# tactical tech
[toolkit](https://cdn.ttc.io/s/datadetoxkit.org/youth/Data-Detox-x-Youth_EN.pdf)
## application

We are a sibling-collective "Janastu Labs" operating within Janastu. Janastu Labs includes Upasana, Yatharth, Shafali and Micah who are all under 26 years of age. We work with different digital technologies with and for communities.
Janastu((
https://open.janastu.org
) works on building free and open source technologies for the global south, and builds tools for a truly inclusive web that can address the needs of low-literacy communities that remain unaccounted for in a text-based internet. Tools for a truly inclusive Web need to consider that a large population of the world have low reading literacy, particularly indigenous communities and those experiencing systemic inequity and prejudice. Allipi(
https://open.janastu.org/our-work/projects/alipi
) was one of the projects that we undertook to restructure the way renarration is performed on the website. We consider renarration as an important subversion of the Eurocentric English text-based imaginations of the internet. Another project in Mirzapur(
https://open.janastu.org/our-work/projects/garmi-girls-project
) that we are excited about is a program for digital literacy with young women who are 18-25 years old. Namdu1Radio(
https://www.namdu1radio.com
) is another initiative under which we have set up a community radio run by schoolgirls from Durgadalli hills in Tumkur. This is a documentation of the project -
https://youtu.be/-GMFE-8ML3c
We were looking at Data Detox x Youth toolkit which is very interesting in the ways that it deals with the purposely obscured usage permissions of smartphone apps. Here in India, we have been observing a similar trend in misinformation and network pollution. Considering there is an explosive rise in the use of the Internet and communication networks, there is a large part of the population who are the next-billion users. So in the context of India, what is needed isn't a detoxification but rather a concerted effort to build support channels for secure adoption of technology. What we are imagining is a renarration of the toolkit to address such scenarios where the unfamiliarity with invasive digital practices and concerns about ownership and agency come to the fore. Janastu has worked with communities over a long period with methods that are participatory. Our work has always been community-oriented and contextually located. We plan to co-create this re-adaptation with our stakeholders from the low literate communities through workshops and community consultations.

## response

We are absolutely flattered to see the responses we got for the open call. The quality of all the proposals and pitches were beyond our expectations. As curators it's always difficult to make decisions about which proposals to take forward for a meaningful narrative for the exhibition. Unfortunately, currently we can only fund 7 projects in the short time frame, but hopefully overtime we would be able to grow our network.

Since there were so many responses to the open call, this is a semi-generic reply but we have looked at all applications in detail and have come to the decision of not being able to take your proposal forward for the time being. We will be adding everyone to our records for the upcoming network of practitioners across tropics and hopefully reach out if future opportunities arrive.

As people who have been on the other side of these emails several times, we want you to know that the team really appreciates the ideas and work you bring to the table and hope that you continue doing it

## meeting prep

* garima girls -- how they conceptualise internet
* toolkit contextualised for india
* data meaning in gg context vs how we understand data
* terminologies abstract, need to develop from ground up and then translation
* girish wala problems but different approach
* documenting their understanding of privacy and building on it
* "subversion needs a safety net" (micah, 2021)
* d e c o l o n i s e

we at julab have been working with communities in rural india especially with girls in low literate communities, and have been tackling some of the issues regarding privacy, consent and alternate ways of using internet through workshops to enable them to take charge of their community narratives beyond text based internet.

data detox kit is also made for people 11-16
in india usually 16-22 should be the ideal age?? we can discuss about this more
(in rural indian context phones are not given at an early age, //especially women)(Often phones are not indiviual but group)

how can the kit be more approachable, accessible, and applicable in indian context?

**Digital Privacy, which focuses on reducing data traces and understanding online profiling;**
In indian context data means something else so this could be focused on marginalised society and how they need to come with their narratives and at the same be focused on people trying to take advantage of them through chatting or grooming or phishing. Also be focused on what sharing means. *can connect to syncthing need to think about it*

In context of what girish said, internet agency subverting traditional expectations....micah's quote

**Digital Security, with tips on creating strong and secure passwords;**
we need to talk about community owned stuff because people share devices...so in such cases what would privacy or security mean? and passwords and all are important but we also need to strengthen the larger self narratives

**Digital Wellbeing, which deals with the addictive nature of smartphones;**
we can make them aware of the happening or addiction...like the activity given autoplay and stuff but the true aid can be to think about they can wield the internet for their good. Think the 21st century skills like problem solving or collaboration ...from consumption to contribution to internet..media making, agency-narratives, taking charge of technological narratives, understanding tech etc..

**and finally Misinformation, a guide for consuming and sharing information online.**
In india internet can be just whatsapp facebook or youtube. it is limited to that and not keywords search...informed opinions matter. Community rumors, lynching, misinformation is not always to reverse search as its a higly contextual misinformation... caste, gender, religious differences.

interesting thing is sharing with care part