Thinking of Resilience
Deep within the rugged hills of Ayodhya in Purulia lies a world that often remains invisible to mainstream development narratives
Beyond the Hills: Listening to the Unheard Voices of Ayodhya
Deep within the rugged hills of Ayodhya in Purulia lies a world that often remains invisible to mainstream development narratives
The innovation we often walk past
Last weekend, at the ImagiNxt summit in Mumbai, I sat in the audience listening to a panel discussion titled “The other India is already innovating” where DEF Founder-Director Osama Manzar, as one of the panellists, joined the conversation on grassroots innovation.
Digital Empowerment Foundation’s Submission to the UN Global Dialogue on AI Governance
The Digital Empowerment Foundation (DEF) submitted a detailed civil society response to the United Nations Global Dialogue on AI Governance, emphasizing that AI governance frameworks must center the realities of the unconnected, underserved, and underrepresented communities of the Global South.
Just AI, Just Land: Socio-Environmental Implications of Data Centers on Communities
Data centers are central to India’s digital ambitions, but their impacts extend far beyond infrastructure. In Telangana’s peri-urban regions, communities are experiencing these changes through land loss, water stress, and shifting livelihoods.
Are Children Truly ‘Social’ on Social Media, or Just Alone Together?
The current debate around banning social media for children under 16 has been framed as a question of freedom. It is not. It is a question of how societies protect children in environments they do not fully understand or control.
Workshop for DGSEA Educational Tour at MoDS
Museum of Digital Society | 5th March 2026
A group of 72 students from DGSEA (Duraisamy Generous Social Education Association), Chengalpattu District, Tamil Nadu, visited the Museum of Digital Society (MoDS) on 5th March 2026 as part of an educational tour. Accompanied by 17 teachers, the visit was jointly facilitated by DEF’s (Digital Empowerment Foundation)- MoDS Team and the teachers of DGSEA themselves. The tour revolved around three interconnected themes – E-waste Recycling – Media Information Literacy, and The Museum Tour – each designed to offer students a meaningful and hands-on learning experience.
BRIDGING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE
THE PARADOX OF DIGITAL PROGRESS
The 21st century’s digital revolution has created a profound paradox. While urban centers debate on artificial intelligence ethics, virtues, and algorithmic governance, rural geographies struggle with basic digital access. Urban populations navigate sophisticated digital ecosystems, yet millions in rural India encounter computers for the first time. This digital divide represents not merely a technological gap but a fundamental inequality in opportunity, information access, and participation.
This assessment documents initiatives by the Digital Empowerment Foundation (DEF) at Alwar district in Rajasthan and Nuh district in Haryana. These interventions systematically democratize digital access, emphasizing marginalized populations and women’s empowerment. Significantly, while contemporary discourse addresses digital literacy and gender-based digital divides, these communities simultaneously grapple with fundamental literacy challenges and entrenched
Languages, Literacy, and Community Voice: Why Just AI Must Begin with Communities, Not Code
At the CDAC Public Forum combined with the fome Symposium, the session “AI in Crisis – What Next?” examined the social and ethical implications of artificial intelligence in humanitarian and crisis contexts. Within this, the breakout session “Inclusive AI: Languages, Literacy & Community Voice,” facilitated by Digital Empowerment Foundation, focused on a core concern: how AI systems intersect with linguistic diversity, social and digital divides, and community agency.
Digital Citizen Summit Townhall with Dr. Amandeep Singh Gill on People & Platforms: A Townhall Dialogue on Accountability and Co-Creating an Equitable Digital Future
The Townhall with Mr. Amandeep Singh Gill, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Special Envoy for Digital and Emerging Technologies, held at the 7th Digital Citizen Summit 2025 at T-Hub Hyderabad, focused on the theme “People & Platforms: Let’s Talk Accountability.”