Testimonials
IT for Change has been an invaluable partner for the Transnational Institute. There is no other organization working on digitalization that combines its incisive analysis with critical interventions at key policymaking fora, while being rooted in the movements of workers and users most impacted by technological change. Its collaborative approach has enriched our own work to challenge corporate domination of global policymaking processes at the UN, under the guise of multistakeholderism. It has helped to build our own capacity to explore the implications of digitalization for many social movements with which we work. IT for Change is a thought leader and our ally in one of the most critical struggles of our time – to ensure that the digitalized world serves people and the planet rather than lining the pockets of a few Big Tech billionaires.
Fiona Dove
Executive Director, Transnational Institute
Technology is rapidly changing our world and IT for Change is leading the charge in fighting for an inclusive and equitable digital world. As one of the few organizations not beholden to the narratives of Big Tech, IT for Change offers a refreshing and essential perspective on the world today. Their work has been exemplary in framing technological change in progressive ways, in advocating for those who, too often lack a voice, and in offering real solutions to the problems we face today.
Nick Srnicek
Researcher and Author of After Work
IT for Change is a crucial and indispensable institution at the forefront of the fight for a more just, inclusive, and less colonial digital future. For years now, IT for Change has brought together actors, scholars, and activists from around the globe, paying particular attention to those voices that too often remain unheard in the Western-centric discourse on digitization. Additionally, the organization has continually produced excellent, groundbreaking research and organized conferences on the most pressing issues concerning our ever-more digital societies. By bridging theory and praxis and building sustainable progressive networks globally, IT for Change has contributed to generating a much-needed change to the current status quo. I cannot strengthen enough the importance of their work to create equitable and fully democratic alternatives to the techno-solutionist narratives dominating the contemporary techno-economic discourse.
Anna-Verena Nosthoff
Director, Critical Data Lab
Working with IT for Change on a project to shape the intellectual and policy agenda on intersectional approaches to development research in, and for, the Global South has been a privilege and eye-opening experience. Their research on the abuse and misogynistic trolling targeting Indian women in the public-political sphere on Twitter is truly commendable. The significance of this study lies not only in its insightful findings but also in its intersectional approach. Recognizing that meaningful change requires an understanding of the multifaceted identities shaping marginalized individuals' realities, IT for Change's research goes beyond the surface to address the interlocking forms of oppression within social hierarchies.
Hannah Dawson
Senior Researcher, Southern Centre for Inequality Studies, Wits University
Over the years, IT for Change has established itself as a critical thinking organization and a champion of social justice in the field of technology-enabled education, developing novel models for strengthening public systems and advocating for right digitalization in education. The organization's focus on participatory and democratic models of governance has been particularly impactful and has helped foster greater engagement and participation among those who are often excluded from the decision-making process. As someone who is familiar with their work, I can say that the organization has made significant contributions to the discourse on the intersections of digital technologies with social justice and equity.
Matthew Smith
Senior Program Specialist-Education and Science, International Development Research Centre
IT for Change has done valuable work in the area of the digital economy. The ‘State of Big Tech’ is a compendium of important research on the evolving influence of Big Tech on various dimensions of the economy and society and what can be done about it. This will certainly be useful for actors from both government and civil society in understanding these dynamics and crafting appropriate responses to ensure a more just development of technology such that it serves the many and not just the few.
Abdul Muheet Chowdhary
Senior Program Officer, South Center
OECD Watch, the network that represents civil society at the OECD, greatly appreciated the support of IT for Change during the OECD’s 2021-2023 revision of the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises on Responsible Business Conduct (Guidelines). We relied on them to provide regular, expert advice on text revisions needed in the technology, human rights, workers’ rights, consumer interests, and competition chapters in particular. IT for Change focused on many critical issues such as addressing tech impacts on worker rights and targeting North-South inequalities in sharing ownership and benefits of data. We also appreciated their participation directly with the OECD through written submissions to public consultations and an oral intervention at a closed-door OECD policymakers meeting.
Marian Ingrams
Coordinator, OECD Watch
We have collaborated with IT for Change for several years, focusing on issues concerning working conditions, worker rights, and data rights in the platform economy. During this time, we have actively contributed to their projects and publications, participated in joint panel discussions, and produced podcasts, all with the sole aim of enhancing the working conditions of platform economy workers. This partnership has proven to be mutually beneficial as we continue to expand our knowledge and expertise in this particular field and advocate for policy reforms. The initiatives undertaken by IT for Change align seamlessly with our overarching mission of advancing workers' rights and promoting social justice. IT for Change has an exceptional team, characterized not only by their expertise but also by their unwavering dedication and collaborative spirit. Their Communications team, in particular, is highly skilled and adept at translating complex findings into easily understandable language, making crucial information accessible to a wider audience.
Uma Rani Amara
Senior Economist, ILO
KITE’s recent collaboration with IT for Change has been on an impact assessment study on our E-Language Lab program, in association with the Regional Institute of English, South India. This study gave us insights on the necessary changes in the design and implementation to improve the program for promoting English language proficiency in government and aided schools across Kerala.IT for Change’s significant contributions to the use of digital technologies and open educational resources (OER) for teaching and learning, and also in promoting the use of Free and Open Source Software can provide valuable insights and lessons to various organizations. Their focus on using technology as a tool for social transformation and equitable development is a unique approach that can inspire other organizations to adopt similar strategies.
Anvar Sadath
Chief Executive Officer, Kerala Infrastructure and Technology for Education (KITE), Government of Kerala