Digital Rights Weekly | DIgital Rights Weekly | January 17 - 21

Fri Jan 21 22:29:30 CET 2022

Hello Digital Rights Defenders!

Here is your weekly update on digital rights around the world for the
week of January 17 - 21

###  Upcoming Virtual TCU Events ###

>> 26 January | MENA Meetup
The monthly meetup is a great place to connect with folks from (or
working on) the MENA region to share knowledge, seek mutual support,
and celebrate with each other. All are welcome!
https://internetfreedomfestival.org/wiki/index.php/January_26_2022,_MENA_Meetup

>> Upcoming GM Featured Guests
Join the virtual town hall of the digital rights community, Glitter
Meetups, that happens every Thursday at 9am EST.

—>  January 27:  Gus Andrews, Security in a Box (SiaB).
https://internetfreedomfestival.org/wiki/index.php/January_27_2022_GM

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

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### Digital Rights in the Community ###

1. Frontline Defenders & Access Now Publishes Report on Women HRDs
Targeted with Pegasus in Bahrain & Jordan

A new investigation reveals the hacking of two women human rights
defenders (WHRDs) from Bahrain and Jordan using NSO Group’s notorious
Pegasus spyware. The report provides detailed recommendations for
Jordanian and Bahraini authorities, as well as other states, on what
should be done going forward. The hacking discovery comes on the heels
of the Pegasus Project revelations of governments in the MENA region
and beyond using the spyware to perpetrate human rights abuses and
repress activists and journalists.

https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/sites/default/files/unsafe-anywhere_-women-human-rights-defenders-speak-out-about-pegasus-attacks_en.pdf

2. New Report Looks at Internet Infrastructure Governance

A recent report, authored by Niels ten Oever, outlines the various
ways in which the governance of internet infrastructure is dominated
by the transnational corporations that own and operate much of the
infrastructure. Increasingly, digital daily lives are defined by the
interests of corporations, not the public interest. The report is an
excellent primer on how technical internet governance works, the role
civil society can play, and the ways in which the early ideals of the
internet have gone on to mask some of its greatest challenges.

https://www.fordfoundation.org/work/learning/research-reports/human-rights-are-not-a-bug-upgrading-governance-for-an-equitable-internet/

### Digital Rights Resources ###

1. Response Tactics to Internet Shutdowns in Latin America

Last year Latin American human rights defenders encountered many obstacles
In their attempts to disseminate evidence of human rights violations.
This includes  various types of internet shutdowns, and challenges
specific to social media platforms, including the removal of content
or reduction in the scope of publications.

Tactics used to overcome these obstacles included using popular music
as soundtracks for videos, avoiding the use of certain words or
changing some letters in phrases, and coming up with creative ways to
preserve evidence.

https://blog.witness.org/2021/11/response-tactics-to-internet-shutdowns-in-latin-america/

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

1. European Parliament Pushes to Ban Online Adertising Based on
Sensitive Info like Health, Religion, and Sexual Orientation

The European Parliament moved closer this week to banning targeted ads
based on sensitive data including religious beliefs, sexual
orientation and racial or ethnic origin.  A large majority of
lawmakers voted to prohibit online platforms, such as Facebook and
Google, from showing commercials to users based on their most intimate
information, in the EU’s draft content moderation bill, known as the
Digital Services Act (DSA).

Meanwhile in the USA, the Banning Surveillance Advertising Act was
introduced in the House of Representatives by Reps Anna Eshoo
(D-Calif), Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) and Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.). The
bill would make it illegal for advertisers to target ads to consumers
based on personal information.

https://martech.org/google-and-marketing-industry-predictably-hostile-to-proposed-surveillance-advertising-ban/

2. Israeli Citizens Targeted by Police using Pegasus Spyware

According to a recent investigation conducted by the Israeli business
media site Calcalist, the Israeli police conducted warrantless phone
intercepts of citizens, including politicians and activists, using the
Pegasus spyware. Targets included leaders of political protests
against former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. According to the
report, the surveillance was done without the court supervision
required for Israeli citizens and without monitoring of how the data
was used.

https://www.theguardian.com/news/2022/jan/18/israeli-citizens-targeted-by-police-using-pegasus-spyware-report-claims

3.  Woman Sentenced to Death in Pakistan Over WhatsApp Activity

A court in Pakistan has sentenced a woman to death over allegedly
blasphemous messages sent over WhatsApp and Facebook. In a statement
to the court, she said her accuser had intentionally dragged her into
a religious discussion to collect evidence and take “revenge” after
she refused to be friendly with him. The two had met on a popular
online multiplayer game and continued communicating on WhatsApp.

Pakistan has recently asked Facebook and Twitter to help identify its
citizens suspected of blasphemy so it can prosecute them or pursue
their extradition.  While minorities such as Christians and Hindus
have largely been targeted by the laws, Pakistani Muslims have also
found themselves facing blasphemy charges. The cases often take place
quickly, in a closed court, away from public scrutiny.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/19/pakistan-woman-aneeqa-ateeq-sentenced-to-death-blasphemous-whatsapp-messages

4. Facebook’s Tamil Censorship Highlights Risk to Everyone

For the editors of the Tamil Guardian, an online publication covering
Sri Lankan news, Facebook’s moderation policies has meant years of
unrelenting, unexplained censorship. Facebook moderators seem unable
to distinguish the Tamil Guardian from the long-defunct Tamil Tigers.
Experts say this sort of bumbling threatens press and cultural freedom
worldwide.

https://theintercept.com/2022/01/19/facebook-tamil-censorship-sri-lanka/

5. In India's Surveillance Hotspot, Facial Recognition Taken to Court

A lawsuit against use of facial recognition in Telangana state is
being seen as a test case as the technology is rolled out nationwide.
The lawsuit challenges facial recognition as unconstitutional.
Telangana is the state with the most facial recognition systems in
India. This court case could have a wide impact in the country.

https://news.trust.org/item/20220120005654-ybwlm/

6. Circumvention in China has Increased During COVID-19

A study co-authored by Zachary Steinert-Threlkeld of the UCLA Luskin
School of Public Affairs shows that more people in China circumvented
censorship restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic, opening a
gateway to a trove of sensitive and long-hidden information.

