra is the principal of Terra Etc, a professor at Seneca, and an occasional journalist and digital strategist working with movements, nonprofits, and coalitions.

Civic Tech Toronto meets every Tuesday. Subscribe for future events

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Jane's Walk: The Surveillance Stroll

This Sunday, May 3rd, TfD is taking part in the 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 runs from Union Station GO to St. Andrew's.

RSVP on Luma | Jane's Walk Festival listing

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Waymo

TfD has shared an open letter within the group addressing the arrival of Waymo robo-taxis in Canada, and will be sending it out soon. A petition is also in the works. 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.

There is also a rideshare protest on May 4th at 12pm in front of City Hall -- we encourage you to show up if you can.

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

TfD volunteers gathered at DemocracyXChange to get a feel for policy discussions surrounding technology. We watched keynote speeches from Cory Doctorow on enshittification and Daron Acemoglu on the failures of liberal democracies in technological revolutions. Notable workshops included one on AI and democracy hosted by EFF member Bruce Schneier, media disinformation co-hosted by members of the Hypha co-op, and organizing tech workers by TWC Canada.

We appreciate that attendees and speakers spanned the political spectrum and feel encouraged to engage in more spaces like DemocracyXChange. We look forward to hearing more from technologists and engineers who create our everyday tech -- policymakers and engineers need each other to design equitable and democratic technology, and such forums are essential for this cross-pollinating.

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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

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Follow TfD on Bluesky: techfordemocracy.bsky.social

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Until next time, The TfD Team