This is a list of things that I think might be interesting, useful, or inspiring to progressive and/or left-leaning folks. Right now it is organizations and people that are doing Good Work as I define it, but that may change to include other things as well. Some of them I know well and actively support, some of them I’ve just met and I’m still feeling out. It’s heavily skewed towards the tech space, but that’s just an accident of what I’m thinking most about right now.

Please tell me if anything/anyone here has truly scary skeletons in their closets worth mentioning, but know that I’m really not interested in purity tests. If they are on balance doing net good, I’m not going to remove them. I would also appreciate contributions. If there’s something you care about that you would like to see included, please also contact me. Either way, means to reach me can be found on my About page.

Labor Rights & Union Organizing

• Tech Workers Coalition - A grassroots organization building worker power in the technology industry. They organize meetups, support workplace actions, and provide resources for tech workers interested in labor organizing. Recent work includes supporting unionization efforts at major tech companies and fighting against unethical uses of technology.
• CODE-CWA - The Campaign to Organize Digital Employees, a project of the Communications Workers of America, helps tech workers form unions. They’ve supported successful unionization efforts at companies like Kickstarter and Alphabet, and provide resources for workplace organizing.
• Coworker.org - A digital platform that enables workers to launch campaigns, build organizational power, and share resources. They’ve helped workers at major tech companies organize for better working conditions and ethical practices. Their platform has supported campaigns reaching millions of workers globally.
• Game Workers Coalition - A worker-led organization building collective power in the games industry. They organize across studios, advocate for sustainable working conditions, and support unionization efforts. Their work includes fighting exploitative practices like crunch, supporting marginalized workers, and providing mutual aid and organizing resources to game workers. Recent campaigns have focused on industry-wide standards for remote work, contractor rights, and addressing workplace harassment.
• Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU) - Through their Tech Workers Alliance division, OPEIU represents thousands of tech workers. They’ve organized successful unions at tech companies and provide resources for collective bargaining and workplace rights.
• United Tech and Allied Workers - A UK-based union organizing tech workers across the industry. They support workers organizing for better conditions and ethics in tech, with recent campaigns focusing on algorithmic management and remote work rights.
• Labor Notes - A media and organizing project that has been the voice of union activists since 1979. They provide extensive coverage of tech worker organizing, training for organizers, and connections between workplace activists.

Digital Rights & Privacy

• Electronic Frontier Foundation - The leading nonprofit defending civil liberties in the digital world. Their work spans privacy, free expression, and innovation, including litigation, policy analysis, grassroots activism, and technology development. Recent projects include fighting surveillance technology, protecting encryption, and supporting privacy-protecting legislation.
• Fight for the Future - A digital rights advocacy group known for organizing effective online campaigns. They’ve led successful fights for net neutrality, against facial recognition, and for online privacy. Recent work includes campaigns against biometric surveillance and for antitrust enforcement in tech.
• Privacy International - A UK-based organization fighting for the right to privacy globally. They investigate companies and governments, litigate to protect rights, and advocate for strong privacy protections. Recent work focuses on challenging surveillance technologies and protecting data rights.
• Access Now - An international organization defending digital rights and open internet access worldwide. They run the global RightsCon summit, provide digital security assistance, and fight internet shutdowns. Their Digital Security Helpline supports activists and organizations globally.
• Mozilla Foundation - Beyond Firefox, they work to ensure the internet remains a public resource that is open and accessible to all. Their work includes research, fellowships, and advocacy for trustworthy AI and internet health.
• Public Knowledge - Promotes freedom of expression, open internet, and access to affordable communications tools. They work on policy issues including net neutrality, spectrum allocation, and copyright reform, with recent focus on platform accountability.

Tech Ethics & Humane Technology

• Center for Humane Technology - Founded by former tech insiders, they expose how technology platforms exploit human psychology. Their work includes the widely influential documentary “The Social Dilemma” and developing frameworks for humane technology. Recent initiatives focus on attention economics and digital well-being.
• AI Now Institute - An interdisciplinary research center studying the social implications of artificial intelligence. Their work examines AI’s impact on labor, bias, rights, and social institutions. Recent research focuses on facial recognition, automated decision systems, and AI labor practices.
• Algorithm Justice League - Founded by Joy Buolamwini, they combine art and research to illuminate the social implications of AI. Their work has exposed racial and gender bias in facial recognition systems and influenced major companies and legislation.
• Data & Society - A research institute examining the social implications of data-centric technologies and automation. Their work spans labor, media manipulation, privacy, and AI ethics. Recent projects include studying gig work platforms and algorithmic management.
• Algorithmic Transparency Institute - Promotes understanding and accountability of algorithmic systems. They develop tools and research methods to audit algorithms and advocate for transparency in automated decision-making.

