Digital Rights Weekly | July 18 - 22

Fri Jul 22 14:47:13 CEST 2022

Hello Digital Rights Defenders!

Here is your weekly update on digital rights around the world for the
weeks of July 18 - 22. As a reminder, you can submit your news for the
newsletter here: https://www.digitalrights.community/weekly-newsletter

###  Upcoming Virtual TCU Events ###

July 27 | Asia Meetup
https://internetfreedomfestival.org/wiki/index.php/July_27,_2022_Asia_Meetup

July 27 | Africa Meetup
https://internetfreedomfestival.org/wiki/index.php/July_27,_2022_,_Africa_Meetup

July 27 | MENA Meetup
https://internetfreedomfestival.org/wiki/index.php/July_27_2022,_MENA_Meetup

July 28 | Introducing The Meme Studies Research Network (Glitter Meetup)
https://internetfreedomfestival.org/wiki/index.php/July_28_2022_GM

_________________________________________________

## Team CommUNITY Update ##

1. TCU Office Will Be Closed For August 15 - 26 **

To support healthy work practices and ensure staff take time off for
vacation (while actually being available to “sign off”), TCU will be
closed for August 15 - 26, 2022.
Online events and Mattermost announcements will pause, as well as the
delivery of our weekly newsletter.

2. Apply for the Psychosocial Educational Retreat for Managers and
Community Leaders

TCU application window for their psycho-educational retreat will be
closing on July 30, so make sure to apply as soon as possible.  The
retreat will provide participants with the opportunity learn a variety
of skills, from how to deal with mental health distress in a group
setting, to identifying signs of burnout, to how to implement tools
and structures to improve team health and address interpersonal
conflict in a group setting.

https://digitalrights.formstack.com/forms/psychosocial_educational_retreat

3. Join a Psychosocial Circle

TCU  is offering group sessions led by psychotherapists in the Fall,
which are limited to 6-10 people per circle Each circle will run once
a week from September 19 to December 9. They include: Dealing with
Grief, Skills Based Group for Men, Diaspora Group, LGBTQ Support
Group, Living in Survival Mode, Activist Fatigue, and Racialized
Trauma.

Signup by September 5, 2022

https://www.communityhealth.team/upcoming-circles
________________________________________________

### Digital Rights in the Community ###

1. New Grant for Feminist Tech Activism

Numun Fund launched a grant dedicated to supporting feminist tech
activism and work in the Larger World (Global South). This is a
multi-year, flexible grant open for application by initiatives,
collectives, groups and organisations with a focus on feminist tech
activism in the Larger World. The grant is between USD 5,000 - USD
100,000 for a period of 2 years, flexible and can be used for general
support and/or projects, depending on where the group is in the life
cycle of organised activism.

The “Seed, Grow and Sustain” Grant Call is open from 1 July to 1 August 2022.
https://numun.fund/numun-funds-first-call-for-applications-is-open/

2. Laboratorio Sapiens en Guatemala invita a postular a TecnoRizoma.

Futuros digitales en Centroamérica TecnoRizoma es una plataforma de
aprendizaje y creación colaborativa que busca contribuir a la
democratización del conocimiento y al empoderamiento político sobre el
territorio de lo digital en la región centroamericana. Convocatoria
dirigida a organizaciones de sociedad civil interesadas en incorporar
la discusión política del impacto de las tecnologías digitales e
Internet en sus líneas de acción. Convocatoria abierta hasta el 30 de
agosto de 2022 Conoce la convocatoria completa aquí:

https://tinyurl.com/TecnoRizomaCentroamerica

3. ACLU Publishes Six Questions to Ask Before Accepting a Surveillance
Technology

The ACLU published a list of guiding questions for communities,
policymakers, and political leaders should ask when accepting
surveillance technology.  It helps individuals think through
narratives presented to them regarding the use and/or installation of
surveillance technologies such as facial recognition, cameras, or
license plate scanners. The goal of this list is to help individuals
process these claims, and think through these narratives.

https://www.aclu.org/news/privacy-technology/six-questions-to-ask-before-accepting-a-surveillance-technology

4. Digital Rights Organization Urge the Indian Government to Keep
End-to-End Encryption Alive

In a letter to the Indian Government, EFF and digital rights
organizations from around the world called on the Indian Ministry of
Electronics and Information Technology to withdraw the so-called
traceability requirement under its Intermediary Guidelines and Digital
Media Ethics Code (2021 IT Rules).  The rules compel private
end-to-end encrypted messaging services to enable the identification
of the “first originator” of information on their platforms, which
would break encryption in  private and secure communications
platforms. This move threatens freedom of speech, privacy and national
security of Indian people and businesses. Therefore, it is imperative
to withdraw the traceability requirements under the Indian 2021 IT
Rules.

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/07/eff-and-partners-urge-indian-government-keep-end-end-encryption-alive

5. The Pegasus Project: One Year On

One year after the Pegasus Project revelations, Amnesty International
warns that the lack of a global moratorium on the sale of spyware is
allowing the surveillance industry to continue unchecked. Following
repeated calls for the surveillance industry to be regulated, some
steps have been taken in the right direction – but government action
has not yet been enough.

