Below is a curated list of awesome digital tools for activism. These are
tools for individuals, ad-hoc groups or formal organizations that are
campaigning, organizing or communicating for social change. Some of these
tools are open source projects that requires some technical knowledge to
set up and host yourself. Some are software-as-a-service tools that you
use by going to a webpage in your browser. Feel free to share suggestions.
Contact Congress (Open Source)
- Send emails to members of the US Congress. This was developed by EFF
as an open source project. They use it for their own campaigns
internally. There is also a hosted version run by Fight for the Future
(see below).
Call Congress
- Coordinate call-in days to US Congress, the President, or local or
corporate targets. Original project from Fight for the Future and
Taskforce.is, but with lots of development from
Mozilla and the
EFF. Frontend looks like this,
https://call.mozilla.org and the
backend looks like
http://callpower.org. A
hosted version is available, and the code is AGPL.
Twilio.org’s Rapid Response Kit
- Collection phone-related tools using Twilio’s service. Kit includes:
Auto-Respond (inbound voice/sms responder), Broadcast (simple way to
broadcast texts/calls to a list), Conference Line, Forwarder, Ringdown
(call down a list of people, if 1st person doesn’t answer go on to the
next), Help Line (Press 1 for…, Press 2 for…)
Ushahidi - Platform for data
management and visualization. Other tools include CrowdMap, CrisisNET
(data about world crises), Ping (tool for checking is someone is ok
after an emergency), SMSsync (two-way SMS gateway). Check out their
github repos.
Crowdring - web app
where people around the world can place a free missed call to sign a
petition
TakeCharge.io
- opensource or SaaS online donations powered by Stripe.
VictoryKit - Optimize
petition campaign content. Not actively maintained.
Countdown - A
quick & simple tool for making your own webpage with a countdown to
your upcoming event.
CiviCRM - Contact management system
for non-profit / activist sector, including donations, memberships,
events, SMS, bulk mail & full CRM.
Spoke -
Text-distribution tool for organizations to mobilize supporters and
members into action. Spoke allows you to upload phone numbers, customize
scripts and assign volunteers to communicate with supporters while
allowing organizations to manage the process.
Software as a service:
Loomio - Tool for collaborative
decision-making in groups. Note: Loomio’s
code is also open source,
but it’s generally used as a hosted service.
Change.org Petition site. Chose a
target, make a petition, send it to your friends. If they get traction,
Change.org has staff that can provide support. (They also have org
accounts, that allow groups to do branded pages and export contact info
of signers.)
Contact Congress (FFTF)
- Used to send emails to members of the US Congress. This is Fight for
the Future’s hosted-version of the open sources Contact Congress. Ideal
for organizations that send a lot of emails to congress, but who don’t
have tech staff who can install and maintain their own version of the
open source software.
ControlShift -
Distributed petitions, events and local groups for progressive advocacy
organizations. Tools to help make campaigns more participatory.
Riseup - A provider of communication
tools for activists, including free webmail, chat, and VPN
Action Network - A nonprofit
digital organizing toolset for progressive organizations. Includes
petitions, advocacy, fundraising, mass email, and more for free or
cheap.
Democracy.io (code) - Send messages to members of the US Senate and House of
Representatives.
MoveOn’s Petition Platform -
Start your own petition on MoveOn’s hosted platform. If your petition
gains traction, MoveOn staff may help support you.
Operating Systems:
Tails - A live media, Linux-based
operating system that is designed to allow the use of a computer without
leaving a digital footprint.
## Browsers:
Tor Browser
- Free software for enabling anonymous communication. It prevents
somebody watching your Internet connection from learning what sites you
visit, it prevents the sites you visit from learning your physical
location, and it lets you access sites which are blocked.
Projects to keep an eye on (ie projects in development)
These are all projects that are works in process. Not finished, but worth
checking out.
Where@
- a mobile app to help protesters communicate with each other in
realtime during marches
Stencil Validator
(code) - a
design tool for determining if your artwork is a valid stencil
Day of Action
- very rough tool used to coordinate a day of action for high school
students. the starting point for a more generalized tool to run a day of
action campaign
Umbrella App
- an open source Android App with lessons and checklists on digital and
physical security topics ranging from sending a secure mail to dealing
with physical surveillance and attending a protest safely. Also includes
forms for responding to security incidents and feeds to ensure users are
up to date with the latest security information for their area. Also
available in Spanish and Chinese.
Code Corps - code corps
hopes to provide tools that connect people to projects that have a
social impact, facilitate crowdfunding, and provide support for those
working on projects
The Graveyad
These are projects or tools that once-existed but no longer exist *
Thunderclap - use this to coordinate a
group sharing the same message on social media at the same time. You write
a tweet, make a campaign, and ask people to pledge to support your
campaign. When you reach your goal of a certain number of pledgers, your
tweet will automatically be posted to each pledger’s social media.
How do I contribute to this list
Have an idea of a tool that should be on this list? Here’s how you can add
it: * Familiar with github? Send a pull request with your
suggestions. If you’re not sure how to do that don’t sweat it. See below.
* Not familiar with github? You can leave a comment on
this page by clicking on the Issues tab on the right and
adding a New Issue (that’s just like a comment). FYI you’ll need to create
a github account.
License
No copyright intended.
To the extent possible under law,
Drew Wilson has waived all copyright
and related or neighboring rights to this work.
