#Tag
In about 2 hours it's time for our weekly collab call. Join us to ask questions, just chat, hack on the website, or improve the data on #Wikidata, perhaps on this week's focus country 🇵🇾 #Paraguay.
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Wikidata:WikiProject_Govdirectory/Events
#CivicTech
In about 2 hours it's time for our weekly collab call. Join us to ask questions, just chat, hack on the website, or improve the data on #Wikidata, perhaps on this week's focus country 🇵🇾 #Paraguay.
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Wikidata:WikiProject_Govdirectory/Events
#CivicTech
We're teaming up with Helpful Places to grow the open-source ecosystem around DTPR.
This program is made possible with grant support from the U.S. @NSF
This next phase is about:
👀 Seeing – making invisible tech in public spaces visible
🛠️ Building – research, community spaces, and shared governance
🔁 Shifting – moving transparency from one-off pilots to a public expectation
Read the announcement here:
https://superbloom.design/learning/blog/growing-the-dtpr-ecosystem-a-new-chapter-for-digital-trust-and-transparency/
We're teaming up with Helpful Places to grow the open-source ecosystem around DTPR.
This program is made possible with grant support from the U.S. @NSF
This next phase is about:
👀 Seeing – making invisible tech in public spaces visible
🛠️ Building – research, community spaces, and shared governance
🔁 Shifting – moving transparency from one-off pilots to a public expectation
Read the announcement here:
https://superbloom.design/learning/blog/growing-the-dtpr-ecosystem-a-new-chapter-for-digital-trust-and-transparency/
The UK Electoral Commission are seeking an experienced Product Manager to lead the design, development and delivery of the Commission’s online voter information tool – the first in-house project of its kind. You will oversee a £1.9 million project budget, and work with us at Democracy Club as the Commission takes over the running of our polling station finder!
Hurry though, applications close at the end of the week.
The UK Electoral Commission are seeking an experienced Product Manager to lead the design, development and delivery of the Commission’s online voter information tool – the first in-house project of its kind. You will oversee a £1.9 million project budget, and work with us at Democracy Club as the Commission takes over the running of our polling station finder!
Hurry though, applications close at the end of the week.
When we talk about AI agents handling government services, it can feel totally far-fetched and radically new, like something from a distant future. But delegation of government services is already happening all around us.
People routinely delegate high-stakes government interactions to:
To think about the potential for AI agents, I created this visualization to better understand why people delegate these tasks. Mapping services by administrative burden and frequency reveals a clear pattern: the upper-left quadrant of this chart (high burden, low frequency) is where delegation makes most sense. For these kinds of services, citizens don’t build up expertise because these tasks are relatively rare – this is where specialists who can be delegated to thrive.
The color coding of the chart highlights something important: many of these prime delegation candidates are critical or high stakes transactions. If they are not completed properly, there are potentially significant consequences. These are exactly the kinds of tasks people already pay professionals to handle.
This existing delegation landscape can inform how we design for AI agents.
What makes someone comfortable handing sensitive financial data to a tax preparer or personal information to an immigration attorney? These delegation-based services have the following characteristics:
These things aren’t just nice-to-haves. They are the foundation of trust in delegation relationships. As we design AI agent systems for government services, we need equivalent trust mechanisms. These mechanisms won’t look identical to the real world delegation-based relationships we have today (i.e., no personal relationship with the professional offering support, different accountability structures), but they must address the same fundamental human needs for transparency, control, and recourse.
The future of government AI agents isn’t about inventing something entirely new. It’s about understanding what already works in delegation relationships and translating those trust factors into AI systems.
#AI #AIGovernance #artificialIntelligence #ChatGPT #civictech #DigitalGovernment #GovTech #machineLearning #ServiceDesign #technology
The question isn't whether surveillance infrastructure is expanding. The sea is rising, but we're building.
🏝️ Digital Archipelagos of trust are forming. Where is your island? Discord servers. Signal groups. Federated networks.
Which one are you building?
