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Coalition for Independent Tech

Our mission is to advance, defend, and sustain the right to ethically study the impact of technology on society.
independenttechresearch.org

Coalition for Independent Techtransparenttech
2025-12-08

This grant supports our ongoing work to strengthen independent tech research as public infrastructure. It helps us continue supporting our membership of independent researchers who are working beyond industry influence to conduct critical inquiries into the societal impact of technology; and sustaining a global, cross-sector community for collaboration, mutual support, and collective capacity building. (2/2)

Coalition for Independent Techtransparenttech
2025-12-08

We’re happy to share that the Coalition for Independent Technology Research has been awarded a grant from Siegel Family Endowment as part of their investments in work to reimagine how people learn, work, and innovate for a more inclusive tech future.

Check out the diverse cohort of organizations who we’re proud to be joining:

prnewswire.com/news-releases/s (1/2)

Coalition for Independent Techtransparenttech
2025-12-08

What is digital authoritarianism?

A new book chapter by Coalition member Allison Wun-hui Koh, Anita Gohdes, and Maurice Schumann maps how governments use digital tools to manufacture support, suppress opposition, and preempt future dissent.

A sharp look at evolving tech-enabled repression. ⬇️

degruyterbrill.com/document/do

Coalition for Independent Techtransparenttech
2025-10-27

➡️ Academic researchers want to share resources with civil society organizations.
➡️ Senior scholars want to mentor emerging researchers.
➡️ Researchers in well-funded institutions want to support colleagues in resource-constrained environments.

Full report: independenttechresearch.org/ci (2/2)

Coalition for Independent Techtransparenttech
2025-10-27

The State of Independent Technology Research Report – An Evidence for Collective Action ✊🏼

Despite mounting challenges, our survey with independent technology researchers across six continents and several disciplines reveals powerful evidence that researchers recognize the value of mutual support and collective action. (1/2)

Graphic from the Coalition for Independent Technology Research. Text reads: “More than half of the respondents surveyed expressed interest in participating in mutual aid or resource-sharing initiatives with other researchers, a remarkably high percentage given that many researchers have been socialized to view their work as individual endeavors requiring individual solutions. The State of Independent Technology Research: Power In Numbers.” Below the text, an illustration shows a diverse group of seven people sitting in a circle on the ground, untangling and weaving glowing orange threads together. One person uses a laptop while others hold or pass strands of thread.
Coalition for Independent Techtransparenttech
2025-10-22

Across sectors, public interest technology researchers are facing growing risks – surveillance, censorship, legal uncertainty, and inequitable funding. The conditions are often unequal across regions.

These stories don’t just evidence the crisis – they are calls for solidarity, mutual support, and structural change.

Read the full report: independenttechresearch.org/ci

A graphic with an illustration of diverse hands holding pens and drawing connecting threads on waves signifying movement and connection. Text: “As a non-US citizen, I know I do not have the same legal protections as US citizens. This has implications for what I can say online, sign, or events I might attend. The current political climate of online targeting of researchers in the country is clearly impacting how I think about the kind of work I can do.” – A senior academic in the US A graphic with an illustration of diverse hands holding pens and drawing connecting threads on waves signifying movement and connection. Text: “An oppressive government, which censors and represses everything that is not strictly in accordance with its ideology... police officers confiscated computer equipment that we were using for our investigations, simply for walking in the street near a peaceful protest.” – José Luis Mendoza Marquez, working in Venezuela A graphic with an illustration of diverse hands holding pens and drawing connecting threads on waves signifying movement and connection. Text: “Global Majority funding is being given to researchers in the Global North working on these issues rather than to researchers based in the Global Majority” – Jhalak M Kakkar, India
Coalition for Independent Techtransparenttech
2025-10-14

Tech companies and other powerful actors create and exploit artificial divisions within the research community: STEM versus non-STEM researchers, academics versus journalists, university-affiliated versus independent, senior scholars versus emerging voices.

These divisions are manufactured. What unites researchers is more powerful than what divides them: the right to conduct research that serves the public interest.

