What is liberatory technology?

This resource is for anyone who wants to understand more about liberatory technology.

It covers:

• Catalyst’s current definition of liberatory technology (it’s evolving)
• what liberatory technology looks like in practice 
• how Catalyst is planning to support work around liberatory technology.

Liberatory technology: a definition

Liberation is freedom from repressive, oppressive and exploitative systems. It is having power over your life.

Liberatory technology aims to free us from social, political and economic injustices enabled by those systems. It recognises the lack of power we currently have over:

• why and how most tech is created
• who funds and controls it
• who it benefits, ignores and harms
• the role it plays in our lives.

Liberatory technology includes:

• digital products and services
• use of data
• design methods.

Liberatory tech is driven by social and environmental justice goals, rather than the pursuit of profit and market dominance.

Differences between liberatory tech and dominant technology models

Dominant technology prioritises profit over privacy and safety. Liberatory technology prioritises people, privacy and safety.

Dominant technology models are monopolies that prevent competition. Liberatory technology is small-scale.

Dominant technology contributes to the climate crisis (In 2021 the tech sector produced between 2 and 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions - UN Environment Programme). Liberatory technology is regenerative.

Dominant technology has the power to negatively affect and shape political and public debate. Liberatory technology helps to support constructive discussion and exchange of ideas.

Dominant technology has little or no checks and balances on its power. Liberatory technology is created by, and accountable to, the people who use it.

Dominant technology can still be used in liberatory ways

Products and services created by big tech companies are sometimes used for liberatory purposes. For example, X was used to inform and mobilise people during social justice campaigns. But it was also instrumental in spreading misinformation that fuelled the UK’s racist and Islamophobic riots. X’s design and purpose aren't focused on resisting oppression so it’s not liberatory tech. 

Liberatory technology supports equity and collective wellbeing

Liberatory technology helps to create equity, support collective wellbeing. It does this by centring what individuals and communities (especially those left behind by tech) identify that they need. It is also designed and developed by or with them.

As well as being people-centred and community-led, or owned, we believe liberatory technology should be:

• accessible
• inclusive
• enabling
• compassionate
• transparent
• accountable.

Catalyst’s take on liberatory tech is our view. Others define liberatory tech differently. Mobius is a US consulting and funding network. It exists for people creating liberatory technology products, systems, and narratives.

Mobius defines liberatory tech as: “technology that enables all people and communities to embody and obtain freedom, thriving, and greater access to our aliveness.”

What liberatory tech looks like in practice

Here are 2 examples of liberatory tech, and what it can achieve:

Conscious Digital

Conscious Digital creates people-centred digital projects that promote and advance digital human rights. The charity focuses on:

• addressing privacy loss
• misinformation
• micro-targeting (“a form of online targeted advertising that analyses personal data to identify the interests of a specific audience or individual to influence their actions” - The Information Commissioner Office)
• the spread of surveillance capitalism
• the addictive nature of digital services.

The organisation’s beliefs echo many of liberatory tech's aims:

"We believe in a world where individuals, not corporations or governments, are first-class citizens of the digital domain. Where technology makes us better versions of ourselves rather than facilitating consumption. A world where we are free to express our full selves, free from manipulative influences. Where digital experiences are helpful, not addictive. We aim to do this by empowering individuals to exercise their digital rights, including the right to privacy, anonymity, and free speech."

Conscious digital’s projects include Your digital rights. It's a free, open source service that automates the process of filing data access and deletion requests for people. This helps people to take control of their online privacy.

Ukraine DAO

Ukraine DAO counters Russian disinformation, promotes Ukrainian culture and documents Russian war crimes. It uses Web3, tech and an online community. It was built by Nadya Tolokonnikova a member of the Russian feminist protest and performance art group Pussy Riot. She was helped by a Ukrainian blockchain activist based in the UK. It's had a huge impact, raising $7m in 5 days in 2022. 

It’s internet-based, volunteer-run and has none of the trappings of a typical non-profit organisation. For example, it has no:

• office
• official legal status
• bank accounts
• board of directors

Ukraine DAO’s decision making is participatory. The communities affected lead its focus and allocation of resources. The majority of its members are everyday Ukrainians with limited knowledge of Web3. 2,000 of its members are on Discord and it has almost 20,000 followers on X.

Liberatory tech is at the centre of Catalyst's vision

Catalyst’s current vision is “shaping liberatory technology for just and regenerative futures”. For us, this type of radical and transformative tech has a huge part to play in creating a fairer future where all life can thrive. 

Technology is integral to most parts of our lives. It can be used to create systemic change. But, there are many examples of technology replicating biases and causing harm. We want to harness it to create positive change.

We’re applying these values to our exploration of liberatory tech:

• love
• curiosity
• equity
• interdependence

Catalyst's mission is: “Centring community needs in design, digital and data decision making through building collective power”.

We developed our vision and mission with our diverse Steering Group. We've also carried out research on what 'liberatory technology’ means to stakeholders in our network. 

Liberatory tech is an evolving term

Liberatory technology may be a new term for you. It is a new term for Catalyst too. What we mean by it is evolving. Our definition may change as we involve more people.

We'll be working with communities that are negatively affected by technology. For example:

• disabled people who find digital services inaccessible
• marginalised communities affected by algorithmic bias.

This work may also include social sector organisations. For example, charities, social enterprises and community groups who work with, or are led by, marginalised people.

We hope that our activities will enable communities to shape and refine our definition of liberatory tech. We hope they will help us establish what it looks like in practice. 

Where we’re going next

Catalyst is becoming a platform for content and activities focused on tech’s role in shaping an equitable future for all people and the Earth. 

We will be hosting discussions about liberatory tech with communities. We’ll provide examples of liberatory tech to prompt these discussions. 

We’ve already engaged with organisations like the Cradle Community and The Engine Room. And we'd love to work more directly with more organisations led by people from marginalised communities. For example, Chayn (a charity that supports people who’re experiencing gender-based violence).

We also want to work with and funders who prioritise centring community needs. For example, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, a UK funder.

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Thanks to Dominique Barron and Anna Hamilos from Careful Trouble for sharing their thoughts on this topic with us.

Image attribution: Frank van Dongen, CC2.0