A clearer forecast for the organisations you support.

How it works

The charities, co-ops and community groups you support depend on platforms that set the terms, change their rules without warning, and leave them exposed when conditions change. Most can't see that risk building, and few have the time to look.

TechFreedom is a three-session programme that networks and funders commission for their members and grantees. Working as a small, private cohort, each organisation audits the tools it relies on, explores practical alternatives, and leaves with a plan for reducing its dependency on Big Tech. You get an anonymised report on where the risk sits across the group.

Commission a cohort

We run a private cohort of up to ten organisations from your network or portfolio. They do the work on their own technology; you get the bigger picture.

For networks

Support your members as a group

Umbrella bodies, membership networks and infrastructure organisations use TechFreedom to give members practical help with a problem they share, and to learn where the membership is most exposed.

For funders

Strengthen the organisations you fund

Funders use TechFreedom to build grantees' capacity, so a price rise or policy change at a platform doesn't put the work you fund at risk. You see where your portfolio is fragile, with no organisation singled out.

  1. You choose the groupUp to ten organisations from your network or portfolio, with one person taking part from each.
  2. They work through three sessionsEach organisation maps its technology, scores the risks across five lenses, and builds its own roadmap.
  3. You receive an aggregate risk reportAn anonymised picture of the tools the group relies on, where risk concentrates, and the priorities that came out of their plans.

Read about the programme in detail →

Where the pressure builds

Dependency on Big Tech isn't abstract; it shows up in specific, concrete ways. Each cohort examines its technology through five lenses, each revealing a different kind of exposure. Here are three of them.

  1. 01 — Jurisdiction

    Where does your data actually live?

    Under whose laws? If your organisation stores sensitive data with a US-headquartered provider, it may be subject to access requests under US law regardless of where the servers are physically located.

    The TechFreedom approach

    We help you map your data flows, understand jurisdictional exposure, and identify where sovereignty matters most for your organisation.

  2. 02 — Business Continuity

    What happens when a platform changes the rules?

    If you depend on a single provider, you are vulnerable. They can change their prices, alter their terms, or lock you out. If that happens, your organisation stops working.

    The TechFreedom approach

    We teach you to create systems that you own and control. You will learn how to set up backups and alternatives so that if one service fails, you can keep going, building a realistic roadmap for reducing single points of failure.

  3. 03 — Surveillance

    How much does your tech stack know about you?

    How much does your technology stack know about you, your staff, and the people you serve? Data collection isn't always visible, and the line between analytics and surveillance has become dangerously blurred.

    The TechFreedom approach

    You will learn to use tools that keep your information private and only share what you choose to share. We audit your tools for data collection practices, help you understand what's being gathered, and identify privacy-respecting alternatives.

These three lenses are part of a wider set of five. Lock-in and Cost Exposure complete the picture. Together, where they overlap, they produce ten distinct compounding risks, with total dependency risk at the centre. Explore all five lenses

“In a changing world, many social purpose organisations find themselves deeply dependent on US tech giants. TechFreedom gives them the clarity to see what this means for their mission, and the confidence to start making different choices.”

Richard Edwards

Richard Edwards

Outlandish

What does digital sovereignty feel like?

Stacktopolis is a satirical survival game where you're the CTO of a small charity, managing your tech stack against increasingly absurd (but plausible) disasters. Jurisdiction raids, continuity failures, surveillance creep: how many quarters can you last?

Play Stacktopolis

Desktop only. No signup required.

The sky is clearing

No organisation should have to trade away control for convenience, and none should have to work it out alone. A cohort gives the organisations you support the time, structure and peers to take a clear-eyed look at their technology. It gives you the evidence to back them.

Commission a cohort

Tell us about your network or portfolio, and we'll suggest dates and send a quote. Get in touch

Or write to contact@fieldstation.xyz

Who's behind this?

TechFreedom is a FIELD STATION project, built by two people who've spent years helping organisations approach technology with clarity and independence.

Tom Watson

Coach, advisor and technologist focused on social purpose. Blends data, technology, design and strategy grounded in open infrastructure and principles. Also runs The Good Ship.

Doug Belshaw

Consultant, facilitator, and critical friend. Helping mission-driven organisations make sense of complexity. Specialising in digital literacies, open technology and decentralisation. Also runs Dynamic Skillset.

Run by FIELD STATION Tom and Doug's company. See the rest of our work at fieldstation.xyz.

Stay informed

Each month we send a short roundup of links on digital sovereignty, open technology, and reducing Big Tech dependency. No tracking, no nonsense.