Digital Rights Weekly | April 8 - 15

Thu Apr 14 18:54:55 CEST 2022

Here is your weekly update on digital rights around the world for the
weeks of April 4 - 8 & 11 - 15. Last week’s newsletter was not
distributed due to a server error.

As a reminder,  you can submit your news for the newsletter here:
https://www.digitalrights.community/weekly-newsletter

###  Upcoming Virtual TCU Events ###
_________________________________________________

### Digital Rights in the Community ###

1. Call for Nomination - European Digital Rights (EDRi) Board Elections 2022

This year, the EDRi General Assembly (GA) will elect two new board
members to replace two who are leaving. Representatives of EDRi
members, affiliates and observers, as well as interested applicants
from outside of the EDRi network, are invited to apply to become a
member of the EDRi board. As an EDRi board member, you will help shape
the future of the organization and the network and advance EDRi’s
mission to promote and protect human rights in the digital age.

https://edri.org/take-action/careers/call-for-nomination-edri-board-elections-2022/

2. Art Meets Radical Openness

For those with an artistic spirit, you may be interested in submitting
a proposal to the Art Meets Radical Openness festival in Linz, a
hacktivism event. The current edition is dedicated to the rituals and
the philosophies of debugging, as a starting point for a conversation
between artists, groups and communities between the fields of culture,
politics and technologies.

https://art-meets.radical-openness.org/call/

3. Data Rights - Feminist Resistance and Resilience to Data Practices Survey

A number of period and fertility-tracking apps, including Flo, Clue,
and MyDays, have shared data with ad tech giants in the past including
Meta and Google, despite promising their users privacy. Digital Rights
is conducting research to determine the extent to which African
feminists are aware of risks around privacy and data. If you are an
African feminist, contribute to the research by taking 10-15 minutes
out of your time to answer a survey about who has our personal
information, how it is used, and how it is impacting our society as a
whole.

https://mydatarights.africa/my-data-rights-feminist-resistance-and-resilience-to-data-practices-survey/

4. Internews - Call for Applications: Advanced Digital Security
Training for Journalists in Lebanon, Sudan & Iraq

To support journalists in deepening their understanding of digital
security and safety in conflict, Internews is launching a second
Advanced Digital Security Training. The training is tailored to help
journalists deal with physical threats during conflicts and protect
their information from intrusion. This training is an opportunity for
journalists working on human rights topics, including religious
freedom.  By attending this training, participants will learn advanced
strategies and tips to work safely in a highly sensitive environment,
in addition to helping them take the necessary steps to protect their
data from being compromised due to online attacks.

https://internews.org/call-for-applications-advanced-digital-security-training-for-journalists-in-lebanon-sudan-iraq/

5. Call for Proposals 2022 - Open Society Africa (OSF Africa)

OSF Africa is seeking proposals that respond to deep-seated political,
justice and socio-economic roadblocks to open society in Africa. OSF
Africa seeks to deploy tools such as arts and culture, technology,
strategic litigation, impact investment, grant-making, research and
advocacy to address open society challenges. OSF-Africa primarily
awards grants to African organizations, but may provide funding to
Africa-based international organizations committed to African
leadership, voice and agency on exception. OSF-Africa can grant to
public institutions, sub-regional and continental organizations, in
addition to work undertaken by unregistered movements and/or
individuals. Proposals are accepted until May 13 2022.

For more info, go on the OSIWA website:
https://www.osiwa.org/call-for-proposals/
________________________________________________

### Digital Rights Resources ###

1. Ways that US Law Enforcement Agencies Can Access Your Data

Hackers obtained the information of some Apple and Facebook (Meta)
users by forging an emergency legal request. This request is one of
several mechanisms by which the police can request or demand that tech
companies hand over user data such as location and subscriber
information. The hack has raised fresh questions about how secure our
data is in the hands of tech companies and how easily police can get
hold of the information big tech collects.

