"The aim of this report is to provide a landscape scan of how an extremely diverse set of communities and movements are working at intersections of technology, digital rights, environmental justice and climate justice. The report’s primary audiences are grantmakers and practitioners working in or
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adjacent to the digital rights sector interested in understanding how to centre environmental/climate justice in their work going forward. Secondary intended audiences are grantmakers and practitioners with an environmental or climate focus who are interested in exploring the intersections between their work and that of the digital rights sector. The report aims to provide qualitative insight on the needs of and challenges faced by practitioners engaged in work spanning digital rights, tech and environmental/climate justice issues. It also aims to identify opportunities for digital rights funders to provide impactful support that is grounded in the real-world experiences of different communities and movements engaged in the fight for climate and environmental justice." (Introduction, page 5-6)
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"This evaluation is an analysis of the Mozilla Foundation’s grantmaking and fellowship work led by the F&A team from the beginning of 2016 through mid-2020. It seeks to understand: 1) the impacts of the programs on individual funding recipients a
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nd organizational partners, on the issues the programs endeavor to address, and on the people most affected by those issues, 2) the strengths and challenges of the programs, for Mozilla staff, program participants and other stakeholders 3) how F&A’s work supports the impact goals laid out in Mozilla’s AI Theory of Change and 4) the ways in which the F&A program contributes to and is perceived by the broader internet health ecosystem [...] The evaluation found that the program furthers the foundation’s internet health goals and overall theory of change by investing in research, writing, art, and code that explores the role of the internet in society. The program attracts and grows a network of technologists, coders, educators, scientists, journalists and activists who are committed to advancing Mozilla’s mission. It also found that impact has been limited by a lack of clarity and communication around how program design and theory of change inform one another. Those surveyed felt that making the connection explicit would help the ecosystem and participants have clarity around the intentions of Mozilla’s work, crystalize strategy internally and externally, and help the foundation develop more effective impact measurements. Respondents indicated that the strengths and challenges of the F&A program were largely consistent across program tracks, types and models. This finding indicates that individual F&A programs have more in common than the team currently acknowledges, and that the different programs ultimately offer similar experiences to funding recipients." (Executive summary, page 12-13)
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"This report is structured according to five overlapping themes that we consider a helpful framework for assessing internet health: privacy and security, openness, digital inclusion, web literacy, and decentralization, but it’s designed so you can read the articles in any order." (Introduction)
"The study tested the following hypotheses: the use of subsidised services only forms part of data use; people do not move beyond the use of subsidised services; using the internet first through subsidised services leaves people with less of an understanding of the Internet. Using subsidised data fo
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rms one of many strategies to use the Internet, confirming the first hypothesis. However, the second hypothesis was not confirmed, as respondents moved beyond subsidised data. Concerns that zero-rated data, such as Free Basics locks users into one application, because it is fully subsidised were not supported by this research. What was apparent was the lack of awareness of and favour for this free service. Free services, in particular from mobile network operators, are viewed with scepticism, as the perception is that nothing is completely free. In order to understand the ways in which people make use of the Internet (the third hypothesis), the study had to take into account a number of factors, which included the options to access the internet, motivations for Internet use, why they use the Internet the way they do, and how they use it. Context is a stronger determining factor contributing to what respondents use the Internet for than subsidised data. For example, respondents in rural South Africa favour operators that are dominant in the market because of extensive network coverage and the availability of signal; because family and friends are on the same network; and because of the promotions or rewards that come with using the network. The network that offers subsidised zero-rated content and a lower priced, service specific bundle is not used in the rural community, primarily because it is not available or the quality is poor. Most respondents access the Internet to facilitate efficient communication and find information. Only in Nigeria do respondents use the Internet when they have received rewards data (data received as a bonus or extra after purchasing a service) after recharging from their operator." (Conclusion, page 37)
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