Tech's Impact Depends on Who Shapes It
Who decides if AI tutors empower students or replace learning? Who determines what ‘safe’ means for a teenager on social media? Who shapes how your data gets used?
Right now, decisions like those are mostly made without the people most affected. SHIELD exists to help change that.
Join Us in Amplifying Grassroots Voices!
Isolated, Underfunded, and Unheard.
Across the globe, people closest to online harms are developing responses that work in their contexts:
- Community organizers who understand local vulnerabilities to online exploitation
- Parents navigating AI tutors and chatbot companions with their children
- Advocates designing technology that serves rather than exploits
- Youth leaders teaching critical thinking
But these initiatives remain disconnected from each other and invisible to the rooms where tech decisions get made. Meanwhile, well-resourced policy conversations happen without the people who know what actually works on the ground.
The gap isn’t in ideas. It’s in support, connection, and influence.
SHIELD bridges that gap. We connect grassroots leaders to each other, help proven initiatives access resources to scale, and ensure their expertise shapes the technology that shapes their lives.
The Stakes Are Rising.
So Is Community Innovation.
Global Escalation of Online Harms
of people worldwide reported exposure to at least one online risk. That includes someone you love.
increase in cybercrime losses by US adults over 60 from 2020-2023. Scammers are using AI to more easily trick older adults out of their savings.
rise in AI-generated child sexual abuse reports year-over-year in 2024. Children of all ages are having their images weaponized.
children under the age of 18 affected by online child sexual exploitation and abuse globally.
Source: Childlight Into the Light 2024 report
These aren't problems we can solve from boardrooms or with legislation alone.
The people experiencing these harms are developing the most effective responses. They understand their communities' vulnerabilities, trust networks, and cultural contexts in ways outsiders never will.
But only 7% of development funding goes to organizations in the Global South, and just 13% of direct grants reach country-based organizations. The expertise exists. The support doesn't.
Connect With Leaders Who are Already Doing This Work
We don’t create solutions from scratch. We help proven solutions spread. Our global network, and community-building initiatives ensure grassroots leaders aren’t reinventing the wheel or fighting these challenges alone. They’re learning from, collaborating with, and strengthening each other’s work across 25 countries.
Global Alliance Network
We connect leaders who are already working to make the online world a better place.
Project Catalyst Initiative
We bridge the gap between proven community solutions and the resources they need to scale.
Voices of SHIELD Program
We create platforms for grassroots leaders to share their expertise where it actually influences outcomes.
Support the Leaders Already Solving This
You’ve probably heard plenty of people talking about online safety problems. SHIELD works differently—we support the people already solving them.
Right now:
- Community organizers are creating child protection frameworks that work in their contexts; understanding local vulnerabilities and building trust networks that outsiders miss
- Across Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa, worker-led organizations are advocating for mental health support and fair treatment of content moderators and data workers: the invisible architects of AI systems
- From India to the United States, privacy advocates and educators are translating complex tech policy into practical guidance that helps real families make informed decisions about their data.
- Across the globe, survivor support organizations are providing expert crisis response to victims of cybercrime and technology-facilitated violence
- Across continents, youth leaders are teaching their peers about digital wellbeing, AI literacy, and STEM equity because they understand how their generation experiences technology
These leaders have solutions. What they need is support, connection, and amplification.
Your donation doesn’t fund SHIELD to ‘fix’ online safety for communities. It funds SHIELD to:
- Connect leaders across six continents so a solution developed in Kenya can inform work in India, and research from Australia can strengthen advocacy in Europe
- Strengthen effective initiatives so they can move from serving dozens of families to reaching thousands or from one region to an entire continent
- Amplify voices from underrepresented regions in global tech conversations. Help ensure decisions about AI, privacy, and platform safety include expertise from Africa, Asia, and communities typically excluded
Donate Now
Events: Where Our Principles Take Action
SHIELD events are spaces for connection, learning, and leadership. They bring our principles to life, online and in person, by centering community-led dialogue and action
Online Safety, Community Building, Our Commitment
Impact of Our Events: Key Statistics
Engaged individuals across 25 countries
Our events reach individuals across a wide range of ages, experience levels, and global communities
Views of recordings
The impact of our events goes far beyond the live sessions.
Event attendees
Our events attract a diverse range of engaged individuals from around the world
Our Core Events
Global Online Safety Conference
Our flagship event for global collaboration
Focused Mini-Conferences
Deep dives into emerging issues and community-driven solutions
Local In-person Community Events
Co-hosted with local partners to meet community needs
Workshops, Webinars & Meetings
Ongoing opportunities to learn and lead together
What Our Members Say
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