On August 21, I celebrate Joe Strummer’s birthday. If you’ve stood at 7th & A on the Lower East Side, you’ve seen the mural that honors his legacy—a poet, musician, traveler, humanitarian. Above his face: “The future is unwritten.”
Dreams don’t come true by willpower alone. They come true through hard, grueling, never-ending work — a reality Francesca Polletta names in Freedom Is an Endless Meeting. Since 2011, this community has demanded an NYC.gov that actually serves the people: responsive, accessible, and accountable.
Fourteen years ago, at the City’s first hackathon Reinvent NYC.gov, BetaNYC was born. It was the github repo we used to pitch the idea of a mobile responsive website with simple search integration with NYC 311’s Content API. We knew then, just as we know now, that public technology should be built for the public good.
And now, we raise our glasses to OTI’s NYC Digital Services team and the new NYC.gov. 👉 See the announcement
This victory didn’t come easy—it came through years of pressure inside and outside of government. The Digital Service Team has delivered a redesigned site. It’s not perfect, but it’s a step forward. And here’s the thing: they’re asking for your voice. In-person, online, and hopefully at CityCamp NYC on Saturday, September 6. Bring your ideas. Bring your community. Bring your fire.
As you get ready for CityCamp NYC, here are three pieces to fuel your fight:
- Public Interest Tech Under Fire – The State of Independent Technology Research 2025: Power in Numbers documents the struggle to keep public-interest research alive—and the coalition fighting back. 👉 Read the report
- Civic Columns, Civic Power – Nonprofit Quarterly has launched new civic columns, led by practitioners refusing to accept broken systems. These voices imagine what’s possible—and insist that yes, we can fix what’s broken. 👉 Read the columns
- AI & Civic Tech: Choosing Our Future – Our newsletter continues to lift up critical conversations. First, Mar Hicks in Fast Company reminds us a dystopian AI future is not inevitable. Second, MIT has an in-depth look at the “cognitive debt” that comes with outsourcing too much to machines.
This is the work: organizing, researching, pushing for better tools, and demanding accountability. Strummer told us the future is unwritten. It’s ours to write.
Happy Birthday, Joe. Let’s keep fighting together.
— Noel Hidalgo
Upcoming Events with BetaNYC 🎊
September 6 CityCamp NYC, Join BetaNYC for a full day of participant-led sessions where you set the agenda. Dive into hands-on workshops, cross-sector collaborations, and lively discussions on the future of tech and policy in NYC. Be part of shaping ideas and building solutions. General admission tickets are now available!
September 6 at 5:30 pm CityCamp NYC After Party & Fundraiser, Keep the energy going after CityCamp NYC. Everyone is welcome, no need to have attended CityCamp NYC! Join us for a night of connection, celebration, and civic tech spirit. This gathering is more than an after party, it’s a fundraiser supporting open government, data equity, and community-driven change. CityCamp NYC attendees get special discounted tickets!
Community Resources 📚
- Inca Knots Unraveled: A new study shows that even commoners, not just elites, used elaborate Inca khipu knots for recordkeeping, expanding our understanding of ancient data systems.
- When the Feed Becomes the State: Kayla Schwoerer, Ph.D. (a BetaNYC Associate Board member!) explores how algorithmic feeds increasingly shape civic life and governance, blurring lines between digital platforms and the state.
- The Algorithm Next Door: Deepti Doshi dives into how algorithms subtly steer local communities, creating unseen but powerful social divides.
- Latinos and the American Dream: Nearly half of Latinos say the American Dream feels out of reach, according to the 2025 Hispanic Sentiment Study. The Latino Newsletter has the full details.
- Chicago Church as Migrant Shelter: Hammer & Hope tells the story of how a local church became a sanctuary for migrants, revealing the challenges of faith, community, and public policy.
