doteveryone

Doteveryone announces today that we are ending our work after five years of fighting for better tech, for everyone. Since its inception, Doteveryone’s role has been to provoke change in how tech is made and used and to drive others to deliver that. Having set the responsible technology debate in motion we have decided the time has come to stop.

The conversation around the impacts of tech on society has become mainstream and there is now a vibrant landscape of organisations that are questioning and shaping the impact of technology on every part of life. We are delighted that two well regarded organisations will be taking forward the work we have begun.

The Ada Lovelace Institute will ensure that Doteveryone’s portfolio of research remains in the public realm, while the Open Data Institute will take on our TechTransformed resources for innovating responsibly.

Martha Lane Fox, founder and executive chair of Doteveryone said:

In tech, starting up is given a lot of hype. But we believe stopping can be important too. We’re incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved at Doteveryone. Now it’s time to pass the baton to organisations that can cement the change that we’ve started.

A celebration of Doteveryone’s work is published today.

Catherine Miller, Interim CEO of Doteveryone said:

Doteveryone has helped transform the way practitioners and policymakers consider the impacts of technology on people, communities and the planet. But as our People, Power and Technology research published this month showed, there’s still a lot of work to do. I’m confident the Ada Lovelace Institute and the Open Data Institute will be brilliant champions to make responsible technology a reality.

In her 2015 Dimbleby Lecture Martha Lane Fox imagined an organisation called Doteveryone that would put the public at the heart of the conversation around technology and help navigate the new challenges that technological change poses for society.

From that vision Doteveryone has grown to be the go-to voice for responsible technology, demonstrating the need to change how tech is made and used so that it works in the best interests of people, communities and the planet.  We’ve published groundbreaking research into the public’s attitudes and understanding, shown policymakers how to regulate for responsible technology, demonstrated the impact tech has in social care and the gig economy and created practical tools that are helping people innovate responsibly across the world.

The Ada Lovelace Institute is a research institute and deliberative body dedicated to ensuring that data and AI work for people and society.

Ada Lovelace Institute Director Carly Kind said:

Doteveryone broke the ground for vital conversations about the relationship between emerging technologies and society. Their founding by Martha Lane Fox was prescient – before the Cambridge Analytica scandal brought these questions to policymakers and the public’s attention. They’ve continued to make much-needed interventions into policy under the leadership of Rachel Coldicutt and Catherine Miller, making the case for responsible technology. We’re sad to see them go and proud to take up the baton by continuing in our mission to ensure emerging technologies work for people and society.

The Open Data Institute works with people, companies, and governments to build an open, trustworthy data ecosystem, where people can make better decisions using data and manage its harmful impacts. They are an independent, non-profit, non-partisan company, co-founded in 2012 by the inventor of the web Sir Tim Berners-Lee and Artificial Intelligence expert Sir Nigel Shadbolt.

ODI Vice President Jeni Tennison said: 

The achievements of Doteveryone should not be understated. In the past five years they have encouraged people to believe that they can, and should, have agency over digital technology, in much the same way that we have sought to do with data. We are proud to continue this important work and look forward to seeing how TechTransformed can evolve as part of the ODI.

Doteveryone would like to thank all the teams past and present who have contributed to our work and shaping a unique organisation that’s created a lasting impact.

Thanks also to our funders and to the many people who have supported Doteveryone with their time and ideas.

And thanks to those who have challenged us, and made us better.

Our report, Five years fighting for better tech for everyone, provides an overview of everything Doteveryone has achieved and includes a timeline of the last five years with links to all our projects.