Civil Liberties & Justice

• ACLU - The nation’s premier civil rights organization, with a growing focus on digital rights and worker protections. Their work spans litigation, advocacy, and public education across privacy, free speech, racial justice, and more. Recent technology-focused work includes challenging surveillance technologies and algorithmic discrimination.
• Southern Poverty Law Center - Monitors hate groups, fights extremism, and seeks justice for vulnerable people. Their Intelligence Project tracks extremist movements, while their legal team fights for civil rights. Recent work includes investigating online radicalization and fighting digital harassment.
• Brennan Center for Justice - A nonpartisan law and policy institute fighting to reform, revitalize, and defend democracy and justice. They work on voting rights, campaign finance reform, and criminal justice reform. Recent focus includes election security and combating disinformation.
• National Lawyers Guild - Progressive legal organization supporting civil rights, workers’ rights, and social justice movements. Their work includes legal support for protesters and labor organizers, with recent focus on defending digital rights and privacy.
• Lambda Legal - The oldest legal organization fighting for LGBTQ+ civil rights. Their work spans impact litigation, education, and public policy advocacy. Recent work includes fighting discrimination in digital spaces and protecting privacy rights.
• Human Rights Watch - Investigates and reports on human rights abuses worldwide, including digital rights violations and labor exploitation. Recent work examines surveillance technology, online censorship, and tech worker rights.

Progressive Advocacy & Democracy

• Indivisible - A grassroots movement building progressive power and resisting antidemocratic forces. They provide organizing tools and support local groups nationwide. Recent work includes democracy protection and progressive advocacy campaigns.
• Common Cause - Works to create an open, honest, and accountable government that serves the public interest. Their work spans voting rights, election protection, and media reform. Recent campaigns focus on election security and fighting disinformation.
• Public Citizen - Advocates for corporate and government accountability, with growing work on big tech regulation and worker rights. Recent campaigns include fighting corporate monopolies and protecting consumer privacy.
• CREW - Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington works to reduce the influence of money in politics and foster ethical governance. Recent work includes investigating digital political influence and tech company lobbying.
• Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law - Secures equal justice through law, with increasing focus on digital rights and algorithmic justice. Recent work includes fighting online voter suppression and digital discrimination.
• League of Women Voters - A century-old organization empowering voters and defending democracy. Their work includes voter education, election protection, and democracy reform advocacy. Recent initiatives focus on combating digital disinformation.
• MoveOn - A progressive public policy advocacy group and political action committee. They combine online organizing with grassroots activism to advance progressive causes. Recent campaigns include tech accountability and worker rights.

Independent Media & Investigative Journalism

• 404 Media - An independent, worker-owned tech journalism outlet founded by former VICE Motherboard journalists. They focus on investigative reporting about technology, digital rights, surveillance, and tech worker organizing. Known for deep investigations into AI training data, privacy violations, and tech industry labor issues.
• The Markup - Data-driven investigative journalism focused on how powerful institutions use technology to change society. Their work includes investigations into algorithmic discrimination, big tech accountability, and privacy violations.
• The Intercept - Independent news organization known for adversarial journalism and investigations into corporate and government misconduct. Strong focus on surveillance, civil liberties, and tech accountability.
• Democracy Now! - Independent daily news program covering social movements, civil rights, and corporate accountability, including extensive coverage of tech worker organizing and digital rights issues.
• Reveal - The Center for Investigative Reporting’s news platform, known for deep investigations into technology, labor rights, and social justice issues. Their work includes investigations into algorithmic bias and tech industry working conditions.
• ProPublica - Nonprofit newsroom producing investigative journalism in the public interest. Their technology coverage includes investigations into algorithmic bias, privacy violations, and big tech accountability.
• Mother Jones - Reader-supported investigative news organization named after labor organizer Mary Harris Jones. Known for deep-dive investigations into corporate power, money in politics, and social justice issues. Their tech coverage includes investigations into platform accountability, surveillance capitalism, and tech worker organizing.

