The world’s leading summit on pro-democracy technology
June 10, 2025 — June 11, 2025
In light of the exceptional political times we’re living through, and that 2025 marks 10 years since TICTeC began, TICTeC 2025 will have a renewed focus on what we’re calling “Pro-Democracy Technology”.
TICTeC 2025 will bring together people working on defensive technology against threats to democracy, and those who are using technologies constructively to enrich and strengthen the heartbeat of civic and democratic life. Read more on our thoughts on reframing civic tech for the current moment.
TICTeC is a place where you can learn about everything from combating corruption and misinformation to empowering communities and enhancing civic participation, and is a unique platform where attendees connect and collaborate.
With a distinctive mix of tech practitioners, civil society leaders, and academic researchers, TICTeC isn’t just about showcasing cutting-edge pro-democracy tech innovations—it’s also about examining their real-world impact and effectiveness.
For its 8th edition, TICTeC 2025 will take place in person in the beautiful historical city of Mechelen, Belgium, and online. At previous TICTeC conferences, between 150-250 people have gathered from more than 35 countries.
Come along, and be part of the movement to leverage tech for a resilient and proactive democratic future.
Threats to democracy and civic power are rising across the world.
Anti-democratic actors aren’t standing still – and are constantly learning how to use technology to extend their power and control over people.
Democracy’s reaction to this needs to be not to reject technology but to use it to evolve and compete, particularly in addressing society-changing issues like climate change.
Democracy needs to be fast, effective and popular, and technology can and is helping to achieve this.
That’s why TICTeC exists – to highlight and examine these pro-democracy technologies, in a collaborative and safe space.
The 2025 TICTeC conference will focus on exploring the impact of pro-democracy tech innovations across several critical themes: Access to information (ATI) and open data; Democracy, people and politics; and climate change.
In each of these areas, we want to explore what we’re calling ‘defensive’ and ‘constructive’ approaches. Defensive approaches safeguard the openness democracy needs to operate – while constructive approaches build the capacity of the engine of democratic progress.
65+ speakers and workshop hosts from 25+ countries will share their works and experiences at TICTeC 2025 – the full schedule can be viewed at the bottom of this page. Thank you to everyone who submitted proposals to present or host a workshop at TICTeC.
We are delighted to share that our TICTeC 2025 keynote speakers will be:
It is essential to register on Eventbrite in order to attend TICTeC 2025, whether that’s in person or online. In some cases, it is also possible to register directly with the organisers, please email tictec@mysociety.org to enquire.
TICTeC is run by UK charity mySociety, for the public good and is a not-for-profit event. As a charity, we rely on sponsorship to run TICTeC events and initiatives, and we’re currently looking for more sponsors to make TICTeC the best it can be.
If you’re interested in joining the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) in supporting TICTeC 2025 and demonstrating your commitment to defending democracy around the world, we are offering a wide array of sponsorship opportunities, as well as bespoke packages. If you’d like more information about sponsorship options, please see our sponsorship guide, or email tictec@mysociety.org.
We are very grateful to Porticus, the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), Meet in Mechelen and Stad Mechelen for their generous support of TICTeC 2025.
If you’d like to be kept informed of TICTeC 2025 updates as they happen – like when keynote speakers are announced and the programme is released – please sign up for updates or get in touch if you have any questions.
Image credits: Meet in Mechelen
9:15 am |
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Conference registration & refreshmentsOnly registered attendees can attend. Sign up here if you’d like to come! Where: Mechelen-Centraal (First floor of Lamot Congress and Heritage Centre) |
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10:00 am |
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10:00 am · Auditorium / Livestreamed Welcome to TICTeC 2025Livestream available for registered online attendees only Speakers |
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10:15 am |
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10:15 am · Auditorium / Livestreamed Welcome to Mechelen, TICTeC 2025’s host cityLivestream available for registered online attendees only |
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10:30 am |
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10:30 am · Auditorium / Livestreamed Keynote address: Reclaiming tech for the democratic goodLivestream available for registered online attendees only |
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11:15 am |
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11:15 am · Auditorium / Livestreamed Defending democracy with/from techLivestream available for registered online attendees only |
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11:45 am |
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Refreshment breakWhere: Mechelen-Centraale + outdoor terrace, weather permitting (First floor) |
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12:00 pm |
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12:00 pm Meet & chat
Your annual chance to mix with the community that understands you best. Find the folk doing similar work to you, facing the same challenges or working towards the same aims.