Lawmakers and privacy advocates argued the forgery is a warning sign
that the system is in need of reform. In light of this hack using
government processes, check out this piece that lays out the main ways
police can get hold of users’ data.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/apr/04/us-law-enforcement-agencies-access-your-data-apple-meta

2. India Government Uses Tech Tools to Curb Dissent During Protests

The Indian government has used indiscriminate technological tools to
surveil and restrict protests. This piece looks at the tactics it used
for the three major protests since 2018, including the farmer’s
protest, the discriminatory Citizenship Ammendment Act, and the Jammu
and Kashmir protests against revoking the region’s autonomy. The
government used drones, facial recognition technology, and
communication disruption in the three cases. This article shows the
evolution of these tactics.

https://advox.globalvoices.org/2022/04/01/exploring-the-use-of-tech-based-tools-in-india-to-curb-dissent-during-protests/

The good news is that there has also been consistent resistance to
these restrictive tactics, including civil society organizations like
the Internet Freedom Foundation and the Software Freedom Law Center
taking these cases to court and sending legal notices to the Delhi
police departments.

3. Navigating US Laws Addressing Online Abuse

PEN America has published new legal resources to help individuals
navigate the patchwork of laws addressing online abuse in the US.
These resources include information about relevant federal and state
laws, and restraining orders. The resource was developed in
partnership with internationally known law firms Covington & Burling
LLP, C.A and Goldberg PLLC

https://onlineharassmentfieldmanual.pen.org/legal-considerations/

4. Carnegie Endowment Releases Paper on Government Internet Shutdowns

The Carnegie Endowment released a new paper on government internet
shutdowns worldwide.  The paper observes that government-instigated
internet shutdowns largely take place in order to quell mass
demonstrations, reinforce military operations and coups, forestall
election losses, or cut off areas of conflict from the outside world.
.

Protecting internet access is integrally linked to freedoms of
expression and association and forms a crucial part of the global
democracy and human rights agenda.  The paper  therefore outlines
internet censorship circumvention and mitigation tools that can
effectively resist and better prepare for any potential future
shutdowns.

https://carnegieendowment.org/2022/03/31/government-internet-shutdowns-are-changing.-how-should-citizens-and-democracies-respond-pub-86687

5. Pegasus Spyware Used to Hack Jordanian Human Rights Defenders and Journalists

Front Line Defenders and Citizen lab carried out a digital forensic
investigation uncovering Pegasus spyware on the mobile devices of four
Jordanian human rights defenders, including a woman human rights
defender, lawyer and journalist. Through forensic analysis of the
phones of human rights defenders, they identify two Pegasus operators
that are likely agencies of the Jordanian government. Those affected
are all human rights defenders working against corruption in Jordan.

https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/statement-report/report-jordanian-human-rights-defenders-and-journalists-hacked-pegasus-spyware

6. How the Internet Became Straight

Alexander Moena, author of “The Digital Closet”, argues that the
internet became “straight” by suppressing everything that is not,
which in turn forced LGBTQIA+ content into increasingly narrow
channels. Monea show how the prejudices that infect training data,
code, and coders behind automated content moderation translates to
algorithms encoded with heteronormative biases that over-scrutinize,
police, suppress, and erase queer culture. Check out this interview
with him about his book, where he also discusses the revolutionary
responses against these imposed restrictions:

https://thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/how-the-internet-became-straight/

____________________________________________

### Digital Rights in the Wider World ###

1. Candidate’s Disinformation in Philippine’s Parliamentary Election Campaigns

In the Philippines, the significant decrease in the trust and interest
in traditional news outlets also translates to people seeking other
outlets to get their information. Political parties have been using
this to their advantage to appeal to voters this election season
scheduled for early May 2022. Some of their targeted disinformation
campaigns include endorsements from various sectors, celebrities,
politicians, and royalty when none of them are true. Spreading false
information about competing candidates is also a typical tactic,
particularly by the son of Philippine's previous dictator and current
candidate Fernando Marcos Jr. The country does not yet have a specific
law or adequate regulations that manage social media use in electoral
campaigns in the Philippines. This is yet another example where the
demands for increasing resources for fact-checkers and reconsidering
one-click engagements could be a constructive tactic to address this
issue.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/04/12/philippines-marcos-memory-election/

