ByteDance announced it is partnering with EQUALS, the ground-breaking global network of corporate leaders, governments, non-profit organizations, communities and individuals dedicated to bridging the digital gender divide. The formal partnership was announced during a ceremony on Global Festival of AI hosted by Bytedance in Beijing with representatives from both parties .
EQUALS, an international programme sponsored by ITU and UN Women, works to reverse the increasing digital gender divide and close the gap by 2030. EQUALS’ mission supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 5 by empowering women through their use of information and communication technologies.
To achieve its goals, EQUALS partners focus on three core issues: access to the Internet, skills development in STEM, and leadership development to promote women in decision-making roles in the ICT industry. ByteDance is partnering with EQUALS to support Internet access initiatives and empowering women with more economic opportunity.
Zhen Liu, ByteDance Senior Vice President for Corporate Development, said:
“ByteDance connects people all over of the world with the content they care about, and now we are taking a step further. By partnering with EQUALS, ByteDance is helping more women connect with a better future by empowering them to connect, create and prosper. Worldwide, there are hundreds of millions fewer women than men who own a mobile phone or use the Internet. This lack of access for women blocks them from e-commerce and the many economic opportunities that can be found from being online. We have the experience, technology, and passion within our company to make a difference among for women who have been disadvantaged in the Internet age.”
Since the beginning of 2017, Bytedance has launched several initiatives helping women from the underpreviledged areas as well as unemployed women. It includes a program to support stay-at-home mothers by providing free online courses in producing digital content so they can become creators, leverage personalized recommendation technologies, and receive advertisement revenue sharing from the company’s broad range of platforms.
ByteDance has been applying its personalized Internet technology to recommend and support philanthropic projects tailored to the users’ engagement, including supporting women and children in need. The Toutiao Time Donation program enables users to redeem their credited time from using the app for money donated to charities sponsored by advertisers. One month after the debut of the platform, over 3 million users donated 200 million minutes in total. The credited minutes were used to purchase children’s books, clothes, and other materials for worthy causes.
Through it partnership with EQUALS, both parties will jointly create and introduce more initiatives in the future.
About EQUALS
EQUALS is a ground-breaking global network delivered by a committed partnership of corporate leaders, governments, non-profit organizations, communities and individuals around the world working together to bridge the digital gender divide – by bringing women to tech, and tech to women – and in so doing, bettering the lives of millions worldwide.