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12:30 pm |
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Standing buffet lunchWhere: Mechelen-Centraale + outdoor terrace, weather permitting (First floor) |
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1:30 pm |
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1:30 pm · Auditorium OPTION 1: Tech for better electionsCountering information disorder in Nigerian electionsLivestream available for registered online attendees only Empowering young voters through Voting Aid ApplicationsLivestream available for registered online attendees only Quick count with cutting-edge technology tools on the 2024 Venezuelan elections
The 2024 elections were the most important in the modern history of Venezuela. A quick count project aimed to provide the real results of the elections to stakeholders immediately — and was a huge success, providing the election results before the regime announced the results in a public broadcast.
Please note, this session won't be livestreamed.
Q&A for ‘Tech for better elections’ session (i.e. the above three presentations) |
1:30 pm · Dijlezaal OPTION 2: Defending democracy, internet freedom and digital securityWhat digital security solutions [don’t] work for civil society organisations
Civil society organisations combat dictatorships, corruption, election falsifications, etc — and so are natural enemies to actors with huge amount of resources and motivation to fight back.
Hear RESIDENT.ngo's experience with recent sophisticated attacks in Eastern Europe, and learn what measures actually work for small to medium civil society organisations.
Please note: This session won't be livestreamed or recorded.
Six months of African pro-democracy innovating: what have we learned?
Examining the "Empower, Innovate, Connect" framework through user stories and impact data from OpenUp's grants management system.
Concrete evidence and learnings from a novel digital democracy support mechanism across Sub-Saharan Africa, demonstrating how targeted support can strengthen local pro-democracy innovation, whilst dealing with digital inequality and civic restrictions.
New Belarus: showcasing digital innovation to strengthen democracy, transparency, and civic participation
In response to the 2020 Belarusian election crisis, New Belarus emerged as a digital ecosystem (mobile app + web platform), uniting Belarusians worldwide.
Its mission transcends technology by building a resilient global Belarusian community committed to freedom and democracy, through an array of digital and civic tech initiatives.
Q&A for ‘Defending democracy, internet freedom and digital security’ session (i.e. the above presentations) |
1:30 pm · Herten Aas / Livestreamed OPTION 3: AI-powered deliberation: opportunities and risksLivestream available for registered online attendees only Speakers
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2:45 pm |
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Refreshment breakWhere: Mechelen-Centraale + outdoor terrace, weather permitting (First floor) |
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3:00 pm |
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3:00 pm · Auditorium OPTION 1: Access to Information for the public goodInfrastructure for democracy: how Abrimos.info is transforming governance in Latin AmericaLivestream available for registered online attendees only Unveiling the power of transparency: how Access to Information exposed systemic failures in Poland’s 2020 electionsLivestream available for registered online attendees only Data to advance equity, inclusion, and sustainabilityLivestream available for registered online attendees only Q&A for ‘Access to Information for the public good’ session (i.e. the above three presentations)Livestream available for registered online attendees only |
3:00 pm · Dijlezaal OPTION 2: How can AI and civic tech build consensus for climate policy and include the voices of future generations?
Take part in a real-time simulation around pathways for decarbonisation in this workshop.
Research shows that most people agree about the risks and severe impacts of climate change, but there is disagreement on how to address the problem. See first hand how a tool that integrates online deliberation with the power of generative AI aims to break this deadlock.
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3:00 pm · Herten Aas OPTION 3: Unconference sessionsUnconference session 1
This session will be chosen by attendees on the day of the conference. All attendees will have the opportunity to suggest and vote on unconference sessions.
Unconference session 2
This session will be chosen by attendees on the day of the conference. All attendees will have the opportunity to suggest and vote on unconference sessions.
