Digital Rights Weekly | January 31 - February 4

Team CommUNITY team at digitalrights.community
Fri Feb 4 17:15:28 CET 2022 

Hello Digital Rights Defenders!

Here is your weekly update on digital rights around the world for the
week of January 31 - February 4

###  Upcoming Virtual TCU Events ###

February 16 | Africa Monthly Meetup
The Africa Monthly Meetups bring together folks from the African
region to share, connect, support, and celebrate each other.
https://internetfreedomfestival.org/wiki/index.php/February_16,_2022_,_Africa_Meetup

Upcoming GM Featured Guests
Join Glitter Meetups, the virtual town hall of the digital rights
community, which take place every Thursday at 9am EST.

>>> February 10: Circulo App team, a secure comms channel to support folks in risky situations, developed with feedback from women journalists in Mexico and Central America.
https://internetfreedomfestival.org/wiki/index.php/February_10_2022_GM

>>> February 17: Facebook Papers, two guests: a) dkg, part of the small group of independent monitors helping journalists and media sites establish guidelines for an accountable review of documents prior to publication; and b) Dia Kayyali, Associate Director for Advocacy at Mnemonic, who focuses on the impact of policy decisions taken by lawmakers and technology companies regarding content moderation and related topics.
https://internetfreedomfestival.org/wiki/index.php/February_17_2022_GM

>>> February 24: The Pluggable Transports (PT) Meetup will take place during this GM. PTs are being developed and used to circumvent internet censorship, and are a key part of the growing circumvention technology environment. Users, developers and overall PT enthusiasts are welcome!
https://internetfreedomfestival.org/wiki/index.php/February_24_2022_GM

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### TCU Update ###

1. Going forward, Team CommUNITY’s Director of Community Mental
Health, Selma Zaki, will be authoring a section of the weekly
newsletter called The Health & Wellbeing Corner, where they will share
tips, wisdom, and tools. Below you will find their first-ever
contribution!

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### Digital Rights in the Community ###

1. Feminist Internet Research Network: Call for Research Proposals

The Association for Progressive Communications Women’s Rights
Programme (APC WRP) is inviting individuals and organizations to
submit a research proposal as part of the growing network of
researchers, scholars and activists who form the Feminist Internet
Research Network (FIRN). This cycle of the FIRN project will undertake
data-driven research on critical and emerging issues related to
internet policy discussions and decision making, specifically in
Africa and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, with a
thematic focus on gender-based violence. Deadline is February 24.

https://www.apc.org/en/news/feminist-internet-research-network-call-research-proposals-0


2.  Information Controls Fellows Program Now Accepting Applications

The Open Tech Fund is now accepting applications for its Information
Controls Fellowship (ICFP). Deadline is now March 13, 2022. The
fellowship program supports individuals examining repressive
governments’ restrictions on the free flow of information.
Specifically, fellows track internet interference practices and
investigate emerging means of overcoming censorship in repressive
environments. Efforts focusing on investigations into the security and
privacy of tools used in these contexts are also supported.
Fellowships are available for three, six, nine or twelve month
decorations, and offer a monthly stipend of $5,0000, along with
stipends for travel and equipment.

https://www.opentech.fund/news/information-controls-fellowship-program-now-accepting-applications-for-ninth-cohort/


3. Kazakhstan Shut Down its Internet. These Programmers Opened a Backdoor

In early January, demonstrations over a hike in fuel prices caused the
government to hit the internet kill switch for five days. A group of
technologists set up close to 40 proxy servers on a shoestring budget.
While they were unable to measure their full impact, nine servers
alone served 155,762 users. They estimate that the group helped
between 300,000 and 500,000 people use Telegram during the shutdown.

https://www.codastory.com/authoritarian-tech/kazakhstan-shut-down-its-internet-these-programmers-opened-a-backdoor/


4. Cambodia CSOs Discuss Internet Freedom

Cambodian civil society organizations (CSOs) and experts held a
discussion on the challenges and development of digital rights and
internet freedom in the country on January 26. The virtual event,
National Conference on Digital Rights and Internet Freedom, was
organized by 13 CSOs to discuss challenges and offer suggestions to
solve any digital-related issues in the future.

https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/govt-csos-discuss-digital-rights-internet-freedoms

Meanwhile, the UN is urging Cambodia to scrap plans to create a
‘National Internet Gateway’ that would allow the government to monitor
all internet traffic in the country.

