EFF Joins Advocates at Oakland Tech Week to Challenge Big Tech Narratives

• The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) partnered with MediaJustice and Upturn to host "Building Beyond Big Tech: Organizing Oakland’s Future" at the second annual Oakland Tech Week.
• The event focused on organizing local communities to ensure that technology empowers rather than oppresses residents.

Key Event Highlights

• EFF Executive Director Nicole Ozer delivered the opening remarks, emphasizing the fundamental role of tech accountability in shaping livelihoods and future societies.
• A panel discussion moderated by MediaJustice Executive Director Steven Renderos examined the current technology landscape in California, featuring insights from Hayley Tsukayama, Khari Johnson, and Crystal Zemero.
• Attendees participated in breakout sessions focused on improving tech messaging and building sustainable community relationships with technology providers.

Strategic Goals

• The event highlighted the power of local residents in challenging surveillance initiatives through public rallies and council participation.
• Ozer argued against the "narrative of inevitability" pushed by large tech companies, asserting that the future of AI and other technologies is still malleable through collective action.