FAQ

About the Organization

What is TEDIC?

We are a civil society organization working on the defense of digital rights and a free culture, online and offline.

Who does TEDIC belong to?

TEDIC belongs to no one but its own collaborators and in this way we collectively define the internal affairs of the organization: administrative, legal, and institutional. 

What year, where and how was TEDIC created?

TEDIC was founded in Asunción, Paraguay, on March 26, 2012 as a response to the need to work in an organized way on issued related to licensing and free culture. It was founded by a group of people with different background and personal journeys and began with the intention of building new models of creating, sharing and consuming culture and the Internet.t. 

What does TEDIC do?

We seek full compliance with rights on the Internet and also analyze the impact of these rights outside the digital sphere. We develop civic technology projects, as well as research and publications on topic of interest to the organization. We  have a strong training branch in which all people who work in the organization are also educators on issued of security and digital rights, gender on the Internet, among other topics.

Does TEDIC work with the Paraguayan Government?

Public actors act as a counterpart for TEDIC. This is because we work and advocate for public policies regarding the Internet and dialogue with the Paraguayan government on different discussion tables we are part of. For instance, the Open Government Table (Mesa de Gobierno Abierto). We believe the presence of civil society in these decision-making spaces is essential. 

About the organization’s financial support

How is the organization financially supported?

We are financed through cooperation projects and international applications for the management and execution of projects, from which we also cover the administrative and logistical costs of the organization.

Does TEDIC fund activities, collectives or groups?

Depends on the type of activity, collective or group. If we have an action fund with communities, it is possible to finance them as long as they respond to the mission and statutes of the organization and the thematic axes with which we are working at the specific moment. 

Do you open calls to which I can apply?

Yes, we open calls for volunteer work, consultancies, permanent posts and for participation in certain activities. 

How are activities monitored and to whom are they accountable?

Internally, the organization reports annually to the Board of Directors. An annual report of the organization and external audit by an international firm are published every year. Tax-wise, it is controlled by the Paraguayan government through the SET and Seprelad. It is also accountable to the international cooperators that collaborate with TEDIC.

About the issues the organization works with

What are digital rights?

Digital rights are human rights transferred to the digital realm and the digital dimension where they apply to anyone who inhabits the Internet. These rights, as in the non-digital sphere, are in constant dispute and can also be violated. The constitution in Paraguay has legislation in force against violations of digital rights. 

What is civic technology?

These are technologies that seek to influence public affairs concerning all citizens. These can be produced by citizens, such as civil society organizations, the State, and even private companies.

What is free culture?

Free culture promotes freedom in the distribution and modification of creative works based on the principle of free content to distribute or modify works and creative works, using the Internet and other means. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free-culture_movement)

To learn more about the work we do as the Creative Commons community in Paraguay, you can visit https://www.creativecommons.org.py

What is free software?

Free software is software that respects the freedom of its users and community. Roughly speaking, it means that users have the freedom to run, copy, distribute, study, modify and improve the software.
(Source: https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.es.html )

What is community?

For us, community is the way we come together to capitalize on collective knowledge, it is the mutual model of support among peers and among people who also want to know about what we do. We believe that through community we have more power and more courage to confront and influence the issues that affect us.

What does cyberactivism mean?

It is any political manifestation, whether personal/individual or collective, that is carried out in the digital environment, having repercussions both on the Internet and potentially in the analog sphere. Cyberactivism intends and seeks to influence politically, culturally and socially from the cybersphere.

What is a feminist Internet? Or for us: Cyborgfeministas

The feminist Internet is the space of plurality, empowerment and listening of women’s voices, cis, non-binary and queer, where they all have the right to participate, dispute and inhabit freely without violence. To learn more about our programmatic area on a Feminist Internet and Gender on the Internet, you can go to https://cyborgfeminista.tedic.org/, where you can find resources, podcasts and all our projects around these issues. 

What is Open Government?

Open government is a government that is accountable to its citizens in a transparent manner. Open government encourages participation and actively promotes transparency and audits of its management.  

What does digital security mean?

We like the term digital protection better, which refers to the preservation of the integrity of people in digital environments. Other groups and organizations use the term cybersecurity, for example the Freedom Online Coalition who define it as: 

“Cybersecurity is the preservation – through policy, technology, and education – of the availability*, confidentiality* and integrity* of information and its underlying infrastructure so as to enhance the security of persons both online and offline.”

(An Internet Free and Secure. (2014). A Human Rights Respecting Definition of Cybersecurity. Disponible en https://freeandsecure.online/definition/.)

About the organization’s activities

Do you offer open workshops?

It depends on the workshop, if it is a workshop for a specific audience or requested by an organization, no; however, we also open calls for training and workshops where anyone can participate. 

Can I request training for myself or my organization?

Yes, depending on the time available and also the staff capacity we can arrange training to support your organization. To do so, you can contact us at hola@tedic.org and from there we will answer your questions about training and the type of training we provide.

How can I keep up to date with TEDIC’s activities?

Through this website in the events section. Also our social media (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Mastodon, Flickr, Telegram, WhatsApp).

How can I collaborate with TEDIC’s projects?

TEDIC is always open to collaborations and alliances with individuals as well as with collectives and organizations, as we believe that networking is very enriching and contributes to a multiplicity of views and approaches. For direct queries you can also contact us at hola@tedic.org

How can I work at TEDIC?

We post open job announcements on our website and publish them through our official channels. These calls are not so common since we are a small team.