Last updated: May 14, 2026
We are a diverse group of Canadians who aim to keep tech companies and government agencies accountable to the public. As volunteers, we are composed primarily, but not exclusively, of technologists. We’re based in Toronto but come from all over!
TfD was founded in June 2025 in response to Magna International’s self-driving delivery vehicle pilot in Toronto, which involved collecting recordings of pedestrians’ faces. Read about our first win here!
Mission
Our goals are to:
- 👁️ Act as a watchdog over private organizations and public agencies to ensure that technology is being used and deployed in a responsible, ethical and equitable manner.
- 🎓 Provide technical expertise for public education on tech policy issues.
- 💖 Nudge tech culture towards one of creating for public good, rather than the prevailing focuses on novelty and exploitation for capital.
- 🗳️ Fix regulation and policy to protect and strengthen democracy.
Our external values help us decide whether to publicly take a stance on an issue or take action:
- 🔍 Accountability: We aim to hold government agencies and private organizations accountable for responsible use of tech.
- 🗳️ Democracy: The interplay between technology and democracy is pervasive and unavoidable. We believe that the power of tech should be used to serve the many, and not be concentrated in the hands of the few.
- ⚖️ Equity: We believe in tech enabling disadvantaged folks rather than acting as another way to enforce power.
- 🔒 Privacy: We believe in the right to privacy both online and offline. Privacy is a fundamental human right that is essential for a healthy democracy.
- 🫱🏽🫲🏿 Progress: We believe in progress not defined by novelty, but flourishing for all.
Read more about us in our Operating Manifesto.
How we do it
Meetups
As a grassroots organization, we operate on transparent decision-making processes starting from suggestions by volunteers.
Concretely, this means meeting regularly to collaborate and keep momentum going! We meet:
- Every Tuesday at Civic Tech Toronto (in-person and online)
- Monthly on the 2nd Wednesday on Luma (online only)
You can also sign up for our weekly newsletter for updates.
Approach
Our approach focuses on:
- Educating the public to grow awareness of issues
- Contacting lawmakers and relevant organizations to spur change
- Creating alliances based on shared values
Our internal values help us decide how to do things:
- 🌐 Decentralization: Where possible, responsibilities should be decentralized to prevent accumulation of power and single points of failure.
- ⚖️ Equity: Equity does not mean treating all people the same way, but instead giving more attention and resources to those who need it, to bring everyone to the same level.
- 📣 Local Democracy: Volunteers at TfD all have a right to a voice and to be listened to. Volunteers working on actions, and more generally, should be empowered to make their own decisions, and provide updates to the wider team for transparency.
- 👐 Radical Openness: Radical openness means fostering trust by operating with transparency and visibility by default.
Want to help? Click the button below!
What We Don’t Do
We don’t currently accept donations.
We currently cover only Canadian issues.
Our content is not AI-generated. We are real people working on these issues.
Who We Are
We are volunteers coming primarily from Civic Tech Toronto! Most of us work in tech or simply care about the impacts that technology has on society.
If you want to contact someone directly, please fill out the form on Get Involved or reach out to us at techfordemocracy.ca@gmail.com. Keep in mind this is a public email that all TfD members can read.