https://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/internet-02012022164544.html

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### Digital Rights Resources ###

1. Digital Methodology Workshop: Exploring CTDA

The Critical Technocultural Discourse Analysis (CTDA) is a multimodal
analytic technique for the investigation of internet and digital
phenomena, artifacts, and culture. It integrates an analysis of the
technological artifact and user discourse, framed by cultural theory,
to unpack semiotic and material connections between form, function,
belief and meaning of information and communication technologies. It
requires the incorporation of critical theory - critical race,
feminism, queer theory, and so on - to incorporate theepistemological
standpoint of underserved ICT users so as to avoid deficit-based
models of underrepresented populations’ technology use.

Join professor Andre Brock, who will discuss the technique. This will
be a closed session with a limited number of participants. The first
session will be hosted on Friday, March 11, and the second on May 13.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScLKZooUhUlFbrHvSU6mhH4g8faSSfvV-d_ghyN9nTJFcX

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

1. Google is Changing How it Tracks Us Online

Last week Google issued an update stating it is replacing cookies on
its Chrome browser. It will now use a technology called Topics, in
which the Chrome browser notes users’ top interest for that week based
on browsing history, and registers them in the browser under broad
categories like ‘’fitness’ or ‘travel’. Advertisers and publishers
will be able to access this data via a browser API, which is a feed of
information they can tap into. When users visit a site that has signed
up for the system, three years’ worth of topics of interest will be
shared with the site and its advertisers, allowing the site to target
ads that reflect users’ interests.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/feb/02/techscape-google-chrome-cookies


2. NSO ‘Offered Bags of Cash’ for Access to Global Cellular Networks

A US whistleblower has revealed that in a 2017 meeting between Israeli
spyware firm NSO and a telecom firm, large bags of cash were allegedly
offered in exchange for access to global cell networks. (Surveillance
companies like NSO try to access cellular communication networks to
geolocate targets and provide other spying services.) In November
2021, the US government had blacklisted the NSO Group for ‘malicious
cyber activities’.

https://thewire.in/tech/us-whistleblower-alleges-nso-offered-bags-of-cash-to-access-global-mobile-networks


3. A Year after Myanmar Coup, Growing Surveillance Threatens Lives

Myanmar citizens are facing heavy odds in accessing online space as
the military junta clamps down on dissent. To start, the government
has begun cracking down on VPN usage. Most alarmingly, however, is a
draft cybersecurity law that is expected to take effect in the coming
weeks, and is aimed at complete control over electronic
communications, data protection and VPN services in the country. Many
believe the bill will mean ‘the death of online civic space in
Myanmar’.

https://news.trust.org/item/20220131095532-a8q70


4. In the Wild West of the Internet, Cyberattacks are the Order of the Day

The number of cyberattacks in Switzerland and worldwide has risen
sharply. This underscores the urgent need to create more solid digital
infrastructures capable of providing real guarantees in terms of data
protection and reliability.

https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/in-the-wild-west-of-the-internet--cyberattacks-are-the-order-of-the-day--switzerland-risks-being-left-behind--/47301700


5. China’s Orwellian Digital Surveillance Turns to Olympic Athletes

All attendees and participants of the Olympics  are required to
download a state-owned app, My2022. Digital researchers at the
University of Toronto’s The Citizen Lab warn that the app is so
riddled with cybersecurity risks, it may even violate China’s own
recently-implemented data security law. One researcher states, “I can
definitively say all Olympian audio is being collected, analyzed and
saved on Chinese servers using tech from USA-blacklisted AI Firm
IFLYTEK.”

https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/chinas-orwellian-digital-surveillance-turns-to-olympic-athletes/


6. Israel Upholds Use of Surveillance Technology on Protesters

Israel’s attorney general has upheld the Shin Bet security agency’s
use of mobile phone-tracking technology to monitor and threaten
Palestinian protesters at Jerusalem’s most sensitive holy site last
year. The decision drew harsh criticism from the civil rights group
that challenged the use of the technology. The group warned that it
would have a ‘chilling effect’ on the country's Arab minority.

https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/israel-upholds-surveillance-technology-protesters-82628174


7. Biometric Surveillance: Face-First Plunge into Dystopia

>From the US to Israel and beyond, the proliferation of invasive and
abusive technologies is being swiftly normalized – literally in our
faces – under the guise of security and efficiency. And as we plunge
face-first into biometric dystopia, do not let anyone tell you it is
‘awesome’.