2. Israel Planning a Massive Traveler Database

Haaretz reported that Israel wants to collect the names, passport
numbers and credit cards of every person entering or leaving the
state, foreign or national. The catalyst behind establishing the
database may have to do with negotiations with the U.S. over Israel
entering the Visa Waiver Program. In October 2021, Israel and the U.S.
signed an agreement on information sharing, another step on the road
to the visa waiver for Israelis. Population, immigration and border
authorities would have access to this data about  Israeli citizens.
Israeli cyber security experts say that the fact that it will also
include credit card information means people’s financial information
is at risk. This is an infringement on’ privacy rights and is hard to
regulate and oversee.
https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/tech-news/.premium-israel-s-plan-for-a-massive-traveler-database-is-a-hacker-bonanza-1.10718597

(Paywall)

3. Different Repressive Tactics in Turkey, Tunis, and Sri Lanka

Turkey’s Broadcasting “Watchdog” Imposed $3.7 Million in Fines on
Media Organizations in 2021

According to a newly published activity report, Turkey’s Radio and
Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) imposed 1,661 fines on media
organizations in 2021, totaling the equivalent of $3.7 million. RTÜK
is a controversial agency that is accused of contributing to
increasing censorship in the country by imposing punitive measures on
independent media that can also be critical of the Turkish government.
Organizations facing these finds have worked on resisting them.
According to the same report, media organizations filed 236 lawsuits
against RTÜK in 2021, which challenged its decisions such as the
imposition of fines or the halting of broadcasts. In 91 of these
lawsuits, a court decided in favor of RTÜK. No decision has yet been
made in 134 of the cases yet. This is yet another sign of growing
censorship and restriction of freedom of the press in the country.

https://stockholmcf.org/turkeys-broadcasting-watchdog-imposed-3-7-million-in-fines-on-media-organizations-in-2021/

Two weeks ago in Tunisia, both MicrosoftTeams and Zoom were reportedly
temporarily inaccessible in Tunisia coinciding with the time members
of the parliament were to hold an online plenary session to vote a
motion to end the exceptional measures imposed by President Kais
Saied. This is a serious internet freedom violation, especially as
there have been no reported cases of online censorship in Tunisia
since the 2011 revolution. While authorities denied any involvement in
the blocking, OONI Probe seems to at least indicate the IP blocking of
Zoom.

Tunisian civil society organizations published a statement on March
31, to raise the alarm about the temporary blocking of MicrosoftTeams
and Zoom.  They have asked the Tunisian authorities to open a
transparent investigation into the incident.

https://globalvoices.org/2021/12/16/tunisia-new-prosecutions-resurrect-shadow-of-dictatorship/

To install OONI Probe https://ooni.org/install/

The Sri Lankan government also restricted social media platforms this
month amidst curfew and protests. On April 3rd, NetBlocks reported
government restriction of multiple social media platforms in Sri Lanka
including Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, Viber and YouTube. Service was
largely restored after 16 hours. The incident comes as the government
declares a state of emergency, imposing curfews to counter widespread
protests over the economic crisis. The platforms can still be accessed
indirectly through the use of VPN services, which can work around
government-imposed internet restrictions.

https://netblocks.org/reports/social-media-restricted-in-sri-lanka-as-emergency-declared-amid-protests-JA6ROrAQ

4. Ex-Apply Employee Takes Face ID Privacy Complaint to Europe

Last September, Apple fired Ashley Gjøvik, a senior engineering
program manager, after she raised concerns about the company’s
approach towards staff privacy. She then filed a complaint to privacy
watchdogs in Europe. The U.K.’s Information Commissioner’s Office
(ICO) and France’s Data Protection Authority (CNIL) both confirmed
receipt of Gjøvik’s privacy complaint against Apple. The 54-page
“privacy invasion complaint”, which Gjøvik says was submitted to
European regulators earlier this month, takes issue with Apple’s
approach to employee privacy. It raises concerns about a number of
practices which includes an internal program by Apple to gather
biometrics data from staff using an app called “Gobbler” which is
apparently a part of the product development process for Face ID.
According to the complaint, information Apple provided internally to
staff about Gobbler urged employees to upload data from the app
captured in their homes. Gjøvik alleges that “Apple pressured
employees to upload their ‘faceprint data’ to Apple internal servers,
capturing secret photographs and videos of employees, and told
employees that face-related logs were automatically uploaded from
their iPhones daily.” This case sheds light on options that
whistleblowers or victims of wrongful termination could consider.

