Human Rights Organizations Launch Technology Freedom Cooperative to Protect Critical Data and Build Independent AI Infrastructure
New cooperative will provide technical infrastructure for organizations documenting state violence and human rights abuses
SAN FRANCISCO — August 4, 2026 — A coalition of human rights, justice, and data organizations today launched the Technology Freedom Cooperative, a new project designed to help non-profit organizations protect critical evidence, reduce dependence on big tech platforms, and build independent capacity to work with large language models.
The Technology Freedom Cooperative brings together the Human Rights Data Analysis Group (HRDAG), Invisible Institute, Innocence & Justice Louisiana, Data Cívica, and Kilómetro Cero. With support from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the cooperative will provide distributed data backup systems and local AI infrastructure for organizations working to document human rights violations, state violence, wrongful convictions, and other abuses of power.
Human rights organizations hold irreplaceable data that contain evidence of state violence. However, this vital data is often stored on systems controlled by large technology companies that are vulnerable to state pressure. This can create the very real threat of data loss, account lockouts, or political pressure. This threat was recently highlighted when Microsoft reportedly revoked the account of International Criminal Court (ICC) Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan after he was placed under economic sanctions by the United States for investigating potential war crimes in Gaza.
“Civil society cannot depend on big tech companies to stand up to state pressure in defense of this vital data,” said Dr Patrick Ball, Director of Research at HRDAG. “The Technology Freedom Cooperative is about making sure human rights organizations can keep control of our data and our tools, so we can seek accountability in future prosecutions and beyond.”
The cooperative serves several purposes. First, it is designed to prevent data loss. By creating redundant, distributed backups across jurisdictions, the Technology Freedom Cooperative will help partner organizations preserve access to critical data even when an office, account, server, or vendor becomes unavailable.
The second purpose is building local AI infrastructure for human rights work. Rather than relying on commercial tools or proprietary “black box” systems, the cooperative will allow partners to run and evaluate AI models in controlled environments using cooperative-owned hardware and datasets. This will help organizations test whether models are accurate, reproducible, secure, and appropriate for specific human rights use cases.
The third function is developing technical expertise within civil society. The cooperative will train and support partner organizations in systems administration, security, and AI evaluation—skills that are increasingly necessary for human rights organizations documenting abuses of power.
“At a time when technological power is increasingly consolidated, our answer is shared power,” said Monica Meltis, Executive Director at Data Cívica. “The Technology Freedom Cooperative is a way for organizations to build durable, trusted infrastructure together, instead of being forced to rely on systems we do not control.”
The Technology Freedom Cooperative has federated computing infrastructure across multiple jurisdictions, including Canada, the United States, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Europe. The system is designed to ensure that no single jurisdiction can assert control over the data in the network.
The launch comes amid growing concern that major technology platforms can cut off access to essential services because of political pressure, sanctions, policy changes, or business decisions. For human rights organizations, losing access to email, cloud storage, authentication systems, or analytical tools can mean losing access to key evidence that may be used in later criminal prosecutions or war crimes tribunals.
“It is a fact that Big Tech is part of the state repression machinery that affects the lives and rights of the most marginalized communities everywhere, every day. We cannot allow corporate interests to jeopardize datasets that are vital for state violence accountability and justice,” said Mari Mari Narváez, Executive Director of Kilómetro Cero.
The cooperative will initially serve its founding partner organizations while documenting lessons that may help other civil society groups build their own trusted infrastructure networks.
About the Technology Freedom Cooperative
The Technology Freedom Cooperative is a shared infrastructure project created by human rights, justice, and data organizations to protect critical evidence, reduce dependence on big tech platforms, and build independent technical capacity inside civil society. Its founding participants are the Human Rights Data Analysis Group, Invisible Institute, Innocence & Justice Louisiana, Data Cívica, and Kilómetro Cero. This project is supported by funding from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.
About HRDAG
The Human Rights Data Analysis Group is a nonprofit that uses scientific data analysis to shed light on human rights violations. It is a project of Community Partners. HRDAG works with partners around the world to collect, protect, process, and analyze evidence of state violence and other abuses.
About Kilómetro 0
Kilómetro 0 has confronted the logics of rising authoritarianism, racial discrimination, the eroding of civil liberties, and generalized impunity in state violence since its foundation in 2018. It is a non-profit organization that aspires to a Puerto Rico that protects human life, freedom, and dignity in the pursuit of public safety, for a more democratic and just society.
About Invisible Institute
The Invisible Institute is a 3x Pulitzer Prize-winning journalism non-profit organization on the South Side of Chicago focused on police accountability. Among the tactics it employs are investigative reporting, multimedia storytelling, human rights documentation, the curation of public information, and the orchestration of difficult public conversations.
About Data Cívica
Data Cívica is a Mexico-based nonprofit organization with more than 10 years of experience generating actionable evidence through the processing and analysis of complex data, the use of technology, and the development of clear, accessible narratives grounded in feminist and human rights approaches. It works alongside journalists, civil society organizations and victims of structural violence to reduce gaps in the use of data and technology while strengthening transparency and accountability to support human rights advocacy and advance social justice.
About Innocence & Justice Louisiana
Innocence & Justice Louisiana works to secure freedom for the wrongfully convicted and those serving unjust sentences in Louisiana. Through its launch of the Louisiana Law Enforcement Accountability Database (LLEAD.co), IJLA has not only created an important data tool to augment their own work, but has also provided an open source model for communities and organizations who need data and analysis to bring transparency and accountability to law enforcement, wherever they are. Recognizing that wrongful incarceration is rooted in racism and inequity, IJLA works to undo wrongful convictions and sentences, countering these systemic forces by using the lessons learned to advocate for meaningful change and support clients after their release.
Press Contacts
Patrick Ball
Director of Research
Human Rights Data Analysis Group
pball@hrdag.org
Mari Mari Narváez
Executive Director
Kilómetro Cero
mari@kilometro0.org
Maira Khwaja
Director of Public Strategy
Invisible Institute
maira@invisibleinstitute.com
Mónica Meltis
Executive Director
Data Cívica
monica.meltis@datacivica.org
Jee Park
Executive Director
Innocence & Justice Louisiana
jeep@justicelouisiana.org