Atlanta Tech Community Launches Digital Literacy Initiative With City

Atlanta's tech and startup scene is stepping up its digital literacy efforts this summer, launching at least three new initiatives since June aimed at helping residents spot online scams, evaluate news sources, and learn basic coding. The push comes as multiple global events-from the closure of the Strait of Hormuz to Spain's deadliest wildfire in years-have fueled a surge in misleading information online.

Startups and nonprofits fill the gap

The nonprofit Digital Atlanta, based in a converted warehouse on Marietta Street near Georgia Tech, kicked off its 'Digital Ready' program on July 6. The eight-week course covers everything from phishing detection to fact-checking tools. Executive director Marisol Torres told me the program has already enrolled 140 people, with a waitlist of 60 more. Sessions meet twice weekly at the central library on Carnegie Way.

Over in the Old Fourth Ward, startup VerifyATL-co-founded by two former CNN producers-has been running free Saturday workshops at the Pulse Innovation Center on Edgewood Avenue. They've trained 230 attendees since June 1, according to internal figures shared with me. The workshops use local examples, like how to spot manipulated photos of the Spain wildfire that circulated on Nextdoor feeds in DeKalb County last week.

Data shows the need is urgent

Atlanta's digital divide remains stark. A 2025 report from the Metro Atlanta Chamber found that 34% of adults in Fulton County lack basic digital literacy skills-defined as being able to send an email, use a search engine, or identify a secure website. Among households earning under $35,000 a year, that number jumps to 61%. The same report noted that Atlanta ranks 47th among U.S. metro areas for broadband adoption, behind cities like Nashville and Charlotte.

The city's own Digital Equity Office, created in 2024 with a $2.3 million budget, has partnered with the startup CodeATL to offer free JavaScript and Python classes at six recreation centers, including the one on Hosea L. Williams Drive and the Adamsville Recreation Center on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. Registration opened July 1; 475 slots were claimed within 48 hours, according to a city spokesperson.

These efforts aren't just feel-good community work. Startups and employers are seeing a direct impact on hiring. Tech Atlanta, a trade group, surveyed 85 member companies in June and found that 62% said a lack of skilled applicants was their top hiring challenge. That's up from 48% in 2024.

City Council member Dustin Hillis, who chairs the technology committee, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution last week that he plans to introduce a resolution in August to allocate an additional $800,000 from the city's innovation fund to expand digital literacy training into all 25 council districts before the end of the year.

What happens next: The next 'Digital Ready' cohort starts August 3, and registration is open until July 25. VerifyATL's workshops run every Saturday through September 6 at the Pulse Innovation Center. The CodeATL classes at recreation centers still have openings in the advanced sessions starting August 10. Anyone interested can check the city's digital portal at atldigital.org/learn or stop by any Atlanta-Fulton County library branch for a printed schedule.