About the Project
Silent Forums Initiative is a civic media project documenting online conversations from overlooked digital spaces—while critically questioning what it means to make things "visible."
We recognize that visibility is not always empowerment. For some communities, being "discovered" can mean increased surveillance, targeting, or erasure of self-determined narratives. Our work prioritizes community agency over research visibility.
In an increasingly connected world, true connection begins by respecting those who choose silence.
The Visibility Paradox
We recognize that making communities visible is not always empowerment. For some groups—particularly those with protected characteristics or facing systemic discrimination—increased visibility can mean increased targeting, surveillance, or unwanted attention. Our approach prioritizes community agency: communities decide if, how, and to whom they become visible.
Read our ethical framework→Research Ethics Commitment
This project adheres to King's College London research ethics guidelines and GDPR compliance. We implement privacy-first protocols, enable community takedown requests within 5 business days, and refuse to share data with surveillance actors or commercial AI platforms. If our research makes someone vulnerable, we have failed—not as researchers, but as humans.
Our Mission
To ethically engage with digital narratives from marginalized communities—preserving voices that wish to be heard while protecting those who choose strategic invisibility. We serve communities, not algorithms.
Our Approach
Combining ethical data collection with critical data practices that recognize absence, silence, and refusal as meaningful forms of communication—not problems to solve, but choices to respect.
Project Timeline
Key milestones and achievements in our journey to amplify marginalized digital voices
Website & Research Framework Launch
Official website launched with methodology documentation, ethics protocols, and initial research framework
Project Launch & Whitepaper Release
Silent Forums Initiative founded at King's College London with official whitepaper v1.0 release
Pilot Data Collection
Initial forum scouting and pilot collection from 3-5 underrepresented regions across multiple languages
NLP Pipeline & Analysis
Semantic clustering and thematic analysis using GPT-based models across collected data
Interactive Map Launch
Public release of data explorer with regional filtering, thematic clustering, and network mapping
First Policy Briefs & Case Studies
Release initial policy briefs and documented case studies with academic peer review
Community Expansion & Partnerships
Expand regional coverage, establish research partnerships, and launch advisory board program
More milestones coming as we expand regional coverage and research impact
Meet the Researchers
A multidisciplinary team combining digital media studies, data analytics, and civic engagement
Hunter Guo
过泓锦
Durham University, Politics & IR
Politics & International Relations
Research Design & Methodology
Data Ethics & Policy Framework
Global South Digital Studies
Gabriel Vaccan
加布里埃尔·瓦坎
Self-Taught Full-Stack Developer
Computer Science & Web Development
Full-Stack Architecture (React, Next.js, Node.js)
Database Design & API Development
Performance Optimization & Scalability
Advisory Board
We are currently establishing our advisory board to include experts in digital ethnography, data ethics, community engagement, and policy impact. Academic advisors and community representatives will be announced in Q2 2025.
Standards & Certifications
Our research adheres to the highest ethical and professional standards
GDPR Compliant
Data protection standards
WCAG AA
Accessibility certified
Open Research Data
Transparent methodology
Ethics Reviewed
Academic standards
Carbon Rating A+
Sustainable digital infrastructure