Mobile Applications for Human Rights

I am excited to learn about a technology and human rights conference entitled The Soul of the New Machine: Human Rights, Technology and New Media. In a partnership between University of California Berkeley Human Rights Center and TechSoup's Netsquared project, the conference is hosting a "Mobile Challenge" encouraging nonprofits and advocacy groups to "combine data, imagery, mapping and social networking to advance human rights." Contestants will be judged with the help of the Netsquared community and online system.

Project ideas I like so far include some interesting integrations of mapping and text messaging, including this tool to anonymously report sexual harassment. Presenters and facilitators at the conference include Patrick Ball, who has worked for years in data and security issues around human rights, Suzanne Seggerman from Games for Change (see related posts here and here) and Yvette Alberdingk Thijm from Witness, one of my favorite human rights organizations, where I got my start in technology for advocacy. The conferences is happening May 4-5 in Berkeley, CA.