Happy International Day of Democracy: Highlights from Tech BBQ

On the occasion of the International Day of Democracy, the Alliance of Democracies Foundation recently participated in TechBBQ —an event where hygge meets tech. Once again, Tech BBQ impressed us with its flawless execution, featuring numerous insightful discussions on the latest innovations and technology trends, startups, investment rounds, generative AI, web3, and more. Kudos to Sam Eshrati and the team for consistently surpassing their own high standards!

For me, the most valuable aspect of Tech BBQ is always the networking opportunities and everything "democracy and technology" for obvious reasons. This year, my standout moment was the panel discussion on the role of media and technology in advancing human rights and peace in conflict zones on Day 1. This topic will be the focus of this article, as I share the key takeaways from this enlightening discussion.

The panel boasted an impressive lineup of speakers, including Siyabulela Mandela , an Independent Consultant specializing in human rights, media development, and conflict resolution, contracted to Journalists for Human Rights (JHR) and the Thomson Reuters Foundation . Joining him were Sune Engel Rasmussen , a The Wall Street Journal correspondent based in London, and Anna Coen , the Founder of DKTech4Ukraine . The discussion was expertly moderated by Ann-Marie Corvin , Deputy Editor at TechInformed .

Despite the wealth of other exciting content at Tech BBQ, this panel might not have been the most popular among conference attendees. However, I feel compelled to share my main takeaways with my LinkedIn community on this International Democracy Day.

As someone closely monitoring the role of democracy technologies in saving lives in Ukraine, I was captivated by Coen's insights. She shared examples of the Air-Raid app, which alerts Ukrainians to shelling and potential chemical or radiation hazards resulting from Russia's illegal invasions. During our Democracy Tech Entrepreneur Fellowship application launch event last year, we had the privilege of hosting Valentine Hrytsenko , the Chief Marketing Officer of Ajax Systems , the creators of Air-Raid. Hrytsenko emphasized how the success of Air-Raid was greatly facilitated by a public-private partnership, developed within just five days after the first Russian missiles struck Ukraine.

Coen also highlighted another app that helps Ukrainians locate the nearest bomb shelters. Dr. Mandela, upon hearing this, underscored the importance of such technologies being available in conflict zones across the African continent, particularly in places like Congo and Sudan, where innocent civilians suffer in silence as collateral damage. In response, Corvin, the moderator, humorously suggested "maybe not Starlink," referring to Elon Musk's satellite internet service. The story goes that just an hour before Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine, a massive malware attack disabled the country's communication routers, crippling the Ukrainian military's command system. Top Ukrainian officials urgently appealed to Musk for assistance, and Mykhailo Fedorov , the Digital Minister, used Twitter to implore Musk to provide Ukraine with terminals to use the satellite system that his company had developed.

In response to Corvin's statement, Dr. Mandela emphasized that if such technology is accessible to both the privileged and the marginalized, and isn't controlled by autocratic governments, then it can be a force for good. Dr. Mandela pointed to the case of Uganda and the 2021 elections, where the Ugandan government ordered internet service providers to suspend all internet gateways in retaliation for Facebook taking down pro-government accounts. Even when the internet was eventually restored after more than a week, social media platforms remained blocked. Dr. Siyabulela reminded the audience that Uganda's president, Museveni, has been in power for almost 40 years. In a previous article, I highlighted Bobi Wine and his fellow activists, who tirelessly work to end Museveni's dictatorship.

From this enlightening conversation, I gleaned two main takeaways. First, the growth of technologies that advance democracy hasn't garnered as much interest as generative AI, unicorns, and entrepreneurial ventures. On this International Day of Democracy, I extend an invitation to entrepreneurs in my network to join hands with the Alliance of Democracies Foundation in advancing technology for freedom and democracy. Through our Democracy Tech Entrepreneur Fellowship and Hackathons, you can mentor and share your experience with entrepreneurs from Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, and Armenia who are developing solutions to democracy's challenges.

Second, similar to many other technologies, the expansion of democracy tech in places like Ukraine has created a digital divide that affects the African continent. Dr. Mandela actively took steps to bridge this gap by inviting fellow panelist Sune Engel Rasmussen to teach journalists in the regions where he works how to effectively report and share their stories. Dr. Mandela highlighted that one of the major challenges for media in conflict zones is the erosion of media freedom. This also holds true for authoritarian regimes like Uganda. Dr. Mandela left us with a powerful message, which you can watch on the Alliance of Democracies Foundation's Instagram page.

Happy International Democracy Day!