Become a digital detective for your community

Join the Eddy/Chaves County Taxpayers Coalition as an intern and use your tech skills to drive community accountability. We're seeking passionate students from local colleges and high schools who are ready to make a real impact and protect our local assets.

Who are we looking for?

We're searching for 'Digital Detectives' – individuals passionate about using technology for community accountability and holding the powerful accountable. If you value Radical Objectivity, you might be the 'Nobody' we need to help protect over $850 million in local assets.

Digital forensics enthusiasts

Those who can verify GPS metadata and time-stamps to turn photos into undeniable evidence, helping ensure every report is an undeniable fact.

Cybersecurity defenders

Students who want to build and protect secure, anonymous reporting systems for whistleblowers, ensuring their identity is never compromised.

Data storytellers

Individuals who can take complex public records and turn them into clear, visual maps and charts for the public, making data accessible and impactful.

Why intern with the coalition?

While other internships might have you filing paperwork, here you will be turning your digital skills into a powerful tool for justice. Gain unique hands-on experience, direct impact, and mentorship, as you become a guardian of our local $850 million in assets.

"What You’ll Do"

  • Scan GPS Metadata

  • Map Infrastructure Neglect

  • Manage Secure Whistleblower Portals

Don't just code for a corporation. Code for your community.

A day in the life & your impact

Begin your day in the "Verification Queue," reviewing submissions and verifying media metadata. Transition to "Data Mining & Mapping," updating our Local Tax Data dashboard with public records and extracting key figures. Dedicate time to "Security Scrubbing," removing identifying digital signatures from sensitive documents to protect whistleblowers. Finally, collaborate with our coalition's professionals – doctors and lawyers – to strategize how to present new evidence for maximum public impact and accountability. You'll master digital forensics, build civic tech, gain data visualization skills, defend the "Nobody," and build a portfolio with teeth.

"Whistleblower Protection: All submissions are processed through our Tech Division’s secure encryption protocols. Your anonymity is our priority."

I. Privacy & Whistleblower Protection

 

Your Identity is Your Business. The Evidence is Ours. At the Eddy-Chaves County Taxpayers Coalition, we understand that reporting government waste or NMSA violations can be a risk. Our Tech Division uses industry-standard encryption to ensure your report remains anonymous.

  • Zero-Trace Submission: Our portal is designed to strip identifying personal information from your submission unless you choose to provide it.

  • Encrypted Storage: All data is stored in a secure environment accessible only by our verified Tech Division leads.

  • Protection Against Retaliation: We do not share raw user data with any government entity. We only share the verified evidence (the facts of the violation itself).

II. Tech Division: Data Handling & Ethics Guide

 

To maintain Radical Objectivity, every member of the Tech Division must adhere to the following "Chain of Evidence" protocols:

1. Verification First

Before any report is moved to the "Public Accountability" stage, it must be verified.

  • Metadata Audit: Check the EXIF data of images to confirm the GPS coordinates and time-stamps align with the report.

  • Cross-Reference: Compare the submission against official Eddy or Chaves County public records to ensure accuracy.

2. Scrubbing for Safety

The goal is to expose the waste, not the witness.

  • Anonymization: If a photo contains a reflection or a vehicle license plate that could identify the whistleblower, the Tech Division must redact that information before the evidence is used.

  • Data Minimization: We only keep the data necessary to prove the NMSA violation. All non-essential personal data is permanently deleted.

3. Radical Objectivity Standards

  • No Bias: We do not edit, alter, or "Photoshopped" evidence. We present the raw, verified facts.

  • Audit Trail: Every piece of evidence must have a clear "source-to-site" trail so it can stand up to scrutiny from officials or the media.