TfD Weekly - 6th August 2026
Digital preservation of queer history, AI transparency in Canada, Waymo at Civic Tech Brampton, and TfD community events.
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:
Previous campaigns:
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This Week at Civic Tech Toronto
This week's speaker was Natasha Fisher (she/they), Digital Archivist at The ArQuives, Canada's 2SLGBTQIA+ Archives.
Natasha's presentation covered the 101 of archiving information, and the following Q&A dug into many practical realities of how it can be executed well. Analog media like VHS tapes are not designed for longevity, making this move towards digital preservation especially important because the people being documented have long been excluded from the mainstream. The goal of ArQuives is to ensure future generations can celebrate and reflect on culture through its intended context.
You can visit The ArQuives in person at 34 Isabella Street, just off Church Street in the Village. Call ahead to make an appointment before your visit.
Natasha holds an MISt from McGill University, with interests in digital preservation, web archiving, and community archives.
Follow The ArQuives: LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram
Connect with Natasha: LinkedIn
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Monthly Volunteer Meeting
We are a week away from our next volunteer meeting, taking place on the evening of August 12th. All are welcome to join, and you can find the luma link below.
Don't forget to add points to the agenda. See you next week!
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Waymo Open Letter Update
Our Waymo campaign will be presented tonight at Civic Tech Brampton. You can attend in-person or online, check out the event details on Civic Tech Brampton's Luma page.
Read the letter and add your name
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Have Your Say on AI Transparency in Canada
A project called Have Your Say on Advancing AI Transparency in Canada has caught our attention. The Government of Canada is running a public consultation on increasing AI transparency, open from July 23 to September 23, 2026. The 5 areas covered by the consultation include
- Detecting AI-generated content
- Knowing when you're interacting with an AI system
- Improving information about AI systems
- Tracking serious AI incidents
- Monitoring AI activity
While we would like to respond as an organisation, we encourage you to check out their materials and see if you would also like to participate as an individual. The TfD team will put together a survey around these questions so we can communicate our positions as a collective.
You can read the discussion paper or respond to the anonymous survey through the consultation page.
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Park Hangout
We're having an informal park hangout at Christie Pits tomorrow, Friday, August 7th. Bring drinks, snacks and let's have a relaxing time.
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Find Us Online
Follow TfD on Mastodon:
Technologists for Democracy (@[email protected]) - 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
Until next time, The TfD Team