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The Influence Industry Project

Learn about, explore research, and discover resources on the industry using our personal data to influence citizens in political campaigns.

Why?

The rise of data-driven technologies has expanded the use of personal data for influence, including political influence. Companies and political groups can now optimize their messages and track email engagement. They can target individuals with personalized content based on collected data, such as demographics and previous interactions. Additionally, they can analyze social media to influence people's and voter's opinion.
Digital influence is conducted through an industry of consultants, technology companies, and platforms. The role of the industry in society and politics is extensive, shrouded in mystery, and can have serious consequences for our political experience and, consequently, social and economic life.
Video Your Data, Our Democracy

What?

The Influence Industry Project supports civil society to respond to the influence industry through different areas of work. Firstly, we share research and case studies detailing how political influence takes place worldwide. In 2022, the project launched the Influence Industry Explorer, an open-source tool that provides detailed information on more than 500 companies that play a role in election campaigning. Through the learning hub and training, the project provides a guided tour of research, frameworks and skills to build the capacity of professionals monitoring, regulating or otherwise working on political influence.
The project also supports citizen engagement by developing resources on digital and political literacy, such as Inform: A voter literacy resource center for navigating digital election campaigns. Inform includes guides, workshop outlines, and activities to empower voters, educators, facilitators, and organizations involved in voter education. It explores how digital and data-driven technologies play a key role in political campaigns and elections.

Masterclasses

The project also organises Influence Industry Masterclasses and workshops, knowledge-building and skill-sharing spaces that provide skills, tools, resources, and methodologies for professionals to investigate, cover, and monitor the influence industry. Since 2021, Tactical Tech has hosted several masterclasses, summer schools, camps and events through which we have trained over 200 high-profile experts, journalists, researchers, academics and election monitors.
  • Amber Macintyre from The Influence Industry Project at the DataFestTbilisi organised by Forset, 2023.
    Amber Macintyre from The Influence Industry Project at the DataFestTbilisi organised by Forset, 2023. Image by ForSet
  •  Cassiane Cladis from The Influence Industry Project hosting a workshop at Re:publica, Berlin, 2024.
    Cassiane Cladis from The Influence Industry Project hosting a workshop at Re:publica, Berlin, 2024.
  • User exploring The Influence Industry Project resources online
    User exploring The Influence Industry Project resources online. Image by Wael Eskandar
  • The Personal Data, Political Participation guide
    The Personal Data, Political Participation guide. Image by Wael Eskandar

Assets, resources and materials you can discover, use and adapt:

Tactical Tech Skills are interesting for:

  • Journalists, Researchers, investigators and evidence seekers
  • Civil society organisations and rights groups
  • Experts & decision-makers
  • Other organisations or individuals interested in building and expand their skills

Tactical Tech's mastercourse and resources taught me how large, organized, and wealthy the international influence industry is. I also learned the various databases and tools available to journalists that could be useful for an investigation.Participant of one of the Masterclasses
It's great to learn about research into the influence industry from the experience of the facilitators but also key concepts used in discussing the influence industry, which actually requires a lot of time to unpack. This helps us understand the complexity of the industry and, thus, the policy problems faced by policymakers working to regulate the industry. Participant of one of the Masterclasses
I have learned a lot about the role of data in the influence industry and, more importantly, how to start an investigation properly. It is remarkable that the rich examples from the guest speakers and the security keynote are also very usefulParticipant of one of the Masterclasses

Impact Stories

  • PIcture of the INfluence Industry website

    Tetyana Bohdanova: MediaNet Works: Advancing knowledge of the influence industry

    "I want citizens to be aware of technology's role to be able to ask questions about how the different political forces treat their data and what they will do with it", says Tetyana Bohdanova, a researcher from Ukraine, focused on election monitoring, digital security and voter engagement.

    Tetyana Bohdanova is one of the researchers and journalists who gained knowledge and skills to research how data was used in the Ukrainian context. She used this experience to create new materials for other researchers and authored the module "Research Methods for Investigating the Influence...

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  • Logo courtesy of Media Net

    MediaNet Works: Pioneering research and knowledge in the field of data and politics in Kenya

    MediaNet Works, an organisation based in Kenya, empowers communities, especially young generations, to reap the benefits of the Internet and the general ICTs available. "Information is power, and when people have it, they can take control of their lives.", says Clement Njoroge, Founder and Director of MediaNet Works.

    MediaNet Works, and 13 other organisations, partnered with Tactical Tech to adapt and localise the Voter's guide. This collaborative effort paved the way for developing training programs for Information and Communications Technology (ICT) practitioners who gained...

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