Mydem

Mydem is a term used to describe a class of software tools and design concepts intended to support digital democracy and citizen participation in governance. It is not a single official product, but a label used in civic-tech discussions to describe platforms and workflows that enable deliberation, proposal development, and participatory decision making. The aim is to increase transparency, broaden access to policy discussion, and provide auditable records of proposals and votes.

Typical features of a mydem-style system include deliberation forums with threaded discussions and search; proposal drafting tools with versioning and amendment tracking; online voting using multiple methods (majority, ranked-choice) and privacy-preserving options; secure digital identity, access control, and privacy protections; event logs, audit trails, and data export; and accessibility and multi-language support.

Architecturally, such systems are modular, with core services for identity, data storage, decision rules, and an extensible plugin layer for polls, budgets, and consultations. Use cases span local government participatory budgeting, legislative consultations, and public feedback on regulatory proposals.

Since there is no single official standard, implementations vary and are typically developed by independent organizations, academic groups, or city projects. Critics point to concerns about digital accessibility and the digital divide, privacy and security risks, potential for manipulation or bias in deliberation, and the need for robust governance to avoid capture by special interests.