Read the full report! independenttechresearch.org/ci

An image featuring a quote about the challenges facing independent researchers. The quote reads: “When tech companies can spend millions on lawsuits designed to bankrupt research organizations, when governments can terminate entire research programs with policy changes, when harassment campaigns can mobilize thousands of accounts across multiple platforms, individual defensive measures are often insufficient to truly mitigate the challenges. The State of Independent Technology Research: Power In Numbers” The text is centered on a white background, with key phrases highlighted in orange. The logo of the Coalition for Independent Technology Research appears in the top right corner. At the bottom, illustrated hands of diverse skin tones hold pens, drawing colorful, interconnected lines that flow upward, symbolizing collaboration and connection. The design includes abstract dark blue waves and orange lines across the top, giving the visual a sense of movement and unity.
Coalition for Independent Techtransparenttech
2025-10-07

As highlighted in our report, The State of Independent Technology Research: Power in Numbers, independent researchers face structural funding barriers - short-term cycles, restrictive grants and limited institutional support ➡️ independenttechresearch.org/ci

This conversation offers a timely space to unpack these challenges and explore practical, regionally-grounded ways to support independent research. (2/2)

Coalition for Independent Techtransparenttech
2025-10-07

Join us for the launch of the RAIDAR Research Hub, a collaborative platform connecting researchers working on information disorder across Asia!

Brandi Geurkink (CITR) will speak on “Challenges to Funding Independent Internet Research” with Gbenga Sesan (Paradigm Initiative), moderated by Micheline Rama (The Asia Foundation).

9 Oct 2025, 7 PM Bangkok / 12 PM UTC
Register: asiafoundation.zoom.us/meeting (1/2)

Poster titled Launching RAIDAR Research Hub with a conversation on Challenges to Funding Independent Internet Research. Text reads: “The RAIDAR Research Hub is a new, collaborative online space designed to connect researchers and practitioners working on information disorder in Asia, established under the Researching Asian Information Disorder and Responses (RAIDAR) program, and led by the Institute of Asian Studies at Chulalongkorn University, Thailand.” Speakers: Brandi Geurkink, Executive Director, Coalition for Independent Technology Research Gbenga Sesan, Executive Director, Paradigm Initiative Moderator: Micheline Rama, Advisor, The Asia Foundation Event details: 📅 Thursday, 09 October 2025 🕖 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM (Bangkok) 🔗 Register here or scan the QR Right side text: “Join the Hub!” next to a QR code. Logos at the bottom: Supported by IDRC • CRDI and Government of Canada. Implemented by Institute of Asian Studies, Chulalongkorn University. Poster design in purple and white with circular headshots of speakers.
Coalition for Independent Techtransparenttech
2025-09-30

Our new report – the State of Independent Technology Research: Power In Numbers – maps the threats that public interest tech researchers are navigating across 6 continents. Yet, despite systematic attacks, Coalition members are building systems of protection and care that reflect the power of collective solidarity:

- Filing amicus briefs
- Building legal support systems
- Creating peer-to-peer support networks
- Facilitating information sharing

Read: independenttechresearch.org/ci

Graphic with a white background, orange and dark teal design accents. Text in the center reads: “The State of Independent Technology Research report reveals that 69% of researchers report safety, security, or targeting concerns — a statistic that represents not just professional inconvenience, but a fundamental threat to the independence of technology research itself.” At the bottom, an illustration shows four diverse figures: one holding papers, one raising a book, one speaking through a megaphone, and one holding documents while wearing a patterned green outfit with a hijaab.
Coalition for Independent Techtransparenttech
2025-09-18

A systematic shutdown of access to platform data has created what researchers call a “data desert.”

Twitter’s free API powered 17K+ studies. CrowdTangle offered rare insight into content virality on Facebook. Today, that infrastructure has disappeared.

How are you navigating the “data desert”?

Read more in our latest report, "The State of Independent Technology Research: Power In Numbers":
independenttechresearch.org/ci

Graphic with a quote in the center. The text reads: “The primary obstacle is data access; obtaining the comprehensive data necessary for independent analysis is often hindered when platforms do not adhere to transparency requirements, utilize dark patterns, or create deliberately complex interfaces for researchers.” — Katya Viadziorchyk, Head of Fundraising and Advocacy at AI Forensics Wavy orange and black lines run across the top. A bright sun-like circle is on the right. At the bottom, an illustrated desert landscape with plants shows six people in colorful clothing walking together, carrying backpacks.
Coalition for Independent Techtransparenttech
2025-09-12

The State of Independent Technology Research report maps the funding landscape for public-interest tech research – drawing on experiences from Coalition members across six continents.