Unconference session 3
This session will be chosen by attendees on the day of the conference. All attendees will have the opportunity to suggest and vote on unconference sessions.
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4:15 pm |
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Refreshment breakWhere: Mechelen-Centraale + outdoor terrace, weather permitting (First floor) |
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4:30 pm |
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4:30 pm · Auditorium OPTION 1: Democratic literacy and participationThe current state of open government and digital transparency in the NetherlandsLivestream available for registered online attendees only Making Pakistan’s constitution accessible through AILivestream available for registered online attendees only Localised agenda alerts create engaged, informed citizensLivestream available for registered online attendees only Q&A for ‘Democratic literacy and participation’ session (i.e. the above three presentations)Livestream available for registered online attendees only |
4:30 pm · Dijlezaael OPTION 2: Unconference sessionsUnconference session 4
This session will be chosen by attendees on the day of the conference. All attendees will have the opportunity to suggest and vote on unconference sessions.
Unconference session 5
This session will be chosen by attendees on the day of the conference. All attendees will have the opportunity to suggest and vote on unconference sessions.
Unconference session 6
This session will be chosen by attendees on the day of the conference. All attendees will have the opportunity to suggest and vote on unconference sessions.
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4:30 pm · Herten Aas OPTION 3: AI and governanceBreaking AI monopolies: building public AI as an alternative infrastructureLivestream available for registered online attendees only Putting the humans back in: Manchester People’s Panel for AILivestream available for registered online attendees only Community-led AI audits: why they matter and how to start oneLivestream available for registered online attendees only Q&A for ‘AI and governance’ session (i.e. the above three presentations)Livestream available for registered online attendees only |
5:45 pm |
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Drinks receptionWhere: A very historic Mechelen venue, to be announced soon! |
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7:45 pm |
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End of Day 1 |
9:00 am |
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Arrival & refreshmentsWhere: Mechelen-Centraale + outdoor terrace, weather permitting (First floor) |
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9:15 am |
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9:15 am · Auditorium / Livestreamed Welcome to TICTeC day twoLivestream available for registered online attendees only Speakers |
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9:30 am |
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9:30 am · Auditorium / Livestreamed Keynote address: A stronger democracy – through data, information and technologyLivestream available for registered online attendees only |
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10:15 am |
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10:15 am · Auditorium / Livestreamed Growing the Open Society: Tech and democratic innovationLivestream available for registered online attendees only |
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10:45 am |
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Refreshment breakWhere: Mechelen-Centraale + outdoor terrace, weather permitting (First floor) |
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11:15 am |
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11:15 am · Auditorium OPTION 1: Democratic transparency and parliamentary monitoringThe impact of the Promise Tracker toolLivestream available for registered online attendees only Impacts of parliamentary monitoring in SpainLivestream available for registered online attendees only Tainan City Council Watchbot: empowering informed citizens through AILivestream available for registered online attendees only Q&A for ‘Democratic transparency and parliamentary monitoring’ session (i.e. the above three presentations)Livestream available for registered online attendees only |
11:15 am · Dijlezaal OPTION 2: Leveraging civic tech to track climate finance and curb corruption
An interactive workshop to document challenges, lessons, and strategies for leveraging civic tech to track climate finance and curb corruption.
Insights from the workshop will contribute to a white paper on actionable civic tech solutions and strengthen a community of practice.
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11:15 am · Herten Aas OPTION 3: Tech for deliberation and participationDream Con: how civic tech puts citizens at the centre of constitutional reformLivestream available for registered online attendees only Why consultation matters: the impact of 10 million voicesLivestream available for registered online attendees only Polis: Updates and impacts
Polis is a real-time system for gathering, analyzing and understanding what large groups of people think in their own words, enabled by advanced statistics and machine learning.
Polis has been used all over the world by governments, academics, independent media and citizens, and is completely open source. Join this session to hear the latest on the Polis project.
