Anti-Racist Priorities on Technology and Society: Survey with AfroBrazilian technologists

The Anti-Racist Priorities on Technology and Society: survey with AfroBrazilian technologists intend to answer a collective question: what are our consensus, dissent, controversies, and priorities when discussing racial justice and digital information and communication technologies? From that question, a collective of Black Brazilian researchers and activists sought to discover with our peers, references, and new contacts what these priorities are and what they can tell us about the relationship between digital technologies, race, and racism in Brazil from the point of view of Black specialists.

The survey gathered answers from 113 Black technologists from all over Brazil who indicated their priorities when thinking about digital technologies and racial justice. Responses were manually coded into different categories. Leading the priorities among the respondents are the practices of epistemicide, invisibility, and erasure of Black, Afrocentric, and anti-racist contributions to technology. Technologies are not neutral, but the invisibility of their power relations, histories, and controversies penalizes racial justice and overcoming the impacts of centuries of racism. Next are Lack of Diversity and Inclusion; Artificial Intelligence and Algorithmization; and State Surveillance and Violence, particularly facial recognition used by police.

Many participants also utilized the open-ended consultation to suggest impactful actions, including research and data generation; public policies and resources; communication and alternative education.

The report was produced based on conversation cycles mediated by Tarcizio Silva, Mozilla Tech+Society Fellow, hosted by the organization Ação Educativa, in collaboration with the Black Network of Technology and Digital Rights. The document is available in English and Portuguese on the website of TECLA, a unit of Ação Educativa.