Instituto de Tecnologia e Sociedade (ITS Rio)

The Rio Institute of Technology and Society studies the impact and future of technology in Brazil and the world.

The mission of the Institute of Technology and Society (ITS) is to ensure that Brazil and the Global South respond creatively and appropriately to the opportunities provided by technology in the digital age, and that its potential benefits are widely shared by society.

Through research and partnerships with other institutions, ITS Rio analyzes the legal, social, economic and cultural dimensions of technology and promotes better regulatory practices that protect privacy, freedom of expression and access to knowledge. The institute also provides education in innovative formats, training and development opportunities for individuals and institutions about the promises and challenges of technology. Finally, ITS Rio aims to strengthen the voice of Brazil, Latin America and the Global South in debates on technologies, the Internet and regulation.

ITS Rio is an independent, non-profit research institute. Its team has over ten years of expertise in the capabilities of: (i) identifying opportunities and challenges of emerging technologies and their ramifications, conducting research on the range of related legal issues; (ii) analyze issues from multiple perspectives (legal, economic, social, cultural), highlighting critical aspects, particularly linked to fundamental rights and capable of widening social inequalities; (iii) make the issues involved in technologies – their promises and threats – clearly understood by policy makers, experts, activists and the general public at national, regional and international levels; (iv) mobilize progressive forces to advance opportunities or counter threats, and design collaborations between stakeholders related to the public good; and (v) provide expertise and independent perspectives in partnership with universities, civil society actors, the private sector and government agencies.