DemNerdsTech tips in troubled times
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DemNerds

We love technology. We care about democracy. We’ve been reading the news. We have a few concerns.

Supporting Americans advocating for human rights with little time, money, or margin for error.

Cybersecurity

Simple, proven steps you can take today to reduce real-world digital risks, focused on what actually helps activists and organizers.

Tech Checkup

Personalized digital advocacy and cybersecurity recommendations for democracy organizations who participate in a hands-on digital assessment.

Tech & Democracy

Clear-eyed thinking about how modern technology has damaged the foundations of democracy, and realistic, creative approaches to rebuild them.

If you only have time for five things to protect yourself…

  1. Use a password manager and unique passwords everywhere. Reused passwords are one of the most common ways accounts get taken over.
  2. Enable two-factor authentication on your important accounts. Especially email, social media, cloud storage, and anything tied to your identity.
  3. Turn on automatic updates for your phone and computer. Most successful attacks exploit known problems that already have fixes
  4. Lock down your phone. Use a longer PIN, set it to auto-lock quickly, enable remote lock/wipe, and back it up.
  5. Have at least one working backup. Devices fail, accounts get locked, and mistakes happen. Backups turn disasters into inconveniences.

Who we are and what this is

We’re a small group of experienced technologists who’ve worked alongside civil society and advocacy groups for years. We built this because too many U.S. organizations working on democracy and human rights are facing unprecedented digital threats—and being left to handle them alone.

This site is a starting point: practical guidance, concrete ways to reduce risk, and frank thinking about society’s tech-driven tectonic shifts.

The tools and resources on this site are geared up toward prevention, not incident response. While some of our work is hands-on support (like the Tech Checkup), the site is not an incident-response hotline or an emergency service. If you’re facing an active security incident or immediate risk, seek direct support right away. You may be able to speak to the experts at the Access Now Digital Security Helpine

Contact

Replies may take a little time, but we try to get back to you within a day or two.