ABOUT US

About civ.works

Rebuilding trust in digital civic engagement.

Civic Works is the vision of Golda Velez and George Polisner. Modern democracy faces profound challenges: polarization, disinformation, and declining trust in institutions. Digital spaces often amplify these issues through proprietary algorithms rather than resolve them.

There is a critical need for public-interest platforms designed to promote civic trust, informed deliberation, and authentic engagement. While providing a secure social networking platform, the Civic Works platform will go beyond the conventional by providing:

  • A civic action distribution system
  • Subscriber-customizable algorithms to select and prioritize your social feed
  • Mechanisms to guard against the spread of propaganda, disinformation, and heavily-biased news
  • Ability to participate more fully in democratic processes

Why civ.works?

We are building an ad-free, subscriber-supported (think Netflix for Democracy!) civic social network, built for civic action and education.

Global & Local Focus

civ.works will operate regionally, ensuring local languages, news, and civic actions are prioritized.

Engagement & Debate

Create spaces for casual sharing and serious discussions, where verified users can collaborate across differences.

Combat Disinformation

With trusted partners, we'll ensure accurate news and fact-based information.

Support Journalism & Research

Revenue-sharing agreements will help sustain independent journalism and academic inquiry.

Civic Action

Access tailored opportunities for civic engagement based on your location and interests.

Cross-Platform Integration

civ.works will enable users to easily share across platforms while maintaining privacy.

THE TEAM

The civ.works Team

Because there's no "I" in team.

George A. Polisner

George A. Polisner

Executive Director

George combines more than 30 years of development and engineering experience at Oracle, HP, Dell, and the State of California, with an extensive background in ESG and organizing behavior.

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Golda Velez

Golda Velez

CTO & Board Member

Golda has worked for JPL, Oracle, and other major enterprises and startups to direct complex projects, programs, and teams. She is deeply involved in human rights efforts worldwide.

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Ed Peselman

Ed Peselman

Chief Marketing Officer

Ed is a content creator and producer focused on developing revolutionary tools for civic engagement and activism.

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Our Structure

The civ.works platform is a project of the 501(c)3 non-profit Civic Works. We protect our subscribers in multiple ways:

  • We are evaluating the creation of a Public Benefit Corporation and including subscriber and subscriber data privacy in the corporate charter.
  • We are planning a Perpetual Purpose Trust, protecting the non-profit and the Public Benefit Corporation from acquisition and subversion of mission by bad actors.
  • We are building a scalable, secure decentralized and federated technology platform similar to Mastodon and Bluesky.

We recognize we are the product, not our subscribers and their data.

Support civ.works

civ.works is an ad-free civic social network. Your data is never shared with marketers or shadowy political operatives.

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