Q&A for ‘Tech for deliberation and participation’ session (i.e. the above presentations) |
12:30 pm |
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Standing buffet lunchWhere: Mechelen-Centraale + outdoor terrace, weather permitting (First floor) |
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1:30 pm |
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1:30 pm · Auditorium OPTION 1: Harnessing the power of data and AI for climate actionCivic tech for investigative impact: how data-driven journalism strengthens transparency and democracyLivestream available for registered online attendees only Providing cities with critical environmental data to unlock climate solutionsSpeakersUsing civic-tech to supercharge lobbying transparencyLivestream available for registered online attendees only Q&A for ‘Harnessing the power of data and AI for climate action’ session (i.e. the above three presentations) |
1:30 pm · Dijlezaal OPTION 2: Connect, collaborate, create: The g0v approach to civic tech
This workshop will delve into actionable strategies for creating impactful civic tech projects. It draws inspiration and guidance from the g0v civic tech handbook born from Taiwan's vibrant grassroots tech community.
g0v's core principles of self-organisation, open-source collaboration, and bi-monthly hackathons have fostered a dynamic environment for innovation.
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1:30 pm · Herten Aas OPTION 3: Measuring the impact of Access to InformationMeasuring the impacts of Access to Information portalsLivestream available for registered online attendees only Speakers
The importance of WhatDoTheyKnow.com for recent local activism in Bristol, UKLivestream available for registered online attendees only Speakers |
2:45 pm |
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Refreshment breakWhere: Mechelen-Centraale + outdoor terrace, weather permitting (First floor) |
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3:00 pm |
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3:00 pm · Auditorium OPTION 1: Public-interest techDirections for ‘civic social media’: designing and managing trusted online community spacesLivestream available for registered online attendees only Changing the argument for using civic technologyLivestream available for registered online attendees only SpeakersDigital Mzansi: building South Africa’s democratic digital public infrastructureLivestream available for registered online attendees only Q&A for ‘Public-interest tech’ session (i.e. the above three presentations)Livestream available for registered online attendees only |
3:00 pm · Dijlezaal OPTION 2: Short workshops3:00pm: Democratic innovation through AI in parliaments
Westminster Foundation for Democracy recently published the world’s first guidelines for integrating AI in parliamentary functions.
In this interactive short workshop, Westminster Foundation for Democracy, together with a representative of the Hellenic Parliament, will discuss the real-life cases of the use of AI to foster innovation and resilience in parliaments worldwide.
3:40pm: Co-creating urban spaces in Mechelen using Extended Reality and innovative participatory design
Whilst enjoying views of the Dijle river itself, join local researchers from Mechelen-based Thomas Moore University of Applied Sciences to hear about their work with the City of Mechelen on an innovative civic participation project that aims to make areas around the river more inclusive, sustainable and enriching. Designed using an innovative co-creation process, the project incorporates not only inputs from citizens, but also the perspectives of other living organisms. Attendees will have the chance to experience the project's Extended Reality techniques used to gather citizen feedback.
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3:00 pm · Herten Aas OPTION 3: Short workshops3:00pm: Time for interoperability- how civic tech solutions integrate to engage citizens at scaleSpeakers
3:40pm: Testing information literacy, and popular assumptions about how to tell if something is AI-generatedSpeakers |
4:15 pm |
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Refreshment breakWhere: Mechelen-Centraale + outdoor terrace, weather permitting (First floor) |
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4:30 pm |
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4:30 pm · Auditorium / Livestreamed OPTION 1: The next twenty years of civic tech: mySociety, impacts & future plansLivestream available for registered online attendees only |
4:30 pm · Dijlezaal OPTION 2: Enabling pro-democracy technology: what do we need from government and public authorities?
Many previous developments in civic tech and pro-democracy tech have been made possible by the actions of governments, parliaments and other authorities, through legislation, access to information (such as data, transcripts or code) or even funding.
But what enabling infrastructure, policies and approaches should we be demanding of governments now? Join this short workshop to discuss.
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4:30 pm · Herten Aas OPTION 3: Unconference session
This session will be chosen by attendees on the day of the conference. All attendees will have the opportunity to suggest and vote on unconference sessions.
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5:05 pm |
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5:05 pm · Auditorium / Livestreamed Final reflections on TICTeC 2025Livestream available for registered online attendees only |
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5:30 pm |
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End of Conference |