In 2016, we saw an increase in the number of reported online hate crimes and harassment targeting Muslims, immigrants, and LGBTQ people, as well as groups working to protect reproductive rights and strengthen racial justice. Online hate crimes, harassment, and discrimination are increasing

And they will be central to the work of building a free, open, and transparent future. Even amid so many unknowns, we can be certain that these issues are among those that will shape 2017 and the years and decades beyond it. In the face of so much uncertainty and change, the independent watchdog group Freedom House reports that globally, Internet freedom has declined for the sixth consecutive year, “with more governments than ever before targeting social media and communication apps as a means of halting the rapid dissemination of information, particularly during anti-government protests.” At the same time, Civicus has highlighted the many threats facing democracies, representative institutions, and civil society as a whole.Īs 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. This is taking place at the same time that the world is experiencing transformative cultural, demographic, economic, and political shifts. In our increasingly complex and interconnected world, innovations in technology and data are inching us closer to a reality driven by automation, prediction, personalization, surveillance, and the merging of our physical and digital lives.

Social justice issues