TfD Weekly - 9th September 2026
Thank you to everyone who joined the Surveillance Stroll! Plus: manipulative AI design at Civic Tech, the migrant rights march on September 20, and community events.
This edition was updated on 10th Sept. 2026
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.
We'd like to thank everyone who attended our Surveillance Stroll! If you have any feedback on how we can make it better, or any more areas that we can explore for future walks, get in touch.
Our active campaigns:
Previous campaigns:
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This Week at Civic Tech Toronto
Topic: Creeped Out: Privacy and Discrimination Risks of Machine listening in Healthcare.
The talk was presented by Stephen Neville, a surveillance scholar and Fellow at TMU's Infoscape Research Lab.
As a society we've been giving Big Tech massive amounts of insight into our personal lives. We give up our data for convenience. However, when this extends into healthcare, it opens up a Pandora's box of problems that can blur the line the line between 'convenient' and 'creepy.'
Stephen's talk shared a methodology that lets us recognise patterns that lead to the above-mentioned creepy uses of tech in our healthcare stack. It's a detailed look at escalating privacy risks which will hopefully help us make more informed choices.
Civic Tech Toronto meets every Tuesday. Subscribe for future events
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TfD Volunteer Meeting
We're holding a volunteer meeting today! If you're interested in getting involved with Technologists for Democracy, come say hello.
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Community Events
September 20: Cross-Country Day of Action for Migrant Rights
Many in TfD and the tech scene are grateful for the chance to start a new life in Canada. But every day we see fellow migrant workers being scapegoated for problems across society. With the future of Canadian immigration being a renewed focus of policy in the coming months, we want to show parliament that we stand for people who enrich every facet of life here.
Saturday, September 20. Actions across Canada.
Against Tech Oligarchy: The Trial of Jeff Bezos
The authors of Against Tech Oligarchy bring together labor leaders and tech critics to put a tech billionaire on trial. Witnesses will present Bezos' most notable injuries to the working class, and together the audience will decide his fate. Hosted by Another Story Bookshop and presented by Tech Workers Coalition.
Thursday, October 8 at The Garrison (1197 Dundas Street West). 7 PM.
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Help Wanted: Social Media Coordinator
We're looking for someone to coordinate our socials!
What this means:
- Planning and strategizing on social media strategy
- Ideating on social media content
- Creating social media posts
- Collaborating with other TfD members
- Staying abreast of TfD goings-on to help with the above
This role is semi-flexible - you can choose how many hours to volunteer each week, but we're hoping to find someone who can commit for at least a few months at a time. We welcome any and all contributions!
DM us on socials or reply to this newsletter if you're interested.
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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
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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