How are you navigating funding gaps in your work? 💭

Read the full report!
independenttechresearch.org/ci

A graphic from the Coalition for Independent Technology Research. Text on the image: “Topics that were considered legitimate areas of inquiry just a few years ago are now treated as too politically sensitive for funding. Even when researchers secure funding, the project-based nature of most grants creates precarity.” “Technology companies exploit an under-resourced field by offering funding that creates conflicts of interest.” “Some researchers report being pushed toward accepting funding from the very companies they study.” At the bottom: “The State of Independent Tech Research - Power In Numbers.” Illustration: A group of people, each holding plants or bags, walk toward and through a large door into a lit space, symbolizing researchers navigating challenges and seeking opportunities.
Coalition for Independent Techtransparenttech
2025-09-11

Recent headlines, like reports on Meta and its stance on research related to youth harm, remind us why independent technology research is essential. Without it, risks are downplayed, critical inquiry is suppressed, and the public remains in the dark.

Corporate research alone is insufficient to safeguard public interest. Independent technology research is not optional - it’s critical infrastructure for transparency, safety, and trust in a digital age.

Read: washingtonpost.com/technology/

Coalition for Independent Techtransparenttech
2025-09-08

85% of independent technology researchers identify funding as their most significant challenge.

Despite funding pressures, researchers are developing innovative mutual aid networks and alternative funding strategies. Coalition members with funding capacity share infrastructure and tooling with other members unable to afford access, demonstrating the power of community responses and collective action.

Read the full report and share!
independenttechresearch.org/ci

Graphic with decorative wave and line illustrations appearing at the top and bottom of the image. The text reads: "When Ali Shehab, an independent researcher specializing in psychology and geopolitics, attempts to conduct research in Lebanon, he confronts the intersection of economic collapse and academic isolation that defines the funding crisis facing independent researchers. Ali, whose work includes training AI tools to detect cognitive biases in media narratives, serves communities whose voices would otherwise go unheard during Lebanon's economic crisis. The State of Independent Tech Research - Power In Numbers"
Coalition for Independent Techtransparenttech
2025-09-01

>35 years after the Web and >20 years of social media, we still lack clarity on tech’s impact. How systems are designed, what data trains them and whether they deepen inequality remain unanswered.

Independent researchers, globally, are closing this gap - despite barriers and corporate secrecy. Our new report spotlights their work and why it matters.

Read: independenttechresearch.org/ci

Graphic with off-white background, navy blue and orange line design at the top left, and the logo of the Coalition for Independent Technology Research in the top right. The main body text in dark teal says: “In 1904, Ida Tarbell published 'The History of the Standard Oil Company,' a meticulous investigation of Standard Oil’s monopolistic practices that helped fuel the antitrust movement that broke up the robber barons' stranglehold on American commerce. Worker-led research on Amazon Mechanical Turk exposed labor exploitation and, in 2014, flagged a data harvesting operation that would be revealed as part of the Cambridge Analytica scandal.” Below, in orange italic text: The State of Independent Tech Research – Power In Numbers. At the bottom right corner is an illustration of four diverse figures: one holding papers, one holding a raised protest sign, one with an arm lifted and light drawn around the hand, and one in a hijab holding a book. Graphic with off-white background, navy blue and orange line design at the top left, and the logo of the Coalition for Independent Technology Research in the top right. The main body text in dark teal says: “Studies on algorithmic bias have revealed how AI systems replicate human biases, leading to discriminatory outcomes in areas like consumer lending, policing, employment, and content moderation that disproportionately affect marginalized communities. These breakthroughs would not be possible without independent researchers, who have often been the first to document harm and raise the alarm, serving as trusted allies of policymakers and community activists who have advocated for remedy.” Below, in orange italic text: The State of Independent Tech Research – Power In Numbers. At the bottom right corner is an illustration of four diverse figures: one holding papers, one holding a raised protest sign, one with an arm lifted and light drawn around the hand, and one in a hijab holding a book.
Coalition for Independent Techtransparenttech
2025-08-27

@katzenberger Thanks. We'll add alt texts going forward.

Coalition for Independent Techtransparenttech
2025-08-26

Our new report, The State of Independent Technology Research 2025: Power in Numbers centers voices from six continents — researchers navigating surveillance, censorship, resource injustice and more, in real time through collective and coordinated action.

Read the full report: independenttechresearch.org/ci (2/2)

Coalition for Independent Techtransparenttech
2025-08-26

The threats facing researchers vary significantly by geographic context, but no region appears immune from the broader pattern of increasing hostility toward critical technology research.

Repost this with what’s happening in your context. (1/2)

Coalition for Independent Techtransparenttech
2025-08-22

What else do you think we need for independent technology research to flourish?

Read the full report: independenttechresearch.org/ci (2/2)

Coalition for Independent Techtransparenttech
2025-08-22

“When researchers with different methodological approaches, institutional contexts, and geographic perspectives unite around shared principles, they become much harder to dismiss or divide.” (1/2)

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