Digital technology
There are wonderful high-frequency digital projects unfolding which tackle many of the world’s problems and increase inclusivity, equity, transparency and humanness. Such projects include open source initiatives, healthy digital communities, businesses which redistribute wealth and transform current power relations, technological devices which are built in increasingly ethical ways and allow us to take back control over our privacy and data, securing and re-establishing our rights. Yet the root of digital and internet technology – the very foundation on which all these beautiful projects are built – is in the wrong hands. Digital infrastructure needs to change fundamentally. Until that happens much of our energy will simply go into protecting ourselves from the negative effects of, and the corruption linked to digital technologies. Many projects which appear to improve privacy are still hooked into the same abusive roots which facilitate the harmful utilisation of data and people. Most decentralised cryptographic technology requires the use of, or is connected with ‘Big Tech’ operating systems, or pseudo-secure versions thereof which are neither transparent, nor independent.
Phones, laptops and gaming devices contain myriad materials, some highly toxic, which are mined across the planet, each with its own story and its own complex supply chain. Conflict minerals, child labour and human rights abuse are huge issues in the phone and laptop industry. Mineral trade has funded some of the world’s most devastating conflicts, the destruction of the environment and its societies for decades. The supply chains of worldwide brands are highly intransparent. Certain parts of the world provide raw materials while others hugely profit from turning these materials into finished products and using these products for business – these profits and opportunities never reach the origin countries of minerals and metals. The level of inequality is sad, and its transformation is in our hands. It is part of our responsibility.
Many so-called ethical devices only address a small fraction of what is wrong with the digital world and its surrounding business structures. For example Fairphone, a company featured below on this website for addressing many issues related to the production of phones, is a supporter of 5G, a technology which is deeply harming the health of people and this planet. EMF radiation is nowhere mentioned – not exactly ethical… At the moment, using digital technology in somewhat healthy ways requires the creative and often complicated combination of devices, software applications, protective technologies and cryptocurrency/blockchain. Take a look at our Health & body care page for additional EMF protection technologies and blue-light reducing software and glasses which alleviate negative effects of screen use on sleep, energy levels and self-healing ability.
It is up to us to approach companies which are on track for a future in alignment with Nature so that remaining issues are addressed and resolved. We have the power to expose ALL the biases and destructive practices linked to today’s digital technology so that these things can be dismantled. It is also up to us to decisively stop supporting those brands which simply destroy the planet and its peoples, and have never aimed for anything different. Joining communities which know about digital security, and know how to discern can be really helpful in these times. Below are some transformative projects which we will keep adding to. Digital technology, including AI, is a growing world which will soon be an expression of Nature’s intelligence. Many more wonderful initiatives involving digital technology can be found on other pages of this website.

Digital Democracy
Worldwide
Using digital technologies as tools which empower marginalized communities to defend their rights; working towards equity & inclusivity & creating local autonomy. Co-design, modify & support free, flexible, easy to use, multilingual tech solutions & open source tools. Train communities to use basic digital tools (mapping, data collection, documentation etc.) & provide ongoing support. Create networks through events & workshops. Collaborations with local indigenous partners, funding, tech & human/environmental rights partners. Decolonising technology.

Fairphone
Netherlands
Phones designed for longevity, easy repair & made with more and more responsibly mined & recycled materials, incl. fairtrade gold & cobalt – changing the electronics industry towards fairer materials & responsible practices. Supporting artisanal & small-scale mining. Co-founded Fair Cobalt Alliance. Supply chain transparency. Collect old phones for proper recycling, reducing e-waste. Strong use of open-source software & collaboration with open source community. B-Corp.
Software practices:

European Digital Rights
Europe
Network of civil & human rights NGOs, advocates & academics securing digital rights & freedoms through robust & enforced laws & data protection standards, informing & mobilising people, promoting a healthy, fair & open accountable technology market. Challenging mass surveillance, polarisation, deception, unlawful & discriminatory profiling practices & power imbalances. Regulating AI. Building inclusiveness rooted in equal access to digital technology & knowledge. High transparency.

