Digital Democracy

In early January 2010 we partnered with Tufts University’s Center for Emerging Market Enterprises (CEME) to conduct research and a photography training with young adults in Haiti. Researchers Chrissy Martin and Joshua Haynes, using the Project Einstein curriculum, worked with young adults ages 18-24 to explore – through the use of digital photography – how [...]

In October 2008, Mark and Emily did a digital storytelling photography project with youth living in shelters in Pretoria, South Africa. During the course of the five-day training the 13 young people learned how to use digital cameras and flip video, and how to critique and edit their own photos. They traveled throughout the city, [...]

While in Northern Thailand, Mark and Emily meet with Digital Democracy’s partner The All Burma IT Students’ Union (ABITSU) to set up equipment and train ABITSU’s core staff, as well as members of other human rights groups working along the border, in the uses and features of Handheld Human Rights (HHR) for its initial launch. [...]

This morning on New York’s WNYC Radio program “The Takeaway” Mark discussed technology in the developing world, emergency response, and specifically the Ushahidi install in Haiti in response to Tuesday’s devastating earthquake. Ushahidi is currently mapping crisis information from the ground including continuing threats to the area, locations of relief services, and information about survivors. [...]

The number of political prisoners has increased exponentially since Burma’s Saffron Revolution in 2007. This number, as told by the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners‘ Aung Myo Thein, is a clear indicator of the political situation in Burma.
In this episode of DdTv, Mark and Emily travel to northern Thailand to launch Handheld Human Rights. While [...]

To mark the the one year anniversary of Digital Democracy, we’re launching Little Brother vs. Big Brother, a campaign to translate Cory Doctorow’s compelling book Little Brother into four Burmese languages. By translating and distributing electronic versions of the book to Burmese readers, we hope to broaden the debate on using technology in the struggle [...]

While continuing to explore the technology community in Bangkok, Mark and Emily meet some of the courageous people working in online Journalism today. Among them is Jiew, the Executive Director of Prachatai, an online alternative news source for Thailand. Prachatai hosts an online forum, allowing readers to respond to news and issues that are posted. [...]

Bangkok is one of the centers of tech innovation in Asia, but it hasn’t always been that way. Tune in as our newly inoculated team moves from Bangkok Hospital to speak with John Berns, one of the co-founders of Barcamp Bangkok, about the rise of the local tech community. After a bike tour of the [...]

Inoculation against certain tropical diseases is a routine precaution for traveling in Southeast Asia but even getting a handful of shots in the U.S. can quickly become very expensive. As the debate over healthcare reform rages in the United States, Mark and Emily discuss what’s available, including, the single-payer option being explored by groups such [...]

Over the next few days Mark and Emily will be in Western Thailand working in a refugee camp to launch our program Project Einstein with a partner school. They’ll be teaching digital photography skills to a group of 17 students so that the students can participate in Project Einstein, our digital pen pal program connecting [...]