About Nupef

Nupef was created in 2005 as an internal project of the Third Sector Information Network (RITS) and as a response to the need to actively monitor the impact of digital networks on the work of organized civil society. It was created as a study and training center within RITS, when the latter was advancing in cutting-edge projects, such as community telecenters in the Southeast and community networks using satellites and Wi-Fi in the Amazon.

In 2009, the project was organized as an independent entity, and the team and its activities became part of the Nupef Institute (a non-profit civil society under private law). Members of this team are among the pioneers who participated in the creation in 1990 of the Association for the Progress of Communications (APC, an international association of civil entities focused on the democratization of information and digital inclusion), the Eco'92 Internet project and the creation of the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee (CGI.br) in 1995. Nupef also continued to maintain the Internet services project aimed at civil entities, originally created by Ibase, now called Tiwa, with the support of RNP and NIC.br.

Part of Nupef's mission is to produce and disseminate knowledge on how the effective use of information and communication technologies can contribute to the improvement of democracy and the defense of human rights. In addition, Nupef participates in collective defense actions aimed at the formulation and improvement of public policies in the field of digital technologies and networked communication.

Nupef's technological infrastructure and expertise help civil society organizations, social movements and communities to implement innovative and secure practices in digital environments. This is done through the Tiwa project, a non-profit Internet service available exclusively to civil society organizations, social movements, and educational and research entities. Tiwa's services guarantee a protected infrastructure environment for innovation, experimentation, debates, and training processes, as well as services provided by Nupef and its partners.

Nupef's specialized team also collaborates with indigenous communities, quilombolas, and others to enable community Internet access networks in remote areas of the Amazon and other regions of Brazil. This includes designing and installing network infrastructure, as well as training community members in the maintenance and proper and safe use of the network.

In response to the need to protect content maintained by entities and social movements, Nupef created the Graúna project, which seeks to function as a mirror of essential data from pages and services at risk on the Internet. Graúna also maintains a portable server with essential repositories, installed in community networks where connectivity is precarious.

Nupef is a member of coalitions and organizational networks. The Institute has political repercussions in Brazil and abroad, with its representatives acting in spaces such as the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee (CGI.br), the Coalition for Rights on the Internet (CDR), the Association for Progressive Communications (APC) and the Global Network for Social Justice and Digital Resilience (DRN). Within the UN, members of Nupef participated in the Working Group on Internet Governance (WGIG) which sought to establish the meaning of "Internet governance" - a definition that has since been used by UN agencies. They have been present at the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) since its inception, having participated in its Multistakeholder Advisory Group (MAG).

Vision

Nupef's vision is to be a reference space in the production and exchange of knowledge and practices on the development and use of communication and information technologies as tools for citizenship empowerment, and on policies and norms that promote and guarantee fundamental rights in digital environments.

Mission

Nupef's mission is to contribute to the full exercise of citizenship and to the guarantee and promotion of fundamental rights in societies connected in networks through the innovative and safe use of information and communication technologies, the dissemination of knowledge, and the strengthening of capacities for the strategic appropriation of digital tools, in collaboration with civil society organizations and social movements who share our values.