https://techcrunch.com/2022/04/11/gobbler-complaint-europe/

You can read the extensive Verge report on this from last year here:
https://www.theverge.com/22648265/apple-employee-privacy-icloud-id

5. UK Admits Illegality of Journalist Surveillance

The UK Government admitted that its pre-2016 surveillance regime under
which police accessed journalists call records in order to identify
confidential sources violated human rights laws. This came after an
investigation in 2015 that revealed the UK police used the Regulation
of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA) to view journalists’ call
records and identify confidential sources. According to two European
Court of Human Rights decisions published last week, the UK Government
acknowledged that section 8 of RIPA was “not compliant” with Article 8
on privacy or with Article 10 in relation to treatment of confidential
journalistic material (Article 10).

The ramifications of this is an important step for transparency and
journalistic confidentiality.  Previously, the government had been
reluctant to admit that tis surveillance regime violated human rights
standards. This stel strengthens safeguards around how intelligence
agencies handle intercepted communications, particularly around
confidential journalistic material.

https://pressgazette.co.uk/uk-surveillance-laws-journalistic-sources

6. Meta Dismantles Brazilian Climate Change Disinformation Network

According to its 2022 First Quarter Adversarial Threat Report, Meta
removed a network of 14 Facebook/Meta accounts, 9 pages, and 39
Instagram accounts that were part of a climate disinformation network.
Meta said the unidentified network used fake accounts on the platform
about land reform and the pandemic in 2020, but then focused on
environmental issues last year. They posed as fake nonprofits to
downplay the dangers of deforestation. According to the report, “In
2021, they created Pages that posed as fictitious NGOs and activists
focused on environmental issues in the Amazonas region of Brazil. They
posted about deforestation, including arguing that not all of it is
harmful, and criticizing legitimate environmental NGOs who spoke out
against deforestation in the Amazon.”

The accounts were traced back to individuals with ties to the
Brazilian military. Although the individuals involved in the network
were active military personnel, Meta’s investigation did not find
enough evidence to establish if they were following orders or acting
independently.

https://www.reuters.com/article/ctech-us-facebook-disinformation-brazil-idCAKBN2492Y5-OCATC

To read the full report:
https://about.fb.com/news/2022/04/metas-adversarial-threat-report-q1-2022/

7. Trolls Farms and Artificial Intelligence in Ukraine & Russia

More tech tools have been coming as the Russia invasion of Ukraine
continues. Kremlin allies have deployed a new kind of troll farm
called Cyber Front Z in an attempt to win the information war. A
review of the channel by VICE News found that the Cyber Front Z army
is used to boost pro-Kremlin videos, commentary, and articles on sites
like YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter.The group claims it is simply
working to combat the flood of fake news and disinformation about
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Its Telegram channel was launched on
March 11. The Telegram channel urges people to post comments, share
pro-Kremlin content, and disparage anyone who criticizes Russian
President Vladimir Putin. The group has pushed many of the baseless
conspiracy theories and narratives that the Kremlin has supported
throughout this war, including claims that Ukraine was developing
bioweapons in conjunction with the U.S., that the Russian army was
ridding Ukraine of Nazis, and that the Ukrainian military was firing
on its own citizens.