Earthing Oz.
Australia
Wide range of genuine, functional, indoor earthing solutions & EMF-protective technology rooted in years of research in the field, incl. EMF testers, clothing, shungite, protective pouches, shields & cases, bodywell chips, earthing footwear, mats, sheets etc. Partnering with Groundology, Safesleeve, Baxter Blue, Cellsafe, Bodywell, Defender Shield, Blushield. Website provides lots of information on EMF & earthing. Member of Buy One Give One.

Purism
USA
Privacy-protecting laptops, smartphones & mini-PC’s with physical hardware kill switches for camera, microphone, WiFi card, bluetooth etc. which neutralise/disable all known hardware backdoors. Portable power banks, freedom-based operating system & software. Public source codes. Software freely accessible & modifiable. Encryption tools & services. Fully user-controlled computing environment. No customer registration process or licenses. Constantly increasing supply chain transparency & security.

Matomo Analytics
Worldwide
Secure website analytics platform for transparency, data protection & user privacy. 100% data ownership. Open-source, modifiable software. Raw data access. 100s of customisation options. No data limits. No data sampling. GDPR compliance.

EMF Fortress
USA
High-quality 2-layered Faraday pouches for phones, FOBS/keys, crypto cold wallets – CASEcage replaced every 6 months free, for 2 years, due to lifespan of all Faraday material. Protects from EMF & hacking. Reusable Spyypatches to cover phone & laptop cameras hassle-free & without glue/residues. Bamboo touchscreen pens which keep your fingers away from electric fields of touchscreens. Convertible Faraday Crossbody phone purses made from leather (waste product of food industry, more durable than vegan leather, less chemicals to produce). EMF-technology that works. Great info material in videos on website.

Mailfence
Belgium
Private, secure email, calendar, document storage & data sharing features. OpenPGP end-to-end encryption incl. subject line, digital signatures, 2-factor authentication, password encrypted messages etc. Actively participating in worldwide movement to regain & secure online privacy. Advocating for stronger digital privacy laws, supporting Electronic Frontier Foundation, European Digital Rights etc. Member of Coalition for Competitive Digital Markets. Cryptocurrency payment options.
Member of Coalition for Competitive Digital Markets:

Protocol Labs
Worldwide
Connecting open-source research, development & deployment under one efficient roof. Developer of decentralised cryptographic protocols, tools & services incl. data structures, file storage systems/networks, open collaboration platforms, consensus protocols, cryptocurrency & blockchain technologies (IPFS, Filecoin, IPLD, libp2p etc.), distributed randomness beacon (Drand). Mainstreaming zero-knowledge proof (ZKP) cryptography. Legal framework for protocol token fundraising. Decentralised web technology education. Decentralising the internet. Bringing data control back to people.

WildTrack – Non-invasive Wildlife Monitoring
Worldwide
Non-invasive monitoring of endangered species based on footprint identification technique (FIT) – reviving the art & science of tracking. > 90% accuracy on species identification. Combining advanced data analytics, AI, traditional ecological knowledge, indigenous tracking expertise & art for conservation. Pioneering use of drones to collect endangered species data without disturbing animals. Truly inclusive projects involving local communities, researchers, citizen scientists, outdoor enthusiasts, students etc.

DoNotPay
USA
AI-based platform for legal information & documents which helps people secure their rights in the face of anything from parking tickets, bank fees & tackling phone number verifications to medical fraud, insurance claims, divorce, copy right & refund issues etc. Provides access to legal aid for homeless people, low-income families & other disadvantaged or marginalised communities, increasing inclusiveness & equity. Helps prisoners connect with family, each other etc.

Code for Kenya
Kenya
Build free, people-based, open-source tools which amplify citizen voices & provide local, personal information to facilitate informed decision making. Projects include communication tools, independent information platforms, digital maps for data visualisation, health tools etc. based on official sources & crowd verification. Engaging people in shaping their world. Supporting local activists, local female journalists, civil society researchers, citizen data initiatives, local governments & grassroots social enterprises. Non-partisan. Rebalancing distribution of power.

