February 1, 2018
In the last few days, there has been a lot of hand wringing after Strava, a run tracking app, published a global heat map of its users’ exercise paths. As it turns out, in many of the world’s most dangerous locations, the only people using social exercise tracking apps are...
May 11, 2017
After the Data on Purpose / Do Good Data conference at Stanford, the Digital Civil Society Lab kicked off a yearlong series of convenings around the globe to learn from civil society leaders creating social impact in the digital age. Toronto was our first stop, where we partnered with Powered...
February 4, 2016
After days of negotiation, the US and European Union (EU) have reached an agreement, known as the “Privacy Shield,” to better protect and continue to allow the transfer of personal data between the US and EU countries. This new agreement also grants Europeans the ability to seek legal action...
October 12, 2015
A huge shift is happening in the social sector. Dennis Whittle traces it all the way back to the birth of democracy in Greece circa 594 BCE. The people are sovereign! In titling our special theme ‘Beyond accountability: feedback as transformation’ we are signalling that the long march of democracy has arrived at...
July 22, 2015
Imagine if we used digital technology to transform social good in the UK. I don’t just mean the adoption of new tech by charities—although much of this is brilliant. We increasingly see digital innovations bolted on to charity fundraising, communications or (less often) services: the recent attempt by...
May 30, 2014
Lucy Bernholz shares forward-thinking insights into the role regulation and law must play for the development and use of data.
April 17, 2013
We can nearly wear the tread off of a word during cycles of popularity or necessary use. “Impact” fits this category. Regardless of possible misuse or overuse, however, it’s worth the attempt to maintain a real definition and to use the word meaningfully. There is little option of abandoning it...
Greetings from the Global Philanthropy Forum Conference, “The Future We Make.” We’ve been here learning and representing Markets for Good among “established and emerging philanthropists and investors who seek to advance individual opportunity and to improve the quality of life through strategic giving and investing.” Could “strategic giving” be achieved...
February 6, 2013
Our conversation on upgrading the information infrastructure for the social sector takes place at a moment in which both the technological and cultural/organizational changes needed to make it happen are equally urgent. And they’re happening. Elizabeth Boris offers a researcher’s perspective on these movements toward better data practice and talks...