https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2022/1/31/biometric-surveillance-face-first-plunge-into-dystopia


8. Suicide Hotline Shares Data with For-profit Spinoff, Raising
Ethical Questions

Crisis Text Line is one of the world’s most prominent mental health
support lines, a tech-driven nonprofit that uses big data and
artificial intelligence to help people cope with traumas such as
self-harm, emotional abuse and thoughts of suicide. But the data the
charity collects from its online text conversations with people in
their darkest moments does not end there: The organization’s
for-profit spinoff uses a sliced and repackaged version of that
information to create and market customer service software.

https://www.politico.com/news/2022/01/28/suicide-hotline-silicon-valley-privacy-debates-00002617


9. Singapore’s Tech-Utopia Dream is Turning into a Surveillance State Nightmare

Singapore is often rendered as an aspiring techno-utopia, where pilot
projects hint at a future - just over the horizon - where the
intractable problems of today are automated out of existence.
Technology keeps them safe, fed and independent, secure in a scary
world, but connected to it through telecoms and air travel.

That safety requires constant vigilance. The city must be watched. The
smart cameras that are being trialed in Changi are just a part of a
nationwide thrust toward treating surveillance as part of everyday
life. Ninety thousand police cameras watch the streets, and by the end
of the decade, there will be 200,000. Sensors, including facial
recognition cameras and crowd analytics systems, are being positioned
across the city.

https://restofworld.org/2021/singapores-tech-utopia-dream-is-turning-into-a-surveillance-state-nightmare/


### The Health & Wellbeing Corner ###

// This corner is authored by Selma Zaki, TCU’s Director of Community
Mental Health //

At the start of January, I set an intention and told myself that this
year, I will focus on ‘finding home in my habits’. I will focus on the
day to day and practice habits and rituals that make me feel grounded,
rooted and at home in my body. And so I tried. This past month, I
tried and I struggled.

At the end of the month, I am noticing my judgmental harsh parts
reprimanding me and telling me: ‘You should’ve done better.’ In
response to those parts I want to say: Thank you for wanting more for
me and at the same time, it’s okay to struggle. It’s okay to struggle
and not fully understand why. Progress is never linear. Be gentle with
yourself: be loving, forgiving and be gentle. I hope we can all
collectively practice being gentle and loving, with ourselves and
toward each other. I leave you with a question, a practice and of
course a song:

- Question: What would you like to tell yourself as you confront your
own struggles?

- Practice: A Qigong Practice I learned at a retreat. I’ve been trying
different practices to try to balance out everything I feel and hold
internally. Some days, I show up for myself, and other days I don’t
and like I said: it’s okay to struggle.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3K-0JpiJu-o

- Song:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHLXKjhT3XI

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### 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

Digital Freedom Fund
Deadline:  January 24 - March 1 2022
https://digitalfreedomfund.org/grants/

Information Controls Fellowship Program (ICFP)
Open Technology Fund
Deadline: March 13, 2022
https://www.opentech.fund/news/information-controls-fellowship-program-now-accepting-applications-for-ninth-cohort/

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/

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### Global Events Calendar ###

One Year On, Tatmadaw and Its Legitimacy on Social Media Space
Digital Reach Asia
February 4
https://digitalreach.asia/event/one-year-on-tatmadaw-and-its-legitimacy-on-social-media-space/

Glitter Meetup: Circulo App
Vladimir Cortés, Martha Tudón and Fabiola Maurice
February 10
9am EST / 2pm UTC
https://internetfreedomfestival.org/wiki/index.php/February_10_2022_GM

Intersectional Approaches to Data & Digital Rights Advocacy During the Pandemic
February 15
5pm CET
https://www.theengineroom.org/new-research-community-call-intersectional-approaches-to-data-and-digital-rights-advocacy/

Africa Monthly Meetup
February 16
3pm SAST / 1pm UTC / 8am EST

https://internetfreedomfestival.org/wiki/index.php/February_16,_2022_,_Africa_Meetup

Glitter Meetup: The Facebook Papers
February 17
9am EST / 2pm UTC
https://internetfreedomfestival.org/wiki/index.php/February_17_2022_GM

