MEGAPHONE | Giving a voice to the voiceless

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1. What is your project? [1 sentence]

Megaphone is a low-bandwidth, anonymous or pseudonymous, private and public group mobile messaging platform that helps people raise their voice.

2. How will your project use mobile tools and approaches? [2 sentences]

Megaphone will use simple text-driven menus and voice messaging in conjunction with mobile encryption and the open Web to help people privately share discussions, and broadcast to the Web if they choose.

The system lets people leave voice messages that can be publicly or privately shared, and geo-mapped as indicated in the video indexed here: http://vimeo.com/12567943#comment_7816752

3. Who will use it and why? [1 sentence]

Journalists trying to spread news or find stories that would otherwise not come to light, and ordinary citizens building a culture of openness.

4. Please list three ways they would learn about your project.

Journalists will learn about Megaphone through:

- established journalist networks, such as the  Forum for African Investigative Reporters, Global Investigative Journalism Network, Investigative Reporters and Editors, the Online News Association, WJChat , journalism schools and alumni associations; digital/social media such as Twitter and Facebook

The public would learn about it from journalists, peers, NGOs and any news channels available to them, online or off.

5. What connections have you made, or will you make, with others [communities, organizations or networks] about your project? [2 sentences]

I have worked with the Social Innovation Group at the MaRS Centre in Toronto, MaRS FutureLab and colleagues from the Canadian Film Centre MediaLab on this project. The SIG has offered consulting and research support, but further outreach is necessary to journalist groups identified above.

6. What part of the project have you already built? [1-2 sentences, feel free to include links]

We have completed the prototype design and are seeking avenues to move to the system development phase.

7. What does success for your project look like? [1-2 sentences]

Success would be enabling journalists to find and share stories that may be difficult, dangerous or impossible to surface and share with the world, and to help people in repressive regimes practise using their voice and fostering a culture of openness.

8. What resources do you need to succeed? [1-2 sentences]

We need digital security, mobile software and distributed network expertise, especially for developing countries.