AGENCY Toolbox

Introduction

The AGENCY Toolbox brings together the key findings and resources from a multidisciplinary research project exploring how agency shapes the experience of online harms. By investigating real-world cases across FemTech, smart homes, online disinformation, and energy misinformation, the toolbox aims to make visible the complex ways digital technologies can impact both individuals and communities. It offers practical insights, toolkits, data, and open-source code to help the general public, researchers, designers, and policymakers better understand these issues and develop responses that empower users.

Who is it for and how to use it

This toolbox is designed for a wide range of users:

• Members of the public are invited to explore accessible summaries and interactive resources that help make sense of how digital systems affect everyday life.
• Researchers can use the case studies, datasets, and source code to build on our work, replicate findings, or explore new questions.
• Designers and businesses can draw from our toolkits and examples to identify risks and develop safer, more user-centred digital services.
• Policymakers and community organisations will find strategic guidance in the Policy Playbook, which includes recommended interventions and illustrative use cases to support regulatory and advocacy work.

Each section of the toolbox is self-contained, enabling focused exploration of specific case studies or themes. The materials can be used independently or in combination to draw broader connections across digital harms. The case studies offer concrete examples and resources for further investigation or practical application, while the policy playbook provides a system-level view of possible interventions. Together, these components support research, design, and policymaking efforts aimed at addressing online harms in ways that strengthen individual and collective agency.