APAC DNS Forum 2022 First Pre-Event Webinar
September 2021 - February 2022
https://apacdnsforum.my/

MisinfoCon Mozfest
Hack/Hackers
March 7 - 11
Online
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/misinfocon-mozfest-2022-a-global-online-summit-on-misinformation-tickets-247379979177?aff=mozfest

Glitter Meetup: The WikiRate project
March 24
9am EST / 2pm UTC
https://internetfreedomfestival.org/wiki/index.php/March_24_2022_GM

Glitter Meetup: The BASICS Project
March 31
9am EST / 2pm UTC
https://internetfreedomfestival.org/wiki/index.php/March_31_2022_GM

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

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### NEW Job Opportunities  ###

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

You can view the complete list of jobs on the Team CommUNITY Job Board
at: https://www.digitalrights.community/job-board

If you know someone who may be a fit for any of these jobs, please
forward them this email. Or better yet, have them sign up to receive
job opportunities each week:
https://www.digitalrights.community/weekly-newsletter

✎ Content Writer Consultant | Hack/Hackers
+ Remote
https://www.hackshackers.com/hacks-hackers-seeks-content-writer-consultant/

✎ Human Resources Specialist | Global Investigative Journalism Network (GIJN)
+ Remote
https://gijn.org/job-opening-human-resources-specialist/

✎ Operations Assistant | Transparentem
+ New York, USA
https://www.transparentem.com/job-openings/

✎ Senior Financial Analyst/Assistant Controller | Access Now
+ NYC or Washington, DC, USA
http://accessnow.bamboohr.com/jobs/view.php?id=95&source=aWQ9MjA%3D

✎ Policy Advisors | Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation
+ London, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Manchester or Belfast
https://www.civilservicejobs.service.gov.uk/csr/index.cgi?SID=c2VhcmNoX3NsaWNlX2N1cnJlbnQ9MSZjc291cmNlPWNzcXNlYXJjaCZ1c2Vyc2VhcmNoY29udGV4dD0xNDcwMzAwNDcmb3duZXJ0eXBlPWZhaXImam9ibGlzdF92aWV3X3ZhYz0xNzY4OTA1Jm93bmVyPTUwNzAwMDAmcGFnZWNsYXNzPUpvYnMmcGFnZWFjdGlvbj12aWV3dmFjYnlqb2JsaXN0JnJlcXNpZz0xNjQzMzkwNTUwLWFhN2FmNWQwMzFiYWE0N2JiMWI4M2YwY2M1NjczNTllOTgxODc1YjE=

✎ Director - Helpline | Access Now
+ Global Location Options
https://accessnow.bamboohr.com/jobs/view.php?id=107&source=aWQ9MjA%3D

✎ Freedom Of Expression Coalition Organizer | SMEX
+ Lebanon
https://smex.org/smex-seeks-freedom-of-expression-coalition-organizer/

✎ Network Organizer | SMEX
+ Remote
https://smex.org/smex-seeks-network-coordinator/

✎ Project Coordinator | Justice and Sustainability Associates, LLC
+ Remote or Washington DC, USA
https://www.jsallc.com/about-us/careers/

✎ Financial Analyst | Wikimedia Foundation
+ Remote
https://grnh.se/4f8f293c1us

✎ DevOps/Site Reliability Engineer | Least Authority TFA GmbH
+ Remote
https://leastauthority.com/careers/#DevOps

✎ Summer 2022 Internship - OTI Communications Intern (paid) | New
America - Open Technology Institute
+ Remote
https://newamerica.applytojob.com/apply/ApImUen0up/

✎ Summer 2022 Internship - OTI Legal/Public Policy Interns (Paid) |
New America - Open Technology Institute
+ Remote
https://newamerica.applytojob.com/apply/navxnZvjVw/

✎ Project Manager (part-time contract) | Wikimedia Foundation
+ Remote
https://grnh.se/9ff03ca91us

✎ Lead Learning and Development Specialist | Wikimedia Foundation
+ Remote
https://grnh.se/796c101b1us

✎ Policy Analyst | Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University
+ New York, NY, USA
http://opportunities.columbia.edu/en-us/job/521986/policy-analyst

✎ Project Associate | Wikimania Conference (Contract) | Wikimedia Foundation
+ Remote
https://grnh.se/d37375861us

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(((Hugs & light)))

Team CommUNITY at ARTICLE 19
team at digitalrights.commun
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