Tactical Tech

What Tactical Tech does

Tactical Tech (legally Tactical Technology Collective) is a Berlin-based, German-registered non-profit founded in 2003 with 11–50 employees and an operating budget estimated in the low-to-mid single-digit millions of USD. Its mission is to explore the socio-political and environmental impacts of digital technology on society, and it does so primarily by producing free, open-source educational resources, training programs, applied research, and public exhibitions for civil-society audiences rather than through commercial products. The organization's portfolio is structured around four work areas: AI & Us, Digital Technologies & Climate, Youth & Tech, and Tech, Media & Digital Investigations. Flagship outputs include the Holistic Security Manual and Trainers' Manual (which integrate self-care, digital security, and information security into a unified methodology for human rights defenders), Security in-a-Box (co-developed with Front Line Defenders), the Data Detox Kit, the Digital Enquirer Kit, Gender and Tech Resources, the Exposing The Invisible investigative toolkit, the Hello AI! and The Glass Room exhibitions, and the RePlaybook and Supercharged Human field guides. The underlying technology is conventional open-source web publishing (WordPress-class CMS, self-hosted privacy-preserving analytics that does not collect personal data or IP addresses) combined with downloadable PDF toolkits and physical exhibition materials — there is no proprietary software product, API, or AI model.

The organization operates an event- and capacity-building-driven go-to-market: it delivers direct training, workshops, and digital residencies to human rights defenders, journalists, and civil-society organizations; distributes free digital downloads through its website; co-develops content with a global network of 500+ partner organizations across 90+ countries; and runs public exhibitions such as the annual Toxic Triangle and Hello AI! pop-ups. As a non-profit it has no commercial pricing model; all resources are provided at no cost. Funding comes from foundation and institutional grants (Ford Foundation, Open Society Foundations, Omidyar Network, Sigrid Rausing Trust, Mama Cash, FRIDA, Ashoka, the European Union, GIZ, USAID, Sida, Deutsche Postcode Lotterie, Swedish Postcode Lottery Foundation, Indigo Trust, European Media and Information Fund), corporate donors (DuckDuckGo, Proton, Mozilla), and individual donations supplemented by a small merchandise channel ("Everything Will Be Fine" via Shirtee).

Name

Tactical Tech

Legal name

Tactical Technology Collective

Website

https://tacticaltech.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Tactical Tech is a Berlin-based non-profit that produces free educational toolkits, training programs, and public exhibitions on digital security, AI literacy, and the socio-political impacts of technology for human rights defenders, journalists, and civil-society organizations globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Non-profit Digital Literacy Education and Civil Society Capacity Building

NAICS

Computer Training (611420)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Defense & Security (EDABALAH)

Keywords

• Digital security training
• Digital literacy education
• Civil society capacity building
• Data privacy awareness
• Human rights technology

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Foundation and Institutional Grants: Primary funding from foundations (Ford Foundation, Open Society Foundations, Omidyar Network, Sigrid Rausing Trust, Mama Cash, FRIDA, Ashoka) and institutional funders (European Union, GIZ, USAID, Sida, Deutsche Postcode Lotterie, Swedish Postcode Lottery Foundation). These grants fund specific projects, research initiatives, and operational costs.
2. Corporate and Individual Donations: Support from corporate donors (DuckDuckGo, Proton) and individual donors. The organization also receives donations through its website and merchandise shop (Shirtee store for 'Everything Will Be Fine' merchandise).

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Tactical Tech is a non-profit organization that develops and distributes free, open-source educational resources, digital security toolkits, training programs, and public exhibitions to help civil society actors, human rights defenders, and journalists understand and mitigate the socio-political and environmental impacts of digital technologies. Its core deliverables include the Holistic Security Manual, Security in-a-Box, the Data Detox Kit, the Digital Enquirer Kit, traveling exhibitions such as Hello AI! and The Glass Room, and applied research outputs such as the Security in Context studies, all provided free of charge to a global network of 500+ partner organizations across 90+ countries.

Product overview

Tactical Tech is a creative international non-profit organization with over two decades of experience dedicated to exploring the socio-political and environmental impacts of technology on society. The organization operates across four interconnected areas of work: AI & Us, Digital Technologies & Climate, Youth & Tech, and Tech, Media & Digital Investigations. Its portfolio comprises educational exhibitions (Hello AI!, The Glass Room), practical toolkits (Data Detox Kit, Digital Enquirer Kit, Security in-a-Box), comprehensive manuals (Holistic Security Manual and its Trainers' Manual), and specialized resources (Gender and Tech Resources wiki). These products work together to promote critical thinking about technology impacts, build capacity for digital security and media literacy, and foster understanding of the intersection between technology, power, and crises. The organization also conducts applied research (Security in Context) to improve training methodologies and publishes guides (RePlaybook) addressing contemporary information challenges.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Gender and Tech: Initiative focused on gender and technology security training, resources, and curricula for women and LGBTQIA+ activists globally.
• Holistic Security
• Exposing The Invisible
• Data Detox Kit
• Digital Enquirer Kit
• The Glass Room
• The Influence Industry Project
• What The Future Wants

