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Queer-Affirming Tech: Highlights from BetaBuilders #001
On June 23, 2026, BetaNYC hosted the first installment of BetaBuilders — a new community event for NYC public-interest tech practitioners, organized by the Associates Board. We held the event at Wilka’s, Manhattan’s first and only women’s sports bar. We are so appreciative of their willingness to host us and build an enduring partnership around…
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Joint Testimony to the NYC Council for Executive Budget Hearing, Public Comment on Department of Records and Information Services (DORIS)
Joint Testimony to the NYC Council for Executive Budget Hearing, Public Comment Modest $255,000 investment in OpenRecords portal will encourage better NYC FOIL performance, fully implement Local Law 11 of 2025 Thank you for the opportunity to provide written testimony on the Executive Budget as relates to the budget of the Department of Records and Information…
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This week in NYC #civictech – May 28, 2026
If you’re interested in building NYC’s public interest tech future, we have a space for you. We’re rebooting our community nights as BetaBuilder Nights.
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This week in NYC #civictech – May 22, 2026
Today, we’re launching four new digital democracy tools for AI. New York’s fight for public access to government information goes back to 1649 — when a Dutch lawyer named van der Donck went door to door in New Amsterdam collecting grievances, got thrown in jail for it, and still won. That fight never ended. It…
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New digital democracy tools for AI — MCPs for the Charter/Laws, Council, the City Record, and Checkbook
New Amsterdam’s Open Government History The argument about who controls what the public knows about its government is not a recent one in New York. It goes back to 1649. That year, Adriaen van der Donck — a Dutch lawyer and president of the Nine Men, the colonists’ advisory body to Director-General Stuyvesant — went…
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This week in NYC #CivicTech – May 14, 2026
We’re launching a new class series at a scale we haven’t attempted before, throwing our doors open because this is the moment for it.
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This week in NYC’s #CivicTech – May 7, 2026 (Week 19)
If you’ve watched as many YouTube videos on agentic software development as I have, you’ve been told we’re in a new world. So far that new world looks a lot like the old one: same oppression, same inequality, same distrust in democracy. Last Friday I spoke to NYU’s Center for Urban Science and Progress (CUSP)…
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BetaNYC joins 13 groups to fight for better freedom of information appeals – memo of support
MEMO OF SUPPORT S9607 (May) / A11143 (Kassay) Requires agencies to allow FOIL appeals be done electronically TITLE OF BILLAn act to amend the public officers law [POL], in relation to certain reforms for agencies subject to the freedom of information law [FOIL]. STATEMENT OF SUPPORTOur groups strongly support this bill because it is absurd…
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This week in NYC’s #CivicTech – April 30, 2026
We’re getting ready for one of our favorite moments of the year, a celebration of growth, impact, and the future of public interest tech in NYC.
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This week in NYC’s #CivicTech – April 23, 2026
Three epic community things this week! First, we named Data Vandals our Public Interest Technologist of the Month for April. Their work exemplifies what it looks like when civic technology refuses to be polite about the systems it’s holding to account — Jen Ray (artist) and Jason Forrest (dataviz expert) are driven by the conviction…
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Statement on Annie Levers’ appointment to the Director of the Mayor’s Office of Operations
“Annie Levers understands that effective government is built on accountability, transparency and improving how public systems serve people. As Director of the Mayor’s Office of Operations, she will ensure Ops is a true engine for data-driven management, public trust and better service delivery. Her record reflects a clear appreciation for how public interest tech, oversight…
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Data Vandals – PiTech’ers of the Month – April 2026
Data Vandals, Jen Ray (art) & Jason Forrest (dataviz) Can you share a bit about yourself and your work? Our artwork transforms data into experiences that invite curiosity and create conversations, turning passive observers into active participants.Data Vandals is Jen Ray (artist) and Jason Forrest (dataviz expert). Driven by the conviction that meaningful change happens when…
