What is PCI?
People-Centered Internet (PCI) is an international coalition of positive #ChangeAgents working together to ensure that the Internet continues to improve people’s lives and livelihoods. We seek out positive #ChangeAgents, community leaders who "illuminate the way" and manage friction of stepping outside the status quo, to develop and lead community projects that show ways the Internet can continue to be a global force for good. PCI operates as a 501(c)3 non-profit incubator for initial seed projects that can improve Internet use. Working with PCI coalition partners projects are refined to the point where they are ready for funding by external sources that wish to show measurable and constructive impacts.
The PCI coalition subscribes to the belief that the Internet can bring different groups of people together to form Living Learning Communities that advance a more People-Centered vision for the future of the Internet; a vision of better global connectivity and digital inclusion; a vision of vision better ways to counter online hate and polarizing misinformation online; a vision of more informed approaches to technology, data, and AI ethics in pluralistic societies, and more. Most of PCI’s positive #ChangeAgents are volunteers, doing what they can to help bring together a diversity of perspectives, experts, and leaders with a proclivity towards action across different sectors and communities.
The diverse perspectives present within PCI help inform our efforts collectively. The types of projects PCI helps incubate are those that can show measurable improvements to people’s lives and livelihoods using the Internet and related technologies. Each of our initiatives, led by PCI community members, seek to forge paths that help different communities improve local conditions and more broadly share their knowledge with others.
PCI Community participants represent a diversity of perspectives, backgrounds, and activities which is what makes PCI strong. We welcome people freely speaking their views. For details on PCI's specific positions, please see the PCI website, newsletter, and other official PCI publications.
What Does PCI Do?
PCI is a “think-do” coalition. On the “do” side, we have multiple Teams working to both provide expertise and to improve people’s lives and livelihoods using the Internet. Our current projects specifically include assisting with Internet connectivity for Native Americans and other communities around the world, countering online hate and polarizing misinformation online, advancing more informed approaches to technology, data, and AI ethics in pluralistic societies, supporting the development and impact of People-Centered applications, and leveraging technology to help communities be more resilient.
In the past, we have assisted with the response to the wildfires in California and sent Team members to assist with the response and potential recovery efforts in Puerto Rico. We also provided significant support to a "50 years retrospective and prospective" event in December 2018 focused on how the Internet can help amplify human rights.
On the “think” side, PCI convenes conferences with representatives from diverse sectors including NGOs, world governments, development banks, industry experts, technical communities, and others to advance efforts to ensure humanity remains at the center of our digital future. As PCI itself is a “lean startup-like” non-profit, often PCI serves as a connector or a broker of good project ideas with external sources of funding to help improve people’s lives and livelihoods using more People-Centered approaches to technologies.
We also work with several PCI Advisors and Sherpas "go the extra mile" in supporting PCI by taking an active role, often as a volunteer, to advance PCI's efforts. The PCI Board and Community benefit from their expertise and appreciate their contributions to help PCI's efforts succeed and scale. These PCI Advisors and Sherpas represent a diversity of perspectives, experts, and leaders with a proclivity towards action across different sectors and communities globally. If you would like to assist with PCI’s efforts, please contact us here: Get Involved »
