Pnyx, the digital public assembly; redefining representation
THE QUESTION
Can a digital campaign platform promote credibility in politics and support a fair election process?
LOCATION: Malaysia
SECTOR: Public Engagement
TECH: Digital Platform
TIMELINE: September 2022 - Present
PIONEER: Poorani Krishnan
PARTNER: Digitum Labs
The Challenge
Outdated election processes can result in limited voter engagement and lean towards maintenance of the status quo. Greater engagement in democratic processes and increased voter turnout can lead to more diverse presentation, greater competition resulting in more accountability. A strengthened democratic process can lead to government better equipped to address inequality and critical needs across security, health, education and income generation.
The Idea
This pilot aims to understand how technology can enhance election processes and increase voter participation. The pilot will explore the potential of a digital platform that directly connects voters with candidates to provide information on their record, ambitions and monitorable pledges.
The pilot will explore:
Which technologies would be needed to underpin the digital platform (AI, blockchain, big data)?
Whether the electorate, candidates and elected officials are willing and able to engage with such a platform?
How information could be gathered and verified?
What it would take to be build trust in such a platform and ensure it’s neutrality?
Data Privacy
The Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and Frontier Tech Hub respect all international and local legal requirements and data protection standards and contractually impose the same standards and requirements for data security on downstream implementation partners. As part of the MyDemokrasi project, neither FCDO or any of the Frontier Technologies Hub consortium partners (DT Global, R4D or Brink) will have access to, or the right to access, privileged or private information on the MyDemokrasi platform during and following completion of the pilot. The role of the FCDO and Frontier Tech Hub is restricted to catalysing the idea through funding and technical assistance in the pilot phase. From the 1st of April 2025, at the end of the pilot, the My Demokrasi platform will be fully locally owned and operated by Digitum Labs, the pilot’s implementing partner. Digitum Labs share a wider statement regarding data protection and security on the My Demokrasi platform at the following link: MyDemokrasi -
Follow along as we share updates on our journey. Stay tuned!
Read the findings from the final sprint of the MyDemokrasi pilot, and how the team plans to take the platform forward to advance digital political engagement in Malaysia.