The Coalition for Independent Technology Research

If this resonates, we invite you to join the Coalition and be part of these ongoing conversations (3/3)

Here’s a small glimpse of what’s taking shape in the CITR Tools and Resources Hub 👇
➡️ Research tools and toolkits that support rigorous, independent inquiry
➡️ Resources for navigating harassment and threats
➡️ Guidance on litigation support and evidence gathering (2/3)

Independent tech research depends on shared infrastructure - tools & strategies that can be sustained beyond institutions & funding cycles. Collective knowledge makes this possible. Recently, we hosted an edit-a-thon as a collective exercise in building & reflecting on a tools & resources hub.(1/3)

This grant strengthens our work to support independent researchers; protect independent research from restrictive data access, and legal & safety risks researchers face; and continue to support a global, cross-sector community for collaboration, mutual support, and long-term capacity. (2/2)

Siegel Family Endowment Invests $15.4 Million in Grants Aimed to Redefine How People Learn, Work, and Innovate for a More Inclusive Tech Future /PRNewswire/ -- Siegel Family Endowment, a foundation focused on shaping the impact of technology on society, today announced $15.6 million in grants to...

We’re happy to share that the Coalition for Independent Technology Research has been awarded a grant from Siegel Family Endowment – part of a $15.4 million investment to reimagine how people learn, work, and innovate for a more inclusive tech future. (1/2)

De Gruyter Handbook of Political Control This book establishes a new, and much-needed, interdisciplinary field of Political Control . The Earl and Braithwaite layered model of repression integrates previously siloed areas into a larger study...

What is digital authoritarianism?

A new book chapter by Coalition member Allison Wun-hui Koh, Anita Gohdes, and Maurice Schumann maps how governments use digital tools to manufacture support, suppress opposition, and preempt future dissent.

A sharp look at evolving tech-enabled repression. ⬇️

Read and share the full report. (3/3)

independenttechresearch.org/citr-report-...

➡️ Academic researchers want to share resources with civil society organizations.
➡️ Senior scholars want to mentor emerging researchers.
➡️ Researchers in well-funded institutions want to support colleagues in resource-constrained environments. (2/3)

Despite mounting challenges, the State of Independent Technology Research report reveals powerful evidence that researchers recognize the value of mutual support and collective action. (1/3)

independenttechresearch.org/citr-report-...

Independent Tech Research Is Struggling. That Should Worry All of Us. Over half of researchers face barriers accessing the data essential for studying how technology affects society My research focuses on how people learn information from the world around them. Like it ...

New from me - Independent tech research is essential and under threat, highlighting the great recent report from @thecoalition.bsky.social independenttechresearch.org/citr-report-...

techbullion.com/independent-...

Event: Standards of Evidence in Technology Litigation How can scientists inform courts about these questions? What standards of evidence might courts end up using in some of these cases? If you're interested in these questions, please join me and Meetali...

Amid growing public demand for tech accountability on harms & rights, the public has turned to scientists — especially on issues of causality.

So how can we reliably inform courts? Join @meetalijain.bsky.social & me online Oct 29 at @thecoalition.bsky.social

citizensandtech.org/2025/10/even...

These stories don’t just evidence the crisis – they are calls for solidarity, mutual support, and structural change.

Read the full report. (2/2)

Across sectors, public interest technology researchers are facing growing risks – surveillance, censorship, legal uncertainty, and inequitable funding. The conditions are often unequal across regions. (1/2)

These divisions are manufactured. What unites researchers is more powerful than what divides them: the right to conduct research that serves the public interest.

Read the full report: independenttechresearch.org/citr-report-... (2/2)

Tech companies and other powerful actors create and exploit artificial divisions within the research community: STEM versus non-STEM researchers, academics versus journalists, university-affiliated versus independent, senior scholars versus emerging voices. (1/2)

Our new report highlights ongoing funding barriers: short-term cycles, restrictive grants & limited institutional support.

This conversation will unpack these challenges & explore practical, regionally-grounded ways to support independent researchers. (2/2)

Join us at the launch of the RAIDAR Research Hub with a conversation on Challenges to Funding Independent Internet Research.

Thursday, Oct 9, 7 PM Bangkok / 12 PM UTC
Register: asiafoundation.zoom.us/meeting/regi... (1/2)

Coalition members are:

➡️ Filing amicus briefs
➡️ Building legal support systems
➡️ Creating peer-to-peer support networks
➡️ Facilitating information sharing

Read the full report documenting not just the crisis but the collective response. (2/2)

Our new report maps the escalating threats facing public-interest tech researchers worldwide. Yet, despite systematic attacks, Coalition members are building systems of protection and care that reflect the power of collective solidarity. (1/2)

independenttechresearch.org/citr-report-...

A systematic shutdown of access to platform data has created what researchers call a “data desert.” Twitter’s free API powered 17K+ studies. CrowdTangle offered rare insight into content virality on FB. But today, that infrastructure has disappeared. Read: independenttechresearch.org/citr-report-...

The State of Independent Technology Research report maps the funding landscape for public-interest tech research – drawing on experiences from Coalition members across six continents.

Read the full report! independenttechresearch.org/citr-report-...

Ex-Meta workers tell Congress tech giant stifled research on youth harm Two former Meta employees told a Senate subcommittee Tuesday the social media giant suppressed critical research on risks young users face in VR.

Recent headlines, like reports on Meta and its stance on research related to youth harm, remind us why independent technology research is essential. Without it, risks are downplayed, critical inquiry is suppressed, and the public remains in the dark.

Read ⬇️

Despite funding pressures, researchers are developing innovative mutual aid networks & alternative funding strategies. Coalition members with funding capacity share infrastructure & tooling with other members unable to afford access, demonstrating the power of collective action.

Read ⬇️ (2/2)

85% of independent technology researchers surveyed identify funding as their most significant challenge. (1/2)

Independent researchers, globally, are closing this gap - despite barriers and corporate secrecy. Our new report spotlights their work and why it matters. Read: independenttechresearch.org/citr-report-... (2/2)

>35 years after the Web and >20 years of social media, we still lack clarity on tech’s impact. How systems are designed, what data trains them and whether they deepen inequality remain unanswered. (1/2)

State of Independent Technology Research 2025: Power in Numbers centers voices from 6 continents — researchers navigating surveillance, censorship, resource injustice and more, through collective & coordinated action.

Read the full report: independenttechresearch.org/citr-report-2025/ (2/2)

The threats facing researchers vary significantly by geographic context, but no region appears immune from the broader pattern of increasing hostility toward critical technology research.

Repost this with what’s happening in your context. (1/2)

The State of Independent Technology Research 2025 A report on the struggle to keep public-interest technology research alive—and the growing Coalition working to protect it.

📚 Independent research is essential, without it, we risk losing transparency and the ability to hold those in power accountable.

@thecoalition.bsky.social's new report explores why public-driven research is vital for accountability and why it’s under threat today.

What else do you think we need for independent technology research to flourish?

Read the full report ➡️ independenttechresearch.org/citr-report-... (2/2)