https://www.vice.com/en/article/7kbjny/russia-cyber-front-z-telegram

Unencrypted traffic on Russian military frequencies can be picked up
and heard by regular people operating software defined radios. These
allow users from all over the world to tune into essentially a website
and listen to radio frequencies of all types including Russian
artillery units. Primer, a US company that provides AI services for
intelligence analysts, developed an artificial intelligence algorithm
that captured, transcribed, translated, and analyzed Russian soldiers’
communications.  Primer already sells AI algorithms trained to
transcribe and translate phone calls, as well as ones that can pull
out key terms or phrases. Primer’s CEO says the company’s engineers
modified these tools to carry out four new tasks: gather audio
captured from web feeds that broadcast communications captured using
software that emulates radio receiver hardware; remove noise,
including background chatter and music; to transcribe and translate
Russian speech; and highlight key statements relevant to the
battlefield situation. In some cases this involved retraining machine
learning models to recognize colloquial terms for military vehicles or
weapons.Primer is one of the many companies that could make these
technologies more accessible to those in the private, security, and
defense sector. The involvement of private companies like Primer in
the war raises questions about the power and consequences these
companies have.

https://www.wired.com/story/russia-ukraine-war-ai-surveillance/

https://actualcontrol.substack.com/p/for-all-targets-moscow-time-is-1400?s=w

Link to Primer: https://primer.ai/

______________________________________________

### Grants, Fellowships, & Awards ###

The following opportunities are open to individual digital rights
defenders and to organizations. If you would like us to include a
grant, fellowship or award in this newsletter, please email details to
team at digitalrights.community
https://internetfreedomfestival.org/wiki/index.php/Fundraising_Opportunities

Internet Freedom Fund
Open Technology Fund
Deadline: Rolling Basis
https://www.opentech.fund/funds/internet-freedom-fund/

Rapid Response Fund
Open Tech Fund
Deadline: Rolling Basis
https://www.opentech.fund/funds/rapid-response-fund/

Rapid Response Fund
Derechos Digitales
Deadline: Rolling Basis
https://www.derechosdigitales.org/sobre-el-fondo-de-respuesta-rapida/

Urgent Action Fund for Women's Human Rights
Deadline: Rolling Basis
https://urgentactionfund.org/

Open Briefing’s Responsive Assistance
Deadline: Rolling Basis
https://www.openbriefing.org/support/referral/

Polis London School of Economics
Deadline: Rolling basis and closes April 28
https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/polis/2022/04/07/journalismai-2022/
_________________________________________________

### Global Events Calendar ###

Lingua Cafe
April 20
10am EDT / 2pm UTC
https://digitalrights.formstack.com/forms/linguacafe_6

48 Hour Earth Day Hackathon
April 21-23
Code for All and DemocracyLab
https://democracylab.org/events/48hourearthday

Palestine Digital Activism Forum
May 17-19
https://pdaf.ps/pdaf2022

The Wikimedia Hackathon 2022
May 20-22
https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Hackathon_2022

Virtual School of Internet Governance - French Version
May 202
Online
http://www.virtualsig.org/

Check out a list of our virtual events here:
https://internetfreedomfestival.org/wiki/index.php/Calendar_of_Events
_________________________________________________

### NEW Job Opportunities  ###

Below is a short list of jobs we have been sent in the last week.

Want to see more jobs? OR Have a job opening you want us to promote?

Check out the Team CommUNITY Job Board:
https://www.digitalrights.community/job-board

✎ Vice President of Development | WEPOWER
+ Remote
https://bit.ly/3O3AtmW

✎ Web Applications Specialist | Internews
+ Remote in US or UK
https://phf.tbe.taleo.net/phf04/ats/careers/v2/viewRequisition?org=INTERNEWS&cws=38&rid=1664

✎ Technology Manager | Center for Constitutional Rights
+ New York City, NY, USA
https://ccrjustice.org/home/get-involved/jobs/technology-manager

✎ Bookkeeper | Access Now
+ NYC and Washington, D.C., USA
https://accessnow.bamboohr.com/jobs/view.php?id=115&source=aWQ9MjA%3D

✎ Operations Coordinator | Access Now
+ Berlin, Germany
https://accessnow.bamboohr.com/jobs/view.php?id=117&source=aWQ9MjA%3D

✎ Grants and Contracts Manager | Access Now
+ NYC and Washington, D.C., USA
https://accessnow.bamboohr.com/jobs/view.php?id=114&source=aWQ9MjA%3D

