The Influence Industry's Voter Literacy Resources are designed for voters, community organisers, and educators around the world navigating data-driven political influence. You can find materials to run a Voter's Guide workshop as well as self-guided learning tools from around the world.

The Influence Industry's Inform: Voter Literacy Resources are
designed for voters, community organisers, and educators around the world
navigating data-driven political influence. In these resources, you will find
materials for workshops and self-guided learning for voters around the world.

For Facilitators

For Voters 

Inform: Voter Literacy Resources

Explore 500+ companies operating in the business of political influence through our interactive and open database or read the case studies from us and our partnerships on the influence industry, its role in specific countries and regions, and our research methodologies.

In the process of researching and documenting how the Influence
Industry operates in different political contexts around the world, our
project and our partners examined over 500 companies that play a role in this
wider ecosystem — from global data brokers to local campaign consultancies. 

The Influence Industry Case Studies

The Influence Industry Explorer

The Influence Industry Learning Hub is an educational guide to help you learn about the role of private firms in political influence and the collection, analysis and sales of political data. The Learning Hub is based on half a decade of research in over 20 countries, expert consultation and our curated library of resources. 
Start from module 1 or dive into your module of choice if you already know what you’re interested in. Check out <ColouredLink href="https://influenceindustry.org/en/project/about/" theme="project">our team page</ColouredLink> if you want to get in touch with any queries, join our informational mailing list, or find out about our live workshops.

These modules will help you learn about how political actors —
such as political parties, candidates or candidate-endorsing campaigns —
relate to one another. 

Digital technologies and the data-centered economies are
revolutionising how we live, interact, provide for ourselves and debate the
complexities of the human experience.

Learning Modules

Learn about the Influence Industry

This three-day expert gathering is designed to bring together experienced practitioners in order to assess the strategies, techniques, and tools currently used within climate influence including post-truth narratives, corporate influence, misinformation, AI and machine-learning enhanced content and harassment of climate activists and journalists.

Call for Participants: Digital Influence and Climate Friction: Expert Gathering

In 2008 the Barack Obama campaign revolutionised grass roots campaigning using the power of social media tools for supporter engagement, a feat that would be repeated again in 2012. In 2016, the Trump campaign was highly active on Facebook in particular. During that same election cycle, external nation-state actors were accused of engaging in a data-driven, social media focused misinformation campaign to further fuel division in the American electorate. That same year, across the Atlantic, the ultimately successful Voter Leave campaign was building a new data-driven voter analytics system with which to bolster the Leave campaign during the EU Membership - aka Brexit - Referendum. In 2018, it was exposed that Cambridge Analytica, one of the many data and digital strategy consultants working with political campaigns, had collected millions of Facebook users' data for political ad targeting. Since then, the role of social media, data and digital influence campaigns in election processes across the world have been under a close spotlight by regulators, civil society organisations, election monitors and tech companies themselves. During this time, Tactical Tech's Data &#x26; Politics research team and its international partners have been tracking commonly used digital and data-driven tools within digital election campaigning and how these are deployed in different political contexts across the globe.

Welcome to The Influence Industry Project

<ColouredLink href="/en/learn" theme="learn">Learn</ColouredLink> about, <ColouredLink href="/en/explorer/" theme="explore">explore</ColouredLink> research, and discover <ColouredLink href="/en/resources" theme="resources">resources</ColouredLink> on the industry using our personal data <TextIcon>data</TextIcon> to influence citizens <TextIcon>citizens</TextIcon> in political campaigns <TextIcon>campaign</TextIcon>.
Across the world, data on citizens <TextIcon>voters</TextIcon> is being collected, traded and utilised to influence their political views <TextIcon>influence</TextIcon>. Despite increased attention in recent years, it is still difficult to access information about the industry actors or the technologies that they use to sway citizens' political views <TextIcon>data_traces</TextIcon>. <ColouredLink href="/en/project/about/" theme="project">Our project</ColouredLink> aims to increase accessibility and understanding to strengthen civic capacity <TextIcon>capacity</TextIcon> to engage with politics.

The Influence Industry Project provides resources and guides about
the who, what, where and how personal data is used by political actors to
influence voters in political campaigns.

The Influence Industry Project provides learnings, resources
and guides to the who, what and how of the use of personal data on voters is
used in efforts to understand, engage and influence citizens in political
campaigns.