The research identifies a spike in China-based activity on Twitter and
Wikipedia, two banned platforms. Search for COVID-19–related
information motivated individuals to find ways to skirt
government-imposed regulations and technologies that block internet
use.

https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/censorship-china-covid-19-pandemic

7. NYT Reports that Eastern Europe is Testing New Forms of Internet Censorship

Eastern Europe has become a fertile ground for new forms of
censorship, which mostly avoid brute force, but limit access to
critical voices and bend public opinion. To deploy gentler yet
effective tools – and therefore elections – in favor of those in
power.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/17/world/europe/serbia-media-censorship.html

8. Journalists Are Under Threat in El Salvador

El Salvador is experiencing an escalating crackdown on press freedoms
in the country. The author of this article, a journalist himself, had
his cell phone infected with the Pegasus for a total of 269 days. The
surveillance as so rampant that an attempt was made to access his
phone while it was being examined by CItizen Lab, something that they
had never seen before.

https://time.com/6140352/el-salvador-pegasus-hack-journalists/

9. Greece’s New Biometrics Policing Program Undermines Rights

Greece is planning a new police program to scan people’s faces and
fingerprints that is inconsistent with international human rights
standards on privacy and likely to amplify ongoing discrimination

https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/01/18/greece-new-biometrics-policing-program-undermines-rights#

10. Employee Surveillance is Exploding with Remote Work

Worker surveillance dates back more than a century, but it’s barely
recognizable today, with companies using surveillance tools, including
tech that can track eye movement and take a screenshot without
employees' knowledge.

This trend has accelerated in the pandemic. According to unpublished
research from the HR organization Gartner, 60% of companies with at
least 1,000 workers that responded to the survey had adopted these
technologies by the end of 2021, compared to only 30% prior to the
pandemic, spokesperson Teresa Zuech said.

https://www.morningbrew.com/hr/stories/2022/01/19/employee-surveillance-is-exploding-with-remote-work-and-could-be-the-new-norm

### 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, please email details to
team at digitalrights.community
https://internetfreedomfestival.org/wiki/index.php/Fundraising_Opportunities

Fellowship Annual Call
Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University
Deadline: 31 January, 2022
https://cyber.harvard.edu/getinvolved/fellowships/2223Fellows

CrossCulture Programme (CCP) Fellowship
Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen
Deadline: January 31, 2022
https://www.ifa.de/en/fundings/ccp-fellowships/

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

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 ###

MENA Monthly Meetup
TCU Community Leads
January, 26
10am EST / 3pm UTC
https://internetfreedomfestival.org/wiki/index.php/January_26_2022,_MENA_Meetup

Glitter Meetup: Security In A Box, Gus Andrews
January, 27
9am EST / 2pm UTC
https://internetfreedomfestival.org/wiki/index.php/January_27_2022_GM

Digital Safety for All
February 1
4:00 AM – 7:00 AM EST
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/digital-rights-for-all-digital-safety-data-registration-219240112077

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

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

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 one of these jobs, please
forward them this email. Or better yet, have them sign up to receive
more jobs each week:
https://www.digitalrights.community/weekly-newsletter

✎ Front End Developer | The Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting
Project (OCCRP)
+ Remote, 0 to +4 GMT
https://www.occrp.org/en/occrp-jobs/front-end-developer

✎ Communications Project Manager | Wikimedia Foundation
+ Remote
https://grnh.se/0b94c85b1us

✎ Ethics & Tech: Researcher & Project Manager | Eticas Consulting, S.L.
+ Remote
https://adventures.freshpeople.team/jobs/1154033-ethics-tech-researcher-eu-project-manager

✎ Development Coordinator | Access Now
+ Washington DC, USA preferred; open to Berlin, Brussels, San José
(CR), or Tunis
https://accessnow.bamboohr.com/jobs/view.php?id=99&source=aWQ9MjA%3D

✎ UX Designer (Mid-Level to Sr.) | Freedom of the Press Foundation
+ Remote
https://freedom.press/jobs/ux-designer/

✎ Peer Navigator | Alluma
+ Los Angeles, CA, USA
https://about.1degree.org/los-angeles-peer-navigator

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### Remember to Sign up for and Share Our Newsletter ###

We hope this information will be helpful and informative as we
continue working together to protect the people who defend human
rights online. If you have any questions or want to learn more about
partnerships, get in touch at team at digitalrights.community.

If you would like to us to include your news, updates, or
opportunities in the newsletter, or if you’ve been forwarded this
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https://www.digitalrights.community/weekly-newsletter

(((Hugs & light)))

Team CommUNITY at ARTICLE 19
team at digitalrights.commun
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Team CommUNITY at ARTICLE 19
www.digitalrights.community
Organizers of the Internet Freedom Festival
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