Most organisations, either private, public or focused in social impact, struggle with their tech stack. This is a reflection of how the technology sector was built and evolved over time: extremely fragmented when it comes to solving problems, whilst monopolistic when it comes to receiving investment.
This is especially challenging and important to civil society organisations and activists, who are constantly under scrutiny and possible attacks.
The two main questions we hear are:
- How to find secure and ethical tools?
- With short resources and having to ensure accessibility, how to implement and use these tools?
The short (and unfortunate) answer is that there is no one-solution-fits-all. Different organisations will have their own privacy, security and accessibility needs, as well as pressing risks. Each need to be assessed accordingly to define and support the ideal tech stack. If you want to have a (no cost) conversation about this, email us.
General considerations
The more convenient a tool is, the more data it will be collecting and storing about you (which generates risk). The more private a tool is, the less convenient it will inherently be.
If a tool is free, you will always pay with your data – so please use with caution and consideration, preferably after reviewing their terms and conditions (especially what data is collected, how it is stored, who has access to it and what is your level of control over what is shared). ToS;DR is a good tool for easily finding this information.
While using privacy-first tools should be a priority for individuals and organisations, if any features or limitations are negatively affecting your daily work, they need to be reviewed. We specialise in understanding the specific needs of social impact organisations and building customised tech stack recommendations. Email us for more information.
Proposed alternatives
This is a growing list of tools that provide ethical, secure alternatives to general-use platforms.
Email and calendar
- Proton Mail and Calendar end-to-end encryption by default means that the service is extremely secure, but can be difficult to manage especially when you have to use different accounts.
Chat and instant communication
- Zulip allows for self-hosting or cloud features and has similar features to Slack, Discord and other team communication channels.
- Signal is the best secure messaging service with end-to-end encryption by default.
File management
- Proton Drive allows for secure file management and supports online document editors for real-time collaboration.
- Nextcloud provides cloud and self-hosted options with LibreOffice-based online office suite.
Video and audio conferencing
- Signal offers secure phone and video calling between individuals or groups.
- Nextcloud Talk provides private audio and video conferencing.
Need help putting this into practice?
We specialise in helping social impact organisations, non-profits, and small businesses implement these strategies with tailored guidance and the right tools for your specific needs.