Identifying Tensions Between Investment and Digital Rights

In collaboration with Caribou Digital, and in partnership with USAID’s Innovation, Technology and Research (ITR) hub, Expectation State was commissioned to identify tensions between investment and market growth in the digital technology sector and their impact on individual rights. 

In phase one, the project mapped the global digital technology ecosystem, encompassing investors, rights groups, companies, and donors. These efforts identified key technologies and tensions in three primary categories: artificial intelligence and privacy, data ownership and collection, and digital identity. 

In phase two, the  project brought stakeholders together to form a group actively supporting efforts to influence investor decisions. The focus was on defining the group’s vision, activities, structure, and identifying Coalition anchor(s). This phase was designed to establish shared awareness of activity in the sector, shared goals, and aspirations and to mobilise stakeholder commitments for Coalition sustainability.

The project resulted in a comprehensive understanding of tensions in the digital technology sector. It helped identify key technologies and tensions, primarily related to artificial intelligence, privacy, data ownership and collection, and digital identity. Stakeholder mapping, workshops, and events played a significant role in building a compelling narrative and informing recommendations for addressing these tensions.