"Lighting The Way For Those Not Here": How Technology Researchers Can Help Fight the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives (MMIR) Crisis

Abstract

Indigenous peoples across Turtle Island (North America) face disproportionate rates of disappearance and murder, a "genocide" rooted in settler-colonial violence and systemic erasure. Technology plays a crucial role in the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives (MMIR) crisis: perpetuating harm and impeding investigations, yet enabling advocacy and resistance. Communities utilize technologies such as AMBER alerts, news websites, social media groups, and campaigns (like #MMIW, #MMIWR, #NoMoreStolenSisters, and #NoMoreStolenDaughters) to mobilize searches, amplify awareness, and honor missing relatives. Yet, little research in HCI has critically examined technology's role in shaping the MMIR crisis by centering community voices. Through a large-scale study, we analyze 140 webpages to identify systemic, technological, and institutional barriers that hinder communities' efforts, while highlighting socio-technical actions that foster healing and safety. Finally, we amplify Indigenous voices by providing a dataset of stories that resist epistemic erasure, along with recommendations for HCI researchers to support Indigenous-led initiatives with cultural sensitivity, accountability, and self-determination.