As a research affiliate at the Data + Feminism Lab at MIT, I co-lead the participatory action research project “Data Against Feminicide,” which aims to (1) understand the data-gathering practices and technological challenges faced by activists who monitor feminicides and other forms of gender-related violence, particularly in the Americas, and (2) work with activists to co-design and develop digital tools that facilitate their monitoring labor. Through this work our team has co-developed a data highlighter browser extension and a tailored email alert system that uses machine learning to identify news articles that are highly likely to concern a feminicide. Both tools are freely accessible in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. Supporting materials and tutorials can be accessed here, and a brief report on our work here.

The project was originally co-created by Catherine D’Ignazio (Data + Feminism Lab), Silvana Fumega (Latin American Open Data Initiative, ILDA), and Helena Suárez Val (Feminicidio Uruguay). I contribute to the project’s qualitative research and collaborative work with activists, including coordinating our work in Brazil alongside Alessandra Jungs de Almeida.