The future of the Internet: How Pollicy is championing local languages online 

14 March 2024
Bonnita Nyanmire headshot

The Internet has revolutionized communication, connecting people across borders and cultures. But what if your language isn’t reflected in this digital space? This is the challenge Bonnita Nyamwire, Co-Director of Research at Pollicy, tackled in her groundbreaking research, which was supported by the Internet Society Foundation and conducted in collaboration with Digital Futures Lab.  In…

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Report Reveals Safety Risks to Students in Technology Used by U.S. Educational Institutions: “Children are among the most vulnerable citizens”

31 May 2023
Students using a computer.

Ensuring the safety and privacy of children and families is of utmost importance, particularly in educational settings where technology has become vital. However, the pervasive impact of technology and its unethical use has been difficult to measure and capture. A recent report published by the Internet Safety Labs and funded by the Internet Society Foundation…

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Making the Internet More Inclusive for Non-English Users: An Interview with Pollicy, a Research Program Grantee

12 May 2023
How to write better grant ptoposals

In a world where a few dominant languages often overshadow others, the Internet Society Foundation’s Research Grant Program supports projects that aim to make the Internet more inclusive. One such project is “Are We Together?” led by Pollicy. This initiative focuses on understanding the impact of languages on digital platforms in East Africa and India.…

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An Internet for everyone: empowering persons with disabilities through accessibility

16 December 2022
Man seated on bench with his laptop

Although website accessibility was a core principle in the use and development of the Internet, most websites are far from being accessible to everyone. In response, the project “Enhancing the barrier-free Internet through blind people empowerment”, aims to address this issue.

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Course guides Brazilian community networks on how to get legal recognition

5 July 2021
Aerial photo of Tiradentes, Brazil

Brazil is known for its complex bureaucracy and misunderstandings or attempts to avoid it have left many community networks operating irregularly or even illegally. As a result, many fear getting classified as ‘clandestine telecommunications services’, which can bring fines of $10,000 reais (USD $1,790) or imprisonment of two to four years.

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Three new community networks are helping safeguard communities in rural Brazil

20 May 2021
A team building community networks in rural Brazil

On the fringes of the Amazon in northeastern Brazil, many communities live in fear of attacks by invaders who slash and burn forest to make way for illegal mining, cattle and soy plantations. This is also one of the country’s poorest regions and the low potential profits have left most communities without Internet access.

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Haiti’s ISOC Chapter pushes for community networks with two grants from the Internet Society Foundation

23 October 2020
A white truck in front of a single story house in Haiti

Like many Haitian youth, Obed Sindy first accessed the Internet in a high school computer lab. In Haiti, the Internet is still considered a luxury, with just 32% of the population using it in 2018.

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COVID-19 focus: Three projects helping communities deal with pandemic-fuelled change

11 August 2020
Smiling Somali mother with young child

To help individuals and communities grapple with the impacts of COVID-19, the Internet Society Foundation recently awarded Beyond the Net Small grants and several projects focus on addressing challenges that have emerged in light of the pandemic: work, schooling and access to reliable health information.

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In coronavirus-hit Harlem, community streaming gives residents a virtual lifeline

26 June 2020
Map of Harlem in New York City

When COVID-19 hit New York City, the Streaming Station Community News Project was barely getting started, after receiving an Internet Society Foundation Beyond the Net grant for close to $30,000 in December 2019.

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Tackling Zimbabwe’s urban food insecurity through the Internet of Things

26 March 2020
Woman in a lab coat working on a plant experiment

After decades of steady decline, world hunger is on the rise. An estimated 821 million people in the world suffered from hunger in 2018, and Africa remains the world’s most food-insecure region. Similar to urban slums around the world, Zimbabwe’s densely populated slum of Mbare faces several challenges that affect the community’s access to food.…

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