Skiff
USA
End-to-end encrypted email, documents, data & collaboration. Decentralised file storage via Interplanetary File System (IPFS). Decentralized real-time collaboration via CRDTs. Sign up & login option with MetaMask wallet (Ethereum wallet address). Support ENS & numerous crypto wallets incl. Brave Wallet, Phantom etc. Multiple aliases, custom domains, import of existing email etc. Completely open source. Strong supporter of internet decentralisation.

Ellington Lab
Texas University, USA
AI-based plastic recycling technology. A machine learning model was used to generate novel mutations to the natural enzyme PETase that allows bacteria to quickly degrade PET plastics, facilitating recovery & reuse of plastics at molecular level. Article: Machine learning-aided engineering of hydrolases for PET depolymerization. By Lu, H., Diaz, D.J., Czarnecki, N.J. et al. published 2022 in Nature 604, 662-667.
More info:

SNEW
Netherlands
Circular Telecom & IT company offering preventive replacement maintenance & refurbishing services. Collect old equipment directly from people, remove all data, refurbish it, sell at affordable prices & take back products after use. Recycle what can really no longer be used as spare parts for maintenance services or by recovering raw materials. Arrange international transport. Maximising lifespan of IT equipment – moving from replacement consumerism to durability, eliminating e-waste. Highly inclusive team. Rooted in expertise & abundance. PSO certified for social entrepreneurship.

CactusVPN
Moldova
Well-functioning, no-nonsense VPN service with multiple protocol options. Smart DNS feature to bypass geo-restrictions to accessing any content platforms incl. government-censored sites. Military-grade end-to-end encryption. Works across many different devices & platforms. Supports torrenting. User-friendly & great customer support. Cryptocurrency payments possible. Standing for privacy & online freedom.

Mudita
Poland
Simple, highly functional, low-radiation/low SAR, internet-free phone. Automatic, self-winding, battery-free watch with vegan straps. Healthy screen solutions. As much as possible locally produced & built for durability, with locally sourced materials. Supporting & embodying healthier, ethical technology – digital & non-digital. Valuing privacy & transparency.

CryptPad
France
End-to-end encrypted, open-source editing & collaboration suite for shared documents of many types. Free for personal & professional use, hosting & modification. Strong focus on privacy & transparency. Easy to use. No registration for external collaborators. Research grant-, subscription- & donation-funded.

Simply secure/Superbloom
International
Designing, researching & teaching ethical digital technology which prioritises human rights, privacy & transparency. Networking, consulting & skill-building. Addressing decentralisation, digital consent, communication security, AI etc. Focus on collaboration – business rooted in human relationships.

ProPrivacy
UK & Hungary
Research, reviews & education on means & tools which increase digital privacy incl. VPN’s, browsers, password managers, messengers, email providers etc. Extensive information platform. Reclaiming privacy rights. Privacy tool development. Standing for transparency.
Business model:

ISUMA TV
Canada & worldwide
Multilingual user-controlled multimedia platform for indigenous filmmakers & media organisers. Independent production & distribution network providing mediaplayers for remote, isolated communities & hence access to high-speed media exchange in local languages. Preserving indigenous knowledge & cultures. Driving digital democracy. > 6000 videos in > 70 languages.

Session
Australia & worldwide
Private, anonymous messaging app: protected geo-location & metadata; end-to-end encrypted communication via decentralised onion routing network. Open-source code. No phone number or email address needed to create account. Voice & video calls also possible (end-to-end encrypted).

Jimdo
Germany & worldwide
Website builder with passionate support of self-employed small businesses. Recognising importance & value of individual creativity & responsibility in societies. Standing for simplicity, high quality & authenticity. Free plans available. Lot’s of support material & community.

PureGold Server
International
Small-scale decentralised, private server, email, file management, messaging & video conferencing platform. Focus on privacy, transparency, financial integrity, collaboration. Built on open source software. Membership-based, by minimum contribution. Prototype for other server communities. Moving past data harvesting.
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