Ford Foundation

Internet access is an indispensable determining factor when it comes to opportunities and resources. Susan Crawford, author and Harvard Law professor, reflects on the monopoly that companies hold over the service, quality and availability of fiber optic internet service. She points out that with little to no government regulatory infrastructure, or representatives with the necessary know-how, provider incentives rarely align with the public’s best interest. “My fear is that we’ve lost the idea that government actually helps people have better lives,” she wrote.

The Ford Foundation’s Board of Trustees has authorized the allocation of up to $1 billion of our endowment, to be phased in over 10 years, for mission-related investments (MRIs). While this field is still emerging, we are making this commitment because we believe MRIs are the next great tool for social transformation, in philanthropy and beyond.If philanthropy’s last half-century was about optimizing the five percent, its next half-century will be about beginning to harness the 95 percent as well, carefully and creatively.

As we begin a new year and a new political administration takes office in the US, let’s take some time to consider some pressing issues that exist at the nexus of technology and social justice—and think about how we as social justice advocates can address them most effectively.
1. Online hate crimes, harassment, and discrimination are increasing
2. Fake news, campaigns of misinformation, bias, and propaganda proliferate
3. Trolling threatens democracy and free expression
4. Reduced regulation creates risks for consumers
5. Governmental databases put pressure on minority groups
6. Increased surveillance puts vulnerable groups under a microscope
7. Less attention to issues of algorithmic bias and online discrimination creates opportunities for abuse
8. Advocacy groups need digital security protections
9. Technology and data initiatives provide important support for social justice work
10. Developments in open government and transparency impact advocacy work

[Commentary] In modern society, freedom of expression has both individual and social values. On one side, democratic governments are prohibited from censorship, but on the other, freedom of expression requires that they promote speech of marginalized communities to ensure all citizens’ voices are heard. As Yale law professor Owen Fiss puts it, free speech means an uninhibited, robust, and wide-open debate, especially when vested interests attempt to prevent such a debate. In his book, The Irony of Free Speech, which examines both sides of the issue, Fiss goes as far as suggesting that the promotion of free speech may require governments to “hand out megaphones” – or provide all citizens with the resources they need to express themselves. In many ways, the Internet serves as that megaphone.

The United Nations Human Rights Council recently adopted a landmark resolution protecting online freedom of expression as a human right. The resolution condemns measures that intentionally prevent or disrupt access to information online as a human rights violation and calls on governments to refrain from these measures. The resolution was prompted when the governments of Uganda and Ghana separately shut down the Internet during election days, thereby purposely withholding important information from citizens and preventing inclusive freedom of expression online. Access to the Internet is key for the realization of human rights and freedom of expression in modern societies. Even more, as online services proliferate, Internet access becomes a prerequisite for enjoying cultural, social, and economic rights. With this UN resolution, governments are not only forbidden to shut down the Internet or block information, but also required to develop and implement public policies that assure greater access to the Internet, whether in the Amazonian forest, rural Oaxaca, or urban Kibera. Access to the Internet provides all citizens the right to express themselves and contribute to their societies.