Products and services

• Holistic Security Manual A strategy manual for human rights defenders that integrates self-care, well-being, digital security, and information security into traditional security management practices. Available as a free PDF download; the first manual to adopt an explicitly holistic approach to security.
• Holistic Security Trainers' Manual Companion resource to the Holistic Security Manual that provides security trainers and facilitators with best practices, stand-alone workshop session plans, and a complete 11-session holistic security curriculum for 4+ day training programs.
• Security in-a-Box Digital security training toolkit co-developed with Front Line Defenders that provides guides and resources for human rights defenders to protect their digital security. One of the most heavily utilized non-profit digital security resources worldwide.
• Data Detox Kit An interactive toolkit helping individuals understand and manage their digital privacy and data footprint through practical digital hygiene guidance.
• Digital Enquirer Kit An interactive toolkit helping individuals verify digital information, navigate digital information environments critically, and combat misinformation.
• Hello AI! Exhibition An interactive pop-up exhibition that demystifies artificial intelligence and invites audiences to critically reflect on how AI is reshaping lives, work, and societies through immersive posters, activities, and workshops exploring AI's promises and risks.
• The Glass Room Exhibition A pop-up exhibition exploring themes of data, privacy, and technology in everyday life, bringing Tactical Tech's educational content to public audiences.
• RePlaybook: A Field Guide to the Climate and Information Crisis A field guide gathering insights from 30 organisations and practitioners at the forefront of response to climate and information crisis. Explores how information environments shape opinion on climate and offers strategies to decode disorder, challenge tech paradigms, and counteract division.
• Supercharged Human Educational initiative providing toolkits, field guides, and practical activities helping educators, parents, and caregivers navigate AI's growing influence on young people. Empowers teenagers to strengthen agency, creativity, critical thinking, and digital rights in an increasingly AI-driven world.
• Gender and Tech Resources A wiki providing resources, tutorials, activities, and storytelling related to gender and technology, including feminist approaches to digital security and privacy. Multi-language curricula available in English, Spanish, and Portuguese for women and LGBTQIA+ activists.
• Exposing The Invisible A project providing resources, digital residencies, and training programs on investigative methods and OSINT that enable journalists, citizen investigators, and content creators to uncover hidden information, expose corruption, and promote truth.
• Security in Context Research Applied research publications documenting the processes by which human rights defenders learn about and adopt digital security practices, including two major studies on training effectiveness conducted during 2014–2015.
• The Toxic Triangle A research and exhibition project providing a unique look into young people's online experience on social media and the industry behind it.
• What The Future Wants Youth-focused initiative empowering young people to shape the digital world through creative, playful educational interventions and workshop curricula co-created with youth and educators.
• The Influence Industry Project A research project documenting and analyzing the data broker and influence industry and its impact on information ecosystems.

Quantifiable outcome

• 30+ million people reached through collaborative work since 2003
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Front Line DefenderscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term partnership with Front Line Defenders to develop and maintain 'Security in-a-Box', one of the most heavily utilized non-profit digital security resources worldwide. Both organizations collaborate on digital security training for human rights defenders.
• Protection InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization focused on protection of human rights defenders. Collaborated with Tactical Tech on the Training of Trainers (TOT) program and holistic security methodology development.
• La LomasupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesign partner that collaborated on visual identity, web design, and creation of the Holistic Security sculpture and diagrams. Long-time collaborator on various Tactical Tech projects including Visualising Information for Advocacy and Women's Rights Info-Activism Toolkit.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Privacy International: Privacy International is a UK-based charity that investigates and challenges government surveillance and data exploitation. It shares Tactical Tech's digital security and privacy education mission for civil society.
• Access Now: Access Now is a global digital rights non-profit that defends and extends the digital rights of users at risk, including training civil society on digital security. Highly comparable to Tactical Tech in mission, target audience, and capacity-building model.
• Front Line Defenders: Front Line Defenders is a core strategic partner of Tactical Tech and co-developer of Security in-a-Box. It focuses on protection of human rights defenders, including digital security, providing a directly comparable service offering.
• Citizen Lab: Citizen Lab is an academic research lab at the University of Toronto that investigates digital surveillance and threats to civil society. It overlaps with Tactical Tech's Security in Context research and human rights defender support mission.
• Freedom of the Press Foundation: Freedom of the Press Foundation supports and defends journalism focused on whistleblowers, source protection, and press freedom. Comparable to Tactical Tech's work with journalists and citizen investigators.

Emerging players

• Digital Rights Foundation: Digital Rights Foundation is a Pakistan-based non-profit focused on digital rights, particularly for women and marginalized groups. Comparable to Tactical Tech's Gender and Tech initiative and holistic security training focus.

Broad incumbents

• Witness: Witness is a global non-profit that uses video and technology to defend human rights. Similar mission and target audience to Tactical Tech, with focus on media-based advocacy and training civil society.
• Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF): EFF is a larger, established digital rights non-profit focused on privacy, free expression, and security. It serves a similar audience of activists, journalists, and technologists but operates at a broader scale and has a litigation and policy advocacy focus.
• Article 19: Article 19 is an international freedom of expression organization that works on digital rights, journalism safety, and policy. Comparable to Tactical Tech in target audience (journalists, activists) and digital security training offerings.
• Internews: Internews is a larger international non-profit that supports independent media and information access globally. Comparable in mission and target audience, with overlap in digital security training for journalists.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/info_activism
• YouTubevimeo.com/tacticaltech
• Facebookfacebook.com/Tactical.Tech
• Instagraminstagram.com/tactical_tech
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tactical-tech

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Tactical Tech