Tactical Tech believes that for people to be able to act on issues that affect their lives, they must have access to accurate information and the means and freedoms to respond to this information.

Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Individuals - especially those from marginalised communities - often lack the means to access and create information.

Restrictions on political freedom, technical capacity and infrastructure, limit participation in many regions of the world.

Our rationale

The Role of Information
To increase the transparency and accountability of large forces in society, such as governments, corporations and public institutions, people need access to accurate, easily understood information on issues that affect their lives. The principles of accountability, participation, freedom of expression and the free flow of information frame all of Tactical Tech's aims and methods.

The Role of New Technologies
Since the early 1990's, new technologies have significantly transformed methods of creating information and opened up channels for alternative methods of communication.

New technologies, such as Free and Open Source Software, (FOSS) embody the principles of inclusion and expression. By providing people with tools that they can freely share and modify, new technologies have opened opportunities for individuals and communities to act independently and for civil society to gain information for itself without relying on 'official' channels.

The rise of Web 2.0 technologies and the increasing popularity of user-level tools and services have been important for marginalised communities because they create greater opportunities for self-publishing and dynamic information sharing. They are important for rights advocates as they begin to open up new channels for outreach and techniques for campaigning. The proliferation of mobile phones is also opening up opportunities for organising and engagement in ways that were previously unimaginable. As each of these technologies is taken up, they become increasingly interlaced: Mobile phones feed into websites; websites become radio stations. The offline world and the online world begin to interconnect.

Just as each new technology has the potential to bring new opportunities and freedoms, they also present new challenges, difficulties and forms of suppression – from new forms of censorship to threats to privacy.

This issue is extremely important for advocates who handle sensitive information in hostile environments and for marginalised communities for whom technology can be a 'double-edged sword' as it carries the potential to both liberate and further marginalise.

Advocates and the Use of Information and Communications
For many advocates, the information they gather and distribute is their principal asset. In witnessing violations, identifying injustice and exposing misconduct, they rely heavily on their ability to capture and represent information.

For them, the rise of Free and Open Source Software (software that is free of charge or low cost and open for adaptation and further development) and other technologies represents a new era in campaigning.

Tactical Tech exists to make sure that they can take full advantage of these opportunities.