Project Highlights

The Influence Industry Project

Join us for our Digital Influence and Climate Friction: Expert Gathering in Berlin on 2 - 4 December 2024 where we will collaborate to advance responses to two intersecting crises: digital information disorder and pushback against climate solutions.
Whilst there is more support and momentum than ever for action on climate, growing 'climate friction' is slowing down essential and immediate uptake of climate solutions. This friction is enhanced by an information environment that fosters politicization, polarisation and consequently conflicting interests around climate policies and solutions. Opinions on climate are developed in a complex space over-saturated with influence tactics, post-truth narratives, corporate influence, misinformation, AI and machine-learning enhanced content and harassment of climate activists and journalists. This contested online environment contributes to a state of confusion and inhibits necessary, rapid, and systemic change.
We believe that a collaboration between different climate and communication disciplines – such as climate journalists, misinformation researchers, and technologists – can produce a better understanding of the climate information landscape, compile an up-to-date set of tactics for creating change, and begin to create new and effective approaches to meet the current challenges within the digital and climate movement.
This three-day expert gathering is designed to bring together experienced practitioners in order to assess the strategies, techniques, and tools currently being used within climate influence. Through participation, attendees will work together to determine new creative responses that navigate pushback on climate solutions. The outcomes will support current and upcoming projects both of the participants and a wider community of practitioners.
Participants can expect to:
<ul>
<li>Assess the current environment and what to expect next. We will be asking: what is the scale and scope of the challenge and how it is changing?</li>
<li>Share knowledge and learn from others. We will be creating spaces for practical exchange on strategies, methods and lessons learned (including things that are working and things that are not)!</li>
<li>Work together towards identifying effective methods and solutions. We will be collaborating to generate creative and innovative approaches that can be shared across the climate movement.</li>
</ul>
Ultimately, participants can expect to leave the gathering having made new connections, gained new insights on their own and others’ projects, and generated fresh ideas. After the gathering, a summary report will be shared with the participants and interested participants will also be able to continue to feed into The Influence Industry Project’s upcoming practical guide on the forces and dynamics which can, and will, shape current discourse on climate change action to be published in 2025.
<h2>The Expert Gathering Details</h2>
Application form: <a href="https://lime.ttc.io/index.php/985898?lang=en">https://lime.ttc.io/index.php/985898?lang=en</a>
What? A three-day in-person gathering centred on advancing knowledge and developing solutions at the intersection of digital influence and climate friction, in order to help a diverse range of organisations and actors better understand and navigate identified problems.
Who? We seek to engage a wide group of actors including organisations working at the leading edge of disinformation research and fact-checkings, digital rights and responsibilities, climate communications, climate and environment (international and local) as well as visual artists and technologists actively working on climate and persuasion. We encourage professionals working in climate-specific areas of journalism, creative communications, visual arts, and marketing to also apply.
Apply if you:
<ul>
<li>Are a journalist, investigator, visual artist, communication specialist or expert with a strong and demonstrable track record of innovation and impact working with an organisation (disinformation research and fact-checking organisations, digital rights and responsibilities organisations, climate communications organisations, and environmental organisations [international and local]) who want to share what you know and learn from others.</li>
<li>Have demonstrated experience with reporting, researching and communicating themes related to climate change and information disorder (including mis- and disinformation, influence networks) and have a current active project in the area of digital influence and climate that you can bring to the event.</li>
<li>Due to funding, the gathering is predominantly for people based in, or working on, climate campaigns in Europe – though a few spots are available for participants from outside Europe, feel free to contact us in advance with questions.</li>
<li>Are committed to attending for the entire length of the Expert Gathering and to contribute your knowledge and expertise to the event and its outcomes.</li>
</ul>
If you have any questions about your eligibility, please do not hesitate to be in touch (see below for contact information).
When? Monday, 2 – Wednesday, 4 December 2024, full days with arrival on 1st or 2nd December and departure on 5 or 6 December
Where? Publix, a new home for local and international journalism organisations that shape the public sphere and strengthen democracy. Berlin, Germany / in-person.
Application deadline: 25th September 2024 (extended from the 22nd)
Application process: To receive an event invitation, applicants must submit an application via Lime Survey. After which, a shortlisted set of candidates will be asked to an online interview of no more than 30 minutes. All applicants, successful or not, will be informed of the decision by email.
Application form: <a href="https://lime.ttc.io/index.php/985898?lang=en">https://lime.ttc.io/index.php/985898?lang=en</a>
Travel Funding Eligibility and Self-Funded Participants
Attendance at the conference, if accepted, is free. Return travel from countries within the EU, and local subsistence in Berlin (accommodation, 2 meals/day, local travel) can be provided by organisers for up to 20 successful applicants residing in the EU, as well as 5 for individuals joining from outside the EU.
We will also have a limited number of places open for self-funded applicants. The same application call and selection process applies to self-funded applicants. Please indicate whether you are able to cover your own costs or seeking funding when filling out the application form.
<h2>The Digital Influence and Climate Friction Hosts</h2>
This event will build on Tactical Tech’s two decades of experience working with information activism, visualising information for advocacy as well as Tactical Tech’s Influence Industry Project: researching into digital influence tools, tactics and networks for political election campaigns, which has produced ground-breaking research on the tools and tactics of influence and trained journalists and climate campaigners from over 30 countries.
Tactical Tech builds the capacity of communities to navigate and shape our collective social, political and environmental futures within the context of digital transformation. We have a diverse and established audience: within a given strategic period we work with over 300 partners from more than 30 countries who translate, localise, adapt and engage their audiences and communities through our resources and guides.
This event will contribute to a larger project Tactical Tech is undertaking on Digital Influence and Climate, some of the outcomes of this event will be further developed into a guide on Digital Influence and Climate that will be published in 2025.
The gathering will take in Berlin, Germany, at Publix, a new home for local and international investigative journalism organisations that shape the public sphere and strengthen democracy. 
The Influence Industry Project Contact
ttc @ tacticaltech.org – reference ‘Climate and Influence Gathering’
If you'd prefer to write through encrypted mail: write to amber @ tacticaltech.org ( PGP fingerprint: 7FF1 2375 4A65 809D 0D0D BC8E 1FA0 DE80 4810 DF53 )
This project is possible thanks to the kind support of our funders:
The Swedish Postcode Foundation
<Image src="https://cdn.ttc.io/s/the-influence-industry-project/others/Swedish-Postkode.png" alt="Image displays the swedish postcode foundation logo" />
The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency
<Image src="https://cdn.ttc.io/s/the-influence-industry-project/others/funder-logo-sida.jpg" alt="Image displays the swedish postcode foundation logo" />

