What is Public Interest Technology (PIT)?
Public Interest Technology refers to the study and application of technology expertise to advance the public interest in a way that generates public benefits and promotes the public good, particularly for those members of our society least well served historically and today by existing systems and policies. Importantly, it includes both individuals who approach these questions from a technological background, those with lived experience and expertise, and those coming from other disciplines (including, but not limited to, law and social science and movement-building) who seek to understand, use, and respond to the changes brought by new technologies.
It can—and should—also include people who may not identify as technologists but are at the forefront of equalizing access to technology and promoting inclusive tech policy, such as those working in the ecosystems of access, open source and creative commons, digital literacy, inclusive design, movement and activist tech, community tech, and digital privacy and security.