Safe(r) Spaces

What are “safe spaces” really? Rooted in queer, feminist, and antiracist organizing, safe spaces have historically been places where people could exist without needing to justify or defend their identities. These spaces are not echo chambers; rather, they invite empathy, responsibility, and collective care.

Today, in terms of the digital environment simultaneously offers opportunities for connection and new forms of surveillance and harm. For many marginalized communities the digital is both liberating and dangerous. Access is shaped by class, gender, language, disability, and geography. Personal networks often become the main protective layer against online violence, censorship, and exposure. Meanwhile, privately owned platforms rely on surveillance-based business models that personalize content without meaningful consent. Algorithmic feeds can push vulnerable users into harmful spirals, violating their rights to privacy, health, and freedom of thought.

In response, civic tech platforms such as Decidim offer alternative ways to create participatory spaces that are more just, plural, and safe. By grounding design in principles like accessibility, autonomy, and reflexivity, among others, we can co-create digital and physical environments that support participants and encourage diverse voices.