- A Glimpse into Baldwin’s World: The New Yorker reviews Nicholas Boggs’ new book that reframes James Baldwin’s life through his most intimate relationships. (Paywall)
- Mapping NYC’s Pool Tables: Hell Gate highlights Dan Tran’s project mapping where pool tables still exist across the city, turning nightlife into civic cartography. (Paywall)
This Week in NYC Civic Tech 🗽
- Ticketing Blind Spots: Streetsblog uncovers how NYC traffic cops often ignore the city’s worst parking offenders, letting chronic scofflaws off the hook.
- BronxNet Layoffs: THE CITY reports on layoffs at BronxNet, raising alarms about the future of local public-access media.
- Bronx’s Ongoing Digital Divide: A quarter of Bronx families still lack home broadband in 2025, underscoring persistent inequities in digital access.
- Abandoned Bicycles as Tombstones: Streetsblog covers the haunting pile of abandoned bicycles outside NYC’s immigration courthouse.
- Foot Traffic Comeback: Manhattan foot traffic has surpassed pre-pandemic levels, according to Placer.ai’s latest analysis. Gothamist has more insights on this trend.
This Week in Data, Tech, & Gov News 🏛️
- Crime Hype Politics: The American Prospect explains why Republicans keep leaning on fears of rising crime, even when crime itself is not increasing.
- Zelle Faces Lawsuit: New York Attorney General Letitia James sued Zelle, alleging that security failures contributed to $1 billion in fraud losses.
- Microsoft Surveillance Inquiry: The Guardian reports that Microsoft is investigating claims that Israel used its technology for mass surveillance of Palestinians.
- Digital Literacy Under Pressure: City & State examines how New York schools are fighting for digital equity and literacy amid federal budget threats.
- Climate Targets Faltering: New York is falling short of its ambitious climate goals; experts say the state has focused too much on shutting down polluting facilities without strengthening its power grid to support clean energy.
Artificial Intelligence 🤖
- USAi is Here: The federal government launched USAi, a new national AI platform. Mark Head offers their take on what it could mean for civic tech.
- Meta Chatbot Tragedy: Reuters investigates how a Meta AI chatbot was linked to a user’s death, raising urgent questions about accountability.
- GPT-5 vs GPT-4o: Ars Technica puts GPT-5 to the test against GPT-4o, exploring performance gaps and user frustrations.
- AI Mass Delusion: The Atlantic explores how belief in AI’s omnipotence is becoming a cultural “mass delusion” with political consequences. (Paywall)
- Data, Faith, and Surveillance: MIT Tech Review examines how AI is reshaping American religious spaces through surveillance and data collection. (Paywall)
Election 2025 🗳️
- Cuomo vs. Mamdani Round Two: Crain’s New York reports that pro-Cuomo groups are gearing up for another showdown with mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani. (Paywall)
- New York Politics’ Shifting Landscape: The Nation explores how Zohran Mamdani is reshaping New York Democratic politics.
- Future of the Real Estate Industry: City & State covers how NYC’s real estate industry is reckoning with mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani’s growing influence.
- Tech and Politics Collide: WIRED examines the differing perspectives between mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani and tech executives, and highlights that is not the case in NYC. (Paywall)
- From Local Organizer to National Figure: Defector unpacks how mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani’s profile is growing beyond New York politics. (Paywall)
Jobs Alert and Announcements 💼
- CUNY’s Office of Academic Innovation is seeking a Project Coordinator, Office of Academic Technology.
- CUNY School of Professional Studies (CUNY SPS) is hiring a Software Engineer.
- The NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene is recruiting a Product Health Systems Manager.
- WIRED is searching for a Features Editor.
Upcoming Events 📅
Note: All times are listed in EDT
- August 29 at 10 am and September 26 at 10 am NYC Coffee & Tech Policy, at Think Coffee in Manhattan, 123 4th Ave
- September 5 at 6 pm Understanding AI with Data & Society | What the Public Needs to Know
- September 23 at 6:30 pm Understanding AI with Data & Society | The Environmental Costs of AI Are Surging – What Now?
Do you believe NYC should work for everyone? We do too. BetaNYC brings people and technology together to build a more transparent and equitable city.
Support our work and help shape our future at beta.nyc/donate.
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