Survival in the digital age

Survival in the Digital Age, better known to some as "ONO", the name of the robot who stars in it, is a series of animated films created to raise awareness about the digital traces we leave behind. Its main aim is to engage people in better understanding the information and communications technologies they are using, so that they can decide when and if they want to take risks.

Survival in the Digital Age also raises broader questions about privacy, freedom of expression and access to information, three critical issues directly linked to fundamental freedoms. As an organisation working at the meeting point of advocacy and technology, Tactical Tech finds these issues essential to anyone using technologies to facilitate and strengthen their advocacy work.

The risks for advocates and independent journalists working on sensitive issues are not as simple to navigate as they once were. In the past, when using a telephone, individuals knew the risks they were taking and worked around them accordingly. But now with communications technologies - such as mobile phones, email or social networking websites - so much is hidden and unclear about how they work, who can see and access the data, and who owns it, that advocates are no longer able to calculate their own risks. This often leads them to have a false sense of security and unknowingly taking risks, or be too afraid to use these potentially powerful tools at all. Numerous independent journalists, advocates and their networks working on human rights issues, anti-corruption and environmental abuses, have been compromised as a result of this, in some cases leading to serious consequences.

There is a high level of misinformation about these risks which creates confusion, and people either assume the risks don't apply to them, or mistakenly believe the solutions require advanced technical expertise. Survival in the Digital Age serves as a practical, visual and fun resource for learning about a subject that can make people feel paranoid or just technically overwhelmed.

Episode One: The Traces We Leave Behind

View more episodes, download films and find out about hosting ONO parties on ONO's website

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