The Non-Aligned Technologies Movement (NATM) is a coalition for the purposeful design and deployment of digital technologies in a way that affirms each community’s power of self determination and governance. We aim to become a worldwide alliance that ensures autonomy from what is emerging as the two centers of digital power, the United States and China. NATM does not presume to offer a single solution to the problems of tech dependence, corporate weaponization and data colonialism; instead it seeks to promote a collection of models and tools that allow actors to coordinate their resistance while enabling an environment in which they can develop their own approaches in the post-colonial period.
The Problems
Over two-thirds of the global population is now online, spending a large proportion of their days in front of a screen. The underlying digital networks play an increasingly important role in our social, economic, and political lives. Meanwhile, an ever shrinking number of companies is controlling the data flowing through them. This leaves us with limited capacity to shape their operations and few if any alternatives to fall back on if we chose to exit. As our reliance on these platforms grows, powerful governments like the US and China may exploit these companies to monitor, and coerce individuals, companies, and governments to align with their agendas, cementing the new forms of coloniality.
The Solutions
While each of our communities might be interested in achieving greater autonomy in order to pursue different goals and agendas, a coordinated response to our common grievances can increase our ability to achieve change. As such, we are interested in a multi-pronged strategy that seeks to establish a common voice, while advocating for a variety of solutions. In line with this basic principle, NATM advances a variety of strategies, led by our members.
INTER-GOVERNMENTAL STRATEGIES
Lead: Juan Ortiz Freuler – [juanof@protonmail.com]
This working group explores how governments can collaborate to advance non-aligned technologies.A robust experience of democracy in the 21st Century includes collectively discussing and developing policies through which the institutions of government can modulate the effects of technologies within their territories. When it comes to the international arena, this group is focused on mechanisms that can enable technology transfer, knowledge sharing and strengthening efforts towards tackling planetary challenges like climate change.
CIVIL SOCIETY STRATEGIES
Lead: Ulises Ali Mejias – [ulises.mejias@oswego.edu]
It has become evident that most governments and world organizations are incapable or unwilling to stand up to the Big Tech axis, even if it means imposing minimal taxes or protections for users. Within this working group the focus is on developing tools and strategies to ensure a Non-Aligned Technologies movement would empower civil societies across the globe to act in consort to meet their shared objectives while putting pressure on their respective governments to change the way they deal with Big Tech.
DEVELOPMENT CHALLENGES
Leads:Guilherme Cavalcante Silva, Luciana Musello [lmusello@usfq.edu.ec, gcsilva@yorku.ca]
Dependency Theory & Non-Alignment
Debates on technological dependency in Latin America are in full swing, yet dependency theory has been virtually forgotten. Since April 2025 we have been hosting a reading group whose goal is to dust off texts from Latin American thinkers who, 50 years ago, theorized about unequal development in the region. Our aim is to reread them in light of the technological dynamics of this decade, in which the center-periphery arrangements which concern the Non-Aligned Movement seem to continue to organize power over digital technologies.
The group meets virtually every 3 weeks. Read about it here!
The NATM logo was designed by Ignacio Guerineau and is available for reuse – under a public domain license