✎ Cyber Security Analyst | The Economist Group
+ London, UK
https://careers-economist.icims.com/jobs/8544/cyber-security-analyst/job?mode=view&mobile=false&width=454&height=500&bga=true&needsRedirect=false&jan1offset=0&jun1offset=60

✎ Director of Education Marketing & Engagement | Common Sense Media
+ San Francisco, CA, USA
https://commonsense.hire.trakstar.com/jobs/fk0sk3y?cjb_hash=O_ILgr25&apply_now=true

✎ Senior Program Manager | Ranking Digital Rights - New America
+ Remote
https://newamerica.applytojob.com/apply/Whi9hthJb9/Senior-Program-Manager-Ranking-Digital-Rights

✎ Director - Communications and Engagement | Access Now
+ Global Location Options
https://accessnow.bamboohr.com/jobs/view.php?id=116&source=aWQ9MjA%3D

✎ Senior Product Manager | Wikimedia Foundation
+ Remote
https://grnh.se/dbf630d71us

✎ Senior IT Systems Engineer | Wikimedia Foundation
+ Remote
https://grnh.se/bc90f52b1us

✎ Junior Engineer | Open Function
+ Remote
https://www.openfn.org/careers

✎ Systems and Security Administrator | Citizen Lab
+ Toronto, Canada
https://jobs.utoronto.ca/job/Systems-and-Security-Administrator/557715017/

✎ Global Lead of Digital Research | International Communications Hub Incubator
+ Remote
https://www.comms-hub.org/lead-research

✎ Managing Director | International Communications Hub Incubator
+ Remote
https://www.comms-hub.org/managing-director

✎ Part-Time Research Assistant | Fairwork Project Oxford Internet Institute
+ Oxford, UK
https://my.corehr.com/pls/uoxrecruit/erq_jobspec_version_4.display_form?p_company=10&p_internal_external=E&p_display_in_irish=N&p_process_type=&p_applicant_no=&p_form_profile_detail=&p_display_apply_ind=Y&p_refresh_search=Y&p_recruitment_id=155902

✎ Digital Safety Helpdesk - Incident Handler | SMEX
+ Location Not Specified
https://buff.ly/3ucwUD1

✎ Consultancy on the tech and COVID19 data-driven measures | Privacy
International
+ Remote
https://privacyinternational.org/opportunities/4836/consultancy-tech-and-data-driven-measures-deployed-help-contain-spread-covid-19

✎ Senior Digital Fundraising Manager | Color Of Change
+ Washington, DC; New York, NY; Oakland, CA; Los Angeles, CA or Remote in USA
https://colorofchange.hire.trakstar.com/jobs/fk02h8t?source=Digital%20Rights

✎ Organizational Security Consultant | The Engine Room
+ Remote
https://the-engine-room.breezy.hr/p/3d98780ea67701-organisational-security-consultant

✎ Sysadmin Support Consultant | The Engine Room
+ Remote
https://the-engine-room.breezy.hr/p/a38c214dfbaf01-sysadmin-support-consultant

✎ Deputy Director, Privacy & Data Project | The Center for Democracy
and Technology
+ Washington, DC
https://cdt.org/job/deputy-director-privacy-data-project/

✎ Senior Machine Learning Engineer | Wikimedia Foundation
+ Remote
https://grnh.se/3078804a1us

✎ Assistant Director, Technology Policy, Research, and Advocacy |
Anti-Defamation League (ADL)
+ Locations with ADL Offices
https://careers-adl.icims.com/jobs/1797/assistant-director%2c-technology-policy%2c-research%2c-and-advocacy/job

✎ Decentralized systems administrator | eQualitie
+ Remote and Montreal, Canada
https://equalit.ie/job-post/decentralized-systems-administrator/

✎ Latin America and the Caribbean Coordinator | Alliance for Affordable Internet
+ Remote (Americas)
https://a4ai.org/get-involved/careers/

✎ IT Consultant | Mama Cash
+ Remote
https://www.mamacash.org/en/vacancy-it-consultant

✎ Global Events Manager | Internet Society
+ Remote
https://internetsociety.bamboohr.com/jobs/view.php?id=174

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