Use When
Authorities demand bulk data sharing, deploy public‑space facial recognition, or buy data to bypass warrants.
Grants and procurements are weaponized—blacklisting critical voices and routing funds to insiders.
“Foreign agent/extremist” labels and SLAPPs (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation) are used to coerce collaboration.
Instructions
- 1
Analyze the agency’s money, data-sharing, and legal power to find weak points.
- 2
Group legal, tech, and comms experts together using secure, encrypted messaging apps.
- 3
Draft standard letters and contract clauses for partners to legally decline cooperation.
- 4
Launch a live list tracking every partnership declined and the reasons why.
- 5
Provide whistleblower channels and FOIA kits to document and expose agency abuses.
- 6
Coordinate with NGOs and donors to quickly debunk any government disinformation.
- 7
Set up alternative ways for the public to get help during the boycott.
- 8
Set clear reform goals that must be met before re-engaging with the agency.
Historic Parallels
- United Kingdom, 2018, medical and civil‑society boycott of NHS‑Home Office immigration data‑sharing, MoU scrapped and patient confidentiality strengthened.
- United States, 2020, tech‑sector refusals on police facial recognition sales, moratoria and local restrictions slowed deployment and enabled oversight.
- South Africa, 1980s, civic and business noncooperation with apartheid agencies and parastatals, legitimacy and financing eroded and negotiations accelerated.
United Kingdom, 2018, medical and civil‑society boycott of NHS‑Home Office immigration data‑sharing, MoU scrapped and patient confidentiality strengthened.Modern Examples
- Technology & Telecom firms reject "smart city" integrations and data-fusion projects without strict human-rights safeguards.
- Academic & Healthcare institutions freeze security ministry data-sharing, creating independent, safe pathways for patient and student care.
- Organizations refuse propaganda-linked grants, redirecting those funds to independent, transparent civil-society pools.
Participants
Individual
Yes
10–25 core coordinators (legal, procurement, privacy, comms, sector liaisons, digital security) plus organization captains to manage templates, incident logging, and outreach.
Helpful Materials
- Refuser-letter templates
- Legal memos on data-sharing
- Encrypted-messaging
- Open‑contracting/FOI (Freedom of Information) request kits
- High-contrast window placards
References
- Open Contracting Partnership, Open Contracting Guide, 2023
- Transparency International, Curbing Corruption in Public Procurement, 2019
- Access Now, Data Sharing for Public–Private Partnerships: Human Rights Safeguards, 2022
- Electronic Frontier Foundation, Face Recognition: A Guide for Policymakers & Vendors, 2020
- ECNL, Foreign Agent Laws: Impact and Responses, 2021
- UN OHCHR, UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, 2011
- OECD, Preventing Corruption in Public Procurement, 2016
- U.S. Supreme Court, NAACP v. Claiborne Hardware Co., 1982
Use of Action Playbook educational materials must adhere with Unruled Masses’ Terms of Service.
Stay Nonviolent. Coordinate Strategically. Take Back Your Power.