Technologies for Civic Mobilization
Civil resistance is a way for groups to advance rights, freedoms, governance and peace using nonviolent
strategies. As you’ll see from the list below, technology has become an increasingly important part of the
way nonviolent protestors spread campaign awareness, organize, connect with fellow activists, and
remain secure in volatile or non-permissive environments.
A collaboration between the Academy and the PeaceTech Initiative at the United States Institute of
Peace, this is a list of practical technology tools that activists are currently using to further their civic
mobilization goals, as well as specific examples of how these tools are having an impact all over the
world – from Turkey to Ukraine to Venezuela.
The examples range from simple mobile-phone based tools to more complex software applications. Some
of the tools were created explicitly for activists. Others take mainstream communication applications and
cleverly repurpose them for the needs of activists on the ground. This document is intended to be a
primer for nonviolent civic activists who intend to incorporate technologies into their work more effectively.
As with other civil resistance techniques, some technology tools are more relevant to certain situations
than to others, and these tools do not come without their risks. Many repressive regimes are willing and
able to employ a range of means to counter, intercept, and monitor the use of these tools by activists.
Activists are advised to employ appropriate security measures, both technical and non-technical, before
using these tools in the field.
1. Organizing Activists
A. Twitter: A microblogging service that enables people in conflict zones with similar
interests and motivations to connect with each other
Use Cases:
a. November 2013 Ukrainian protests against President Yanukovych: see here
b. June 2013 Turkish protests to contest the urban development plan for Istanbul’s
Taksim Gezi Park: see here
c. June 2009 Iranian Election Protests: see here
B. Zello: A face-to-face video messaging app (available for iOS and Android smartphones) that
connects people in conflict zones
Use Cases:
a. 2014 Venezuelan protests in opposition to the government: see here
b. November 2013 Ukrainian protests against President Yanukovych: see here
c. NPR report: Zello App Gains Popularity With World’s Protesters (March 2014)
C. Facebook: An online social networking site that helps to connect and mobilize protesters
Use Cases:
a. 2011 Arab Spring Egyptian Revolution: see here
b. 2011 Arab Spring Tunisian uprising: see here
D. Skype: A voice-over internet protocol service and instant messaging platform that allows
groups to create invite-only ongoing conversations to coordinate protest efforts
Use Case:
a. 2010-present Syrian anti-Assad rebellion: see here
E. People Power: A free iPhone and iPod touch application that offers access to the
International Center on Nonviolent Conflict’s (ICNC) educational modules, research
materials, and news on nonviolent struggles throughout the world
2. Raising Public Awareness
A. Ustream: A video streaming service that allows protesters to share information with the wider
public in real-time
Use Cases:
a. November 2013 Ukrainian protests against President Yanukovych: see here
b. May 2012 anti-Putin protests in Russia: see here
B. YouTube: A free video platform used by protesters to widely share information relevant to
their cause
Use Cases:
a. November 2013 Ukrainian protesters using YouTube to counter Russian
narrative of events: see here
b. 2010-present Syrian anti-Assad rebellion: see here
c. Google Report: Digital Activism on YouTube (July 2009)
C. SMS Reporting: There are a number of open-source messaging software platforms that
empower journalists and activist leaders to communicate with large groups of people over a
mobile network
Use Cases:
a. CGSwara used to bring news to rural Indian communities 2014: see here
b. Governance Pour Le Mobile: A 2009-2012 UNDP funded mobile based initiative to
collect youth input and encourage civic engagement in Madagascar: see here
c. FrontlineSMS used during the 2011 Nigerian elections: see here
3. Gaining Situational Awareness
A. Find My Friends: A location-based mobile app that helps reconnect people with their friends
during protests and in other unstable environments
Use Case:
a. Currently being used in Ukraine and Venezuela: see here
B. Check-In Tools: Location-based social networking services that allow people to engage with
other likely supporters based on their similar locations
Examples:
a. Ushahidi “Check-In”: see here
b. Foursquare: see here
C. Ushahidi: A crowdsourcing software used to monitor elections and map crisis information
a. Used to map the 2011 Egyptian and Libyan crises: see here
b. Project Crowdmap
1. Syria Tracker: A crisis mapping system that collects citizen reports on human
rights violations and casualties in Syria since April 2011: see here
c. The Guardian report: Ushahidi: Giving Citizens the Power to Put News On the Map
(August 2010)
D. Network Mapper: A Google project that visually maps out the connections between activist
individuals and groups to improve understanding of the affiliations and key nodes of influence
between them
Use Case:
a. 2011 Government leadership defection mapping in Syria: see here
4. Accessing the Internet Privately and Securely
A. Secure and anonymous browsing:
Examples:
a.
Tor: Free software for enabling online anonymity used by activists subject to
government spying
1. Used across the region during the 2011 Arab Spring to circumvent internet
censorship: see here
b. Orbot: A free proxy app created by the Guardian Project that empowers other apps to
use the internet more securely; it uses Tor to encrypt Internet traffic and then hides it
by bouncing through a series of computers around the world
c. Orweb: a private web browser (by the Guardian Project) that evades tracking and
censorship by bouncing one’s encrypted traffic several times through computers
around the world
B. Secure online messaging
Example:
a. ChatSecure: A free, private, and secure platform to message activists over Facebook
Chat, Google Talk, and Google hangouts compatible with Android, iPhone, Mac,
Linux or PC
C. Virtual Private Networks (VPNs): Offer activists internet anonymity by enabling them to send
and receive data across shared public networks as though they were directly connected to a
private network
Use Cases and Examples:
a. Lantern software currently being used in China to avoid internet censorship: see here
b. uProxy: A browser extension that lets users share alternative more secure routes to
the Internet; it helps users protect each other from third parties who may try to watch,
block, or redirect users’ Internet connections
c. HotSpot Shield
1. 2014 Venezuelan protests in opposition to the government: see here
2. November 2013 Ukrainian protests against President Yanukovych: see here
3. June 2013 Turkish protests to contest the urban development plan for
Istanbul’s Taksim Gezi Park: see here
4. Interview with the founder: see here
c. Other: June 2013 Turkish protests to contest the urban development plan for Istanbul’s
Taksim Gezi Park: see here