IT for Change's work in the area of development and democracy critically examines the digital paradigms of development and the opportunities and challenges it presents for deepening democracy, global justice and citizen rights. We believe that an equitable information society can flourish only through inclusive and informed debate, involving all stakeholders, especially from the global South. Given the prevalence of Northern perspectives and market-centric thinking in current ICTs for development approaches, we have consciously attempted to articulate alternatives through our research and policy engagement. Techno-architectures must be designed and governed for democratising power, so that countries, communities and individuals at the peripheries can renegotiate their place in the world. From concerns spanning e-governance, public information systems and data in governance to emerging policies in global trade, data governance and the very architectures of Internet policy, ideas of justice must be coded into the legal-institutional architectures of digital technology.
IT for Change played an active role in the T20 engagement group of G20 Brazil 2024, promoting a digital paradigm that emphasizes justice, fairness, and equity in June 2024. Below, you will find detailed information about the various aspects of our participation.
Leadership Role
Our Executive Director, Anita Gurumurthy, has been…
IT for Change, in collaboration with the Centre for Labour Studies, National Law School of India University, Bengaluru, presented to the Karnataka government a memo on creating a government-supported ride-hailing platform in the state. The memo focused on the issues and challenges faced by new entrants in digital markets like ride-hailing…
The development of artificial intelligence (AI) today is hindered by limited computational power, largely controlled by concentrated markets dominated by Big Tech. High-performance chips crucial for large AI models are further restricted through vertical integration and a centralized cloud market. As AI's economic importance grows, access to…
IT for Change, in collaboration with Rishab Bailey, an independent tech policy consultant, responded to the call for public comments on the draft Digital Competition Bill, recommended by the Committee on Digital Competition Law.* The response agrees with the need for having an ex-ante framework to address digital competition. In particular, it…
The use of trade secrets to enclose the data undergirding artificial intelligence (AI) systems is a dimension that remains under-explored. IT for Change and Data Privacy Brasil submitted a policy brief to the T20 which posits that the data enclosed in trade secrets by digital transnational corporations has the effect of stifling genuine…
IT for Change successfully submitted the policy brief titled "Reorienting Public Services Platformization in Health" to the T20.
Co-authors include Cynthia Picolo and Raquel Rachid from Lapin, Brazil.In this brief we highlight the pitfalls of a techno-deterministic approach to digitization that include the increased commodification of…
Policy frameworks for digital platforms-moving from openness to inclusion Project review meeting