Digital Commons & Open Culture

• Creative Commons - A nonprofit organization and international network providing free licensing tools to enable sharing and reuse of creative works. Beyond licensing, they advocate for open access, open education, and the digital commons. Recent initiatives focus on better sharing of AI training data and protecting the commons in the age of generative AI.
• Indie Web - A community and movement focused on creating a people-focused alternative to the corporate web through self-hosted content and data ownership. They develop open standards and organize events to help people take control of their online presence. Recent work includes building alternatives to corporate social media platforms and improving tools for website-to-website communication.
• Internet Archive - Digital library providing free access to millions of books, websites, software, music, and more. Their projects include the Wayback Machine for web preservation and OpenLibrary for book lending. They actively defend digital preservation rights and fight for library rights in the digital age.
• Wikimedia Foundation - Supports Wikipedia and other free knowledge projects while advocating for open knowledge and collaborative creation. Their work includes fighting for freedom of expression, protecting volunteer contributors, and expanding access to knowledge globally.
• Free Software Foundation - Advocates for computer users’ freedom and promotes the development and use of free (as in freedom) software. Founded by Richard Stallman, they maintain the GNU GPL license and campaign for software freedom.
• Open Source Initiative - Stewards the Open Source Definition and promotes open source software and development. They work on license compliance, community building, and education about open source principles.
• Software Freedom Conservancy - Nonprofit organization that provides infrastructure and legal support to free and open source software projects. They enforce GPL compliance and advocate for software freedom, including the right to repair.
• Open Knowledge Foundation - Promotes open data and content through advocacy, technology, and training. Their projects include OpenSpending for government financial transparency and Frictionless Data for data standards.

Notable Individuals & Thought Leaders

• Cory Doctorow is a journalist, activist, and science fiction author whose work focuses on digital rights, tech monopolies, and surveillance capitalism. As co-editor of Boing Boing and special advisor to the Electronic Frontier Foundation, he has been a leading voice against DRM and tech monopolies. His recent works include “How to Destroy Surveillance Capitalism,” “The Internet Con,” and “Red Team Blues.” Website | Mastodon | Twitter/X

• Lawrence Lessig is a legal scholar, political activist, and founder of Creative Commons who has profoundly shaped thinking about internet law and democracy reform. As a professor at Harvard Law School, he has been a pioneering voice on intellectual property, digital rights, and anti-corruption efforts. His influential works include “Code and Other Laws of Cyberspace” and “Republic, Lost.” Website | Twitter/X

• Heather Marsh is a philosopher, journalist, and activist who has developed influential theories about collaborative organization and information ethics. Her work on stigmergy and human rights has provided new frameworks for understanding collective action and information transparency. Her key works include “Binding Chaos” and “The Creation of Me, Them and Us.” Website | Bluesky

• Bruce Schneier is a renowned security technologist and privacy advocate whose work has been foundational to understanding digital security and privacy. As a fellow at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society, he continues to shape public understanding of cryptography and security through his prolific writing and speaking. Website | Twitter/X

• Shoshana Zuboff is professor emerita at Harvard Business School and author of the landmark book “The Age of Surveillance Capitalism.” Her work has fundamentally shaped our understanding of how digital technologies and their underlying business models affect society and democracy. Her frameworks for understanding surveillance capitalism have become essential tools for digital rights advocacy. Website

• Safiya Noble is a professor at UCLA and co-founder of the Center for Critical Internet Inquiry whose research has exposed how search engines and algorithms reinforce social oppression. Her book “Algorithms of Oppression” has been groundbreaking in revealing the racial and gender biases embedded in search technologies. Website | Twitter/X

• Meredith Whittaker is a prominent tech labor organizer, AI ethics researcher, and president of Signal. As a former Google employee, she helped organize the Google Walkout and has been a leading voice on worker organizing in tech. Currently, she serves as a senior advisor on AI at the FTC and continues to advocate for worker rights and ethical tech development. Her work bridges labor organizing, AI ethics, and privacy advocacy. | Twitter/X