Read the full analysis in Digitally Literate #407: https://digitallyliterate.net/dl-407/
#DigitalPrivacy #Surveillance #TechEthics #DataGovernance #CivicTech #DigitalRights
In about one hour it's time again for our weekly collab hour. Edit data in #Wikidata, perhaps on items related to this week's focus country 🇧🇬 #Bulgaria, help us improve the website, ask questions, or just hang out.
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Wikidata:WikiProject_Govdirectory/Events
#CivicTech
I'm at a Tech for Good workshop this morning, so I'll share anything that is interesting. #TechForGood#PIT#PublicInterestTech#CivicTech
✨ New from @NGICommons: We interviewed Nil Homedes Busquet @nilhb from @decidim to explore how participatory #democracy can scale — as a true #DigitalCommons.
#Decidim means "we decide" in Catalan, and that ethos runs deep in both their code and community governance.
Read about their journey, governance model, and funding challenges👇
🔗 https://commons.ngi.eu/2025/08/04/decidim-and-the-spirit-of-a-digital-commons-community/
#FOSS#CivicTech#PublicCode#CommonsBasedGovernance
@martelinnovate @openfuture @OpenForumEurope @cnrs @linuxfoundation @ngi @EC_NGI
A slightly updated #introduction as I'm closing out my tiny private instance and moving here.
I had stepped away for a bit, so I am hoping the move here really pushes me to refocus and re-engage with communities on Mastodon.
As for who I am:
I'm a researcher, writer, and developer living in Minnesota. I have a PhD in #TechComm with research interests in the #digitalhumanities and the #sociotechnical histories surrounding technology.
I work primarily in the #civictech and #nonprofit space helping organizations tackling homelessness.
I also talk a lot about #poetry , #art, and the random #ttrpg.
I am looking forward to re-connecting!
✨ New from @NGICommons: We interviewed Nil Homedes Busquet @nilhb from @decidim to explore how participatory #democracy can scale — as a true #DigitalCommons.
#Decidim means "we decide" in Catalan, and that ethos runs deep in both their code and community governance.
Read about their journey, governance model, and funding challenges👇
🔗 https://commons.ngi.eu/2025/08/04/decidim-and-the-spirit-of-a-digital-commons-community/
#FOSS#CivicTech#PublicCode#CommonsBasedGovernance
@martelinnovate @openfuture @OpenForumEurope @cnrs @linuxfoundation @ngi @EC_NGI
📬 Our July newsletter is out! Get the inside scoop on:
- Our new board members
- ACT's newest member #CivicTechDC
- #OpenAustin's Fellowship
And more! Explore now: https://www.civictechnologists.org/2025/07/july-2025-newsletter
📬 Our July newsletter is out! Get the inside scoop on:
- Our new board members
- ACT's newest member #CivicTechDC
- #OpenAustin's Fellowship
And more! Explore now: https://www.civictechnologists.org/2025/07/july-2025-newsletter
O wisdom of Mastodon,
As part of a project aimed at making direct democracy accessible to the widest possible audience, I’m looking for an online platform that can convene a citizens’ jury selected by lottery from its registered users.
Essential criteria:
* a truly random, verifiable draw;
* ability to configure multiple topics (use cases: NGOs, political movements, local governments, etc.);
* secure, moderatable deliberation spaces;
* export of results in report form.
If you know of a tool (preferably open-source) that meets these requirements, or if you have first-hand experience, please share your references and feedback in the comments. Thank you in advance!
#DirectDemocracy#CitizenJury#Sortition#CivicTech#Participation
O wisdom of Mastodon,
As part of a project aimed at making direct democracy accessible to the widest possible audience, I’m looking for an online platform that can convene a citizens’ jury selected by lottery from its registered users.
Essential criteria:
* a truly random, verifiable draw;
* ability to configure multiple topics (use cases: NGOs, political movements, local governments, etc.);
* secure, moderatable deliberation spaces;
* export of results in report form.
If you know of a tool (preferably open-source) that meets these requirements, or if you have first-hand experience, please share your references and feedback in the comments. Thank you in advance!
#DirectDemocracy#CitizenJury#Sortition#CivicTech#Participation
A space for Bonfire maintainers and contributors to communicate
