In the classroom at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology The Responsible Computing Challenge (RCC) program is excited to share our grantees’ reflections on their progress, successes, and challenges To kick off the series, we are highlighting the work of Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), whose project embeds ethical considerations into the development of robotics -- In Kenya, Responsible Computing Challenge awardee Jomo Kenyatta University is shaping students’ perspectives on integrating ethical perspectives within robotics curricula. For example ..read more

By the end of 2024, an estimated 8.4 billion digital voice assistants like Siri and Alexa will be in use worldwide, outnumbering the human population. We are currently living in a reality where technology has become essential to living our lives. With an unprecedented number of digital voices and automated responses filling our spaces, where does that leave our own human voices? How can we ensure our voices are heard and amplified in a world becoming increasingly reliant upon algorithms, and unite in solidarity to build sustainable political power that prioritises human and environmental ne ..read more

Facing declining market value and appeal to Gen Z, Match Group, Grindr, Bumble, others, rush to compromise privacy, sell data, gamify, and integrate AI -- (TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2024) — Just as dating apps like Tinder and Bumble are epically failing to win over Gen Z, they are getting thirstier for user data, according to Mozilla's latest *Privacy Not Included research. The guide slapped 22 popular online dating platforms with warning labels for failing to meet privacy and security standards. With millennials married off, Gen Z — younger, poorer, more tech-savvy, and less prone to casual sex — a ..read more

New tool connects organizations that are confronting AI bias, data rights, tech worker exploitation, and other social justice issues -- (THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 2024) — Today, Mozilla launches the AI Intersections Database, a tool that maps connections between AI impacts and human rights issues. The database also catalogs civil society organizations, social movement actors, researchers, and other entities working in this space. The tool is designed to help these entities conduct research, share work, forge partnerships, and find supporters in the collective fight for digital technologies that hel ..read more

Mozilla’s Responsible Computing Challenge (RCC) joined student groups at San José State University. Mozilla strengthens its commitment to empower students at Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) and train the next generation of technologists _____ On February 11th and 12th, Mozilla’s Responsible Computing Challenge (RCC) joined student groups at San José State University (SJSU) to get on the ground and build student engagement in the responsible tech ecosystem. RCC emphasized its commitment to the inclusion and empowerment of MSIs and their local communities through two student-led events in ..read more

X’s transparency tools ‘an utter disappointment’ - Apple, TikTok, and LinkedIn not much better None of the ad transparency tools created by 11 of the world's largest tech companies to aid watchdogs in monitoring advertising are operating as effectively as needed, leaving voters worldwide vulnerable to disinformation and manipulation, according to Mozilla and CheckFirst research released today. These tools, mandated by the European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA), Article 39, would enable researchers to monitor a wide range of issues such as election disinformation by monitoring ad content ..read more

A paper by Mozilla Awardee Esther Mwema and Mozilla Senior Advisor Dr. Abeba Birhane highlights the extractive nature of Alphabet’s Equiano and Meta’s 2Africa undersea cables (ZAMBIA & ETHIOPIA | APRIL 15, 2024) — From monopolizing infrastructure, to appropriating local language, to following the same historical routes of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, Meta and Alphabet’s underseas cable projects are using colonialist tactics to exploit Africa on a massive scale according to a new paper by Mozilla Awardee Esther Mwema and Senior Advisor Dr. Abeba Birhane. The paper, titled “Undersea Cabl ..read more

Common Voice is a global community of contributors, dataset users, researchers and interested hobbyists who come together to create text and speech datasets that can power a more inclusive, open and healthier data ecosystem. We wanted to create more space for community participation as we build the future of Common Voice with you. As a part of this, we wanted to share our 2024 goals and roadmap for feedback and discussion with the wider community. This blog post doesn’t detail all the work our tiny team does - for example, we’ll still be fixing bugs, adding new languages, answering support qu ..read more

The SIVIO Institute is a Mozilla IRL Fund Awardee. It has developed a tool to measure the effectiveness of financial inclusion policies aimed at Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) – a critical first step in ensuring the success of smaller businesses. We spoke with Executive Director Tendai Murisa and Project Coordinator Belinda Chaora about how the organization is expanding its work from Zimbabwe to Zambia, Malawi, and Kenya The SIVIO Team, from left: Tendai Murisa, Executive Director; Eddah Jowah, Programs Manager; Belinda Chaora, Coordinator, Centre for Entrepreneurship and Financ ..read more

Buying two T-shirts costs twice as much as one. This is obvious when we see the money leave our wallet. Driving twice the distance will cost you twice the fuel. Also obvious when we look at the gas tank indicator. If everything we do online costs the environment in some way, how much does a Google search cost? How does it compare to the cost of that same search on ChatGPT? As we move through the web — streaming, searching, downloading and more — we leave behind a footprint. Yet the size of that footprint, or even the fact that it exists, feels abstract and hidden away. Our internet carbon foo ..read more