Tooling practices and weaknesses within the European digital rights field

April 2022, martijn[at]bitsoffreedom.nl @bitsoffreedom

As digital rights organisations we need to lead by example and practice what we preach. This means using technology that aligns with our values and message. It also means being progressive in our use of technology. Hopefully we can inspire others.

At this moment our tooling falls short in several areas such as user-friendliness, functionality, speed of deployment, durability, and efficiency.

This research aims at making the tooling of the European digital rights field fit for purpose. In order to achieve this goal we've set up the following core activities that will be undertaken during this research.

  • Mapping of current tools & tooling

    Through interviews and surveys, we will map which tools & tooling are currently used within the European digital rights field. The resulting catalog will reveal common practices.

  • Mapping of needs

    Through interviews and surveys, we will map organisations' needs. The resulting list will reveal common needs.

  • Developing a roadmap addressing the most prioritized needs

    The roadmap is intended to be a practical document identifying the top strategic improvements of tools & tooling within the European digital rights field. It will be non-reliant on a particular actor, meaning anyone could choose to address any of the gaps identified and contribute to the effectiveness of our field.

A call for participation

We have invited several EDRi-members to start conversations with. Besides, these organisations we have reached out to a number of experts in the field of digital tools.

If you or your organisation has not received an email asking for participation but would like to participate or be updated on this research feel free to reach out.

Reports

Planning

  • Q1: initialize project

    • Defining project criteria, targets and planning
    • Identifying most important stakeholders
    • Creation of database

  • Q2: start research

    • Preparing interview
    • Internal inquiry of tooling uses & needs
    • Sending one-pager to all stakeholders
    • Conducting first interviews
    • Process data from interviews
    • Start building a pool of organisations willing to share IT-expertise

  • Q3: start development

    • Conduct interviews
    • Process data from interviews
    • Start development of tooling map
    • Start development of roadmap
    • Work on internal environment to make collaborate ready
    • Start building a pool of volunteering developers

  • Q4: finish, deploy & publish

    • Finish research
    • Finish development and deploy tooling map
    • Finish development and deploy roadmap
    • Publish results
    • Extend pool of volunteering developers
    • Extend pool of organisations willing to share IT-expertise

Contact

For more information on this research or for any feedback reach out to me martijn[at]bitsoffreedom.nl. For more information about Bits of Freedom and our work see our website: bitsoffreedom.nl.