This three-day expert gathering is designed to bring together
experienced practitioners in order to assess the strategies, techniques, and
tools currently being used within climate influence. Opinions on climate are
developed in a complex space over-saturated with influence tactics, post-truth
narratives, corporate influence, misinformation, AI and machine-learning
enhanced content and harassment of climate activists and journalists. This
contested online environment contributes to a state of confusion and inhibits
necessary, rapid, and systemic change. 

Call for Participants: Digital Influence and Climate Friction: Expert
Gathering

In order to help address this digital knowledge divide, Tactical Tech's Data &#x26; Politics is launching The Influence Industry Project: an intersection of research, learning and exploration of the Influence Industry of professional digital political campaigners, the data-driven tools in its arsenal and the global contexts where it operates. The project provides long-form resources and structured learning modules addressing fundamental questions about the influence industry and soon will also provide a window to explore the industry using a combination of verified data sources and research.
In 2008, Barack Obama's Presidential campaign revolutionised grassroots campaigning using the power of digital social media tools for supporter engagement. In 2016, Donald Trump's Presidential campaign made use of a host of new data-driven campaign tactics and was highly active on Facebook in particular. That same year, across the Atlantic, the ultimately successful Vote Leave campaign was building a new data-driven voter analytics system to bolster the Leave campaign during the Brexit Referendum. In 2018, Cambridge Analytica was exposed for having collected millions of Facebook users' data for political ad targeting. 
The role of social media, data and digital influence campaigns in election processes across the world is under scrutiny by regulators, civil society organisations, election monitors and tech companies themselves. During this time, Tactical Tech's Data &#x26; Politics research team and its international partners have been tracking commonly used digital and data-driven tools within digital election campaigning and how these are deployed in different political contexts. 
Despite the topic of digital political campaigning being in the public eye, the discussion and questions remain largely surface-level. The conversations revolve around the role of Facebook and focus on digital political ads as a product. The conversation needs to become more nuanced and broader: what does it mean for political cohesion and democratic principles that an industry with countless actors specialising in adapting the tools of digital marketing, commerce, fundraising and brand-building to political communication are mediating political campaigns, largely without transparency? 
Understanding the details of digital tools, data analytics and online digital strategies for voter segmentation, targeting and outreach is essential in order to understand how current democratic processes work. Expanding insights into the influence industry and how their practices are applied outside of a few cases covered by the media which are mostly in the US or Europe is essential to get a fuller grasp of how they operate and what the future might hold.

The Influence Industry Project: an intersection of research,
learning and exploration of the Influence Industry of professional digital
political campaigners, the data-driven tools in its arsenal and the global
contexts of where it operates. The project provides long-form resources,
structured learning modules addressing fundamental questions about the
Influence Industry and soon will also provide a window to explore the Industry
using a combination of verified data-sources and research by the Data &
Politics team.