Placespeak

From urban planning to public transportation, from resource development to budgets, public and private sector organizations at all levels need to consult with real, relevant citizens and stakeholders. However, when engaging online – particularly on controversial projects or initiatives – how can you be confident that feedback is coming from members of the community, and not from online bots or trolls? Developed with the support of the National Research Council of Canada (NRC-IRAP) since 2011, PlaceSpeak revolutionizes online citizen engagement by taking the guesswork out of online engagement. Its unique geo-verification technology connects participants’ digital identity to their physical location, giving decision-makers the confidence that they are hearing from, and prioritizing feedback from, real people within the proposed project area. By facilitating the collection of verifiable, high-quality feedback, PlaceSpeak empowers public and private sector organizations to make accurate, well-informed and defensible decisions. At PlaceSpeak, user privacy is of utmost importance. PlaceSpeak was architected with Privacy by Design principles in mind – which means that privacy is always the default. We fund our free civic network by charging organizations conducting consultations a license fee. Unlike Facebook and Google, we do not sell advertising; unlike market research firms, we do not sell our users’ personal information. By allowing citizens to make a meaningful impact in an open, safe, secure and transparent manner, PlaceSpeak advances civic engagement to a whole new level and enables evidence-based decision-making. Instead of one-off consultations, PlaceSpeak breaks down silos and makes democracy habit-forming by connecting people with one another and the places where they live, work and play.