Digital Democracy in Action Code. Collaborate. Change.

Theme 1: Securing Digital Freedoms in the Age of AI Surveillance

Across South Asia, AI and data systems are reshaping governance and public lifefrom biometric IDs to predictive policing and voter data. But without safeguards, these tools enable surveillance, exclusion, and discrimination. The most affected are marginalized groups: women activists, students, journalists, and minority communities targeted through monitoring and profiling. These practices erode trust, silence civic voices, and weaken democracy.

“This theme will convene civic actors, technologists, and advocates to co-design solutions that safeguard digital freedoms and promote democratic accountability in the age of AI”.

Potential prototypes can include:

• Localized Digital Safety Kits user-friendly guides and videos in regional languages on encryption, device safety, and secure organizing.
• Phishing & Disinformation Alert Bots  WhatsApp/Telegram bots to warn users about infiltration attempts, fake news, or malicious links.
• Privacy Preserving Platforms lightweight encrypted file-sharing and communication tools tailored for low bandwidth or shutdown contexts.
• Surveillance & Data Risk Maps platforms that document, visualize, and expose patterns of AI surveillance and data misuse.

Advocacy & Campaigning

Technology alone cannot address systemic risks; narrative change and collective pressure are essential. The hackathon will therefore support teams in linking their tools to advocacy strategies, such as:

Cross-Border Solidarity Campaigns regional networks that coordinate responses to major surveillance abuses or AI driven rights violations.”.

Demystifying AI & Surveillance Laws simplified explainers (videos, infographics, social media campaigns) that connect legal frameworks to everyday freedoms.

Digital Storytelling & Testimonies podcasts, short films, and archives amplifying the lived experiences of those affected.

Advocacy Playbooks practical toolkits for engaging lawmakers, litigating privacy cases, and mobilizing international pressure.

Theme 2: Strengthening Digital Civic Spaces and Citizen Engagement

Digital platforms are now central to civic expression and mobilization but they also fuel harassment, manipulation, and disinformation. Civil society faces the challenge of using these tools for participation while shielding communities from toxic narratives and exclusion. Women, youth, minorities, and refugees are especially targeted, their voices drowned out in algorithm driven spaces with weak moderation and language gaps. The result shrinking trust, rising misinformation, and disempowered citizens.

“This theme will convene civic actors, technologists, and advocates to co-design solutions that will catalyze innovation for healthier, more participatory digital civic spaces“.

Potential prototypes can include:

• Fact Checking Bots: Chatbots for WhatsApp and TikTok that provide instant fact checks in regional languages.
• Community Misinformation Dashboards: Real-time visualizations of harmful narratives spreading online, enabling CSOs and journalists to respond quickly.
• Gamified Media Literacy Tools: Mobile friendly apps and quizzes that engage youth in spotting fake news and building resilience.
• CSO Engagement Toolkits: Low cost opensource kits to help smaller CSOs organize campaigns, run consultations, and track disinformation threats.

Advocacy & Campaigning Angle

Solutions will be paired with campaigns that shift norms and amplify citizen engagement:

• Youth Led Digital Movements: Harnessing influencers and peer networks to promote responsible online sharing.
• Regional Solidarity Campaigns: Cross border initiatives that highlight disinformation’s harms and emphasize fact checking as a civic duty.
• Platform Accountability Campaigns: Pressure campaigns demanding greater transparency and inclusive content moderation.
• Storytelling for Empathy: Multimedia campaigns showcasing the lived impact of disinformation on minorities, refugees, and women, humanizing abstract threats.

Theme 3: Safety, Rights and Democractic Freedoms

Governments across the South Asian region are increasingly deploying internet shutdowns, restrictive assembly laws, and surveillance measures to stifle dissent. India alone accounts for over half of the world’s shutdowns, while Bangladesh, Pakistan, and the Maldives frequently deny permits for public gatherings. Combined with biometric tracking and digital surveillance, these measures create a hostile environment for civic activism. The most affected are workers relying on digital wages, marginalized activists, and grassroots organizers silenced both online and offline.

“This theme will convene civic actors, technologists, and advocates to co-design solutions that will find innovative solutions and campaigns for countering shrinking civic spaces“.

Potential prototypes can include:

• Offline-first communication tools
  Mesh network and peer-to-peer apps that enable communities to stay connected during shutdowns or blockages.
• Digital rights watchdogs
  Platforms using AI and open data to monitor, document, and expose violations of privacy, speech, and assembly.
• Civic security apps
  Lightweight, accessible tools offering secure communication, threat alerts, and digital hygiene training for activists.
• Civic evidence vaults
  Tamper-proof, decentralized repositories (e.g., using IPFS/blockchain) for securely storing protest footage, testimonies, and human rights violations during shutdowns and protest movements.
• AI-driven risk prediction dashboards
  Early-warning systems using open-source intelligence (OSINT) and social data to flag potential shutdowns, curfews, or protest crackdowns in advance.

Advocacy & Campaigning Angle

• Regional moratorium campaigns
  Joint advocacy to end politically motivated shutdowns and restrictions.
• Creative protest storytelling Using art, theatre, and digital media to spotlight lived experiences of repression.