The Pegasus Project uncovered how governments worldwide were using NSO
Group’s invasive Pegasus spyware to put human rights activists,
political leaders, journalists and lawyers around the world under
unlawful surveillance.  (The Pegasus Project is a collaboration by
more than 80 journalists from 17 media organizations in 10 countries,
with Amnesty International overseeing the forensic testing on mobile
phones to identify traces of the spyware).

https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2022/07/the-pegasus-project-one-year-on-spyware-crisis-continues-after-failure-to-clamp-down-on-surveillance-industry/

6. Engine Room New Report: Confluence of Digital Rights & Climate Justice

The Engine Room just released a new report exploring areas of
intersection between digital rights and climate & environmental
justice. Among the findings include the issue that both technological
and environmental crises can be challenging to visualize and mobilize
around, given that they are enormous problems that don’t always seem
visible. In addition, there is tension between what technology can
offer to ameliorate climate change and the recognition that no
technology comes without costs.

https://www.theengineroom.org/new-report-at-the-confluence-of-digital-rights-climate-justice/

7. Citizen’s Lab New Report: Pegasus Spyware in Thailand

CitizenLab released a new report showing how Pegasus was used against
pro-democracy protestors in Thailand. The report identifies at least
30 Pegasus victims among key civil society groups in Thailand,
including activists, academics, lawyers, and NGO workers. The
infections occurred from October 2020 to November 2021, coinciding
with a period of widespread pro-democracy protests, and predominantly
targeted key figures in the pro-democracy movement. In numerous cases,
multiple members of movements or organizations were infected. Many of
the victims included in this report have been repeatedly detained,
arrested, and imprisoned for their political activities or criticism
of the government.

https://citizenlab.ca/2022/07/geckospy-pegasus-spyware-used-against-thailands-pro-democracy-movement/

8. New June Report: Iran Gov;t’s Digital Tactics to Disrupt Circumvention Tools

In June, Iranian authorities set their sights on sabotaging
internationally provided circumvention tools while starting  to
introduce their own government sanctioned VPNs and internet censorship
measures for children. In this context, Iranians experienced less
intense, more sporadic, and shorter internet disruptions than they did
in May. Starting in mid-June, the Filterwatch team observed
disruptions targeting circumvention tools. Specifically, from June
16-25, the Telecommunication Infrastructure Company (TIC) aggressively
targeted the encryption protocols used by circumvention tools such as
Psiphon and Google Outline. Look through their extended report here:

https://filter.watch/en/2022/07/13/network-monitor-june-2022/

9. Australian Digital Rights Experts Raise Alarm over Draconian Bail
Conditions Imposed on Protesters.

NSW Police have imposed bail conditions on at least one Blockade
Australia activist that would prohibit the use of encrypted
communication apps such as WhatsApp and Signal. NSW police also
imposed conditions forcing the activists to hand over any
communications device to police and provide passcodes upon
request.These excessive bail conditions were imposed after armed
police preemptively raided a private property where individuals linked
to Blockade Australia were camping. These police-imposed bail
conditions are being challenged and may be overturned by a Magistrate.

https://digitalrightswatch.org.au/2022/06/27/australian-digital-rights-and-security-experts-raise-alarmed-over-draconian-bail-conditions-imposed-on-protesters/
_________________________________________________

### Digital Rights Resources ###

1. Podcast | The Tech We Won’t Build

Where should tech builders draw the line on AI for military or
surveillance? Just because it can be built, doesn’t mean it should be.
At what point do we blow the whistle, call out the boss, and tell the
world? In this episode, find out what it’s like to sound the alarm
from inside a big tech company, and more. IRL is an original podcast
from Mozilla, the non-profit behind Firefox. This season doubles as
Mozilla’s 2022 Internet Health Report and shares stories of people who
are building and regulating AI systems in more equitable ways.

https://2022.internethealthreport.org/episodes/the-tech-we-wont-build/

2. How to Keep Yourself Safe Online from Abusive Partners

Abusive partners use technology to control, harass, or intimidate
their partners.  Refuge has teamed up with Avast to create an
interactive tool that provides awareness and understanding of the
various digital platforms a partner might have access to, whether
social media accounts, online banking, and how individuals can secure
these digital platforms against potential tech abuse from a partner or
ex-partner.

https://refugetechsafety.org/digitalbreakup/

3. Resources for Journalists to Protect Against Online Abuse

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has created a series of
resources intended to help journalists better prepare for or cope with
managing online harassment and abuse. More and more, journalists are
at risk of being harassed online in an attempt by hostile actors or
groups to intimidate or force them into silence. Included in this
resources is approaches to dealing with things such as smear
campaigns, threats, and more.

https://cpj.org/resources-for-protecting-against-online-abuse/

4. Why Is Big Tech So Afraid of the EU’s Digital Markets Act and
Digital Services Act

Public Citizen organized a webinar about what advocates and regulators
should know about how EU’s new laws will regulate Big Tech to the
benefit of consumers. You can watch the recorded webinar here:

https://www.citizen.org/article/webinar-why-is-big-tech-so-afraid-of-the-eus-digital-markets-act-and-digital-services-act/
_________________________________________________

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

1. Amazon Suing Heads of 10,000 Facebook Groups instead of Meta

Amazon has been fighting fake reviews on its e-commerce platform for
years, and now it is taking the battle to court. The tech giant
announced that it has filed a lawsuit against the administrators of
some 10,000 Facebook groups it claims are dedicated to fake review
scams. If companies like Facebook-parent Meta are hosting sites where
scammers are recruiting people to post fake reviews, why isn’t Amazon
just going after Meta? The answer is the internet law called Section
230 of the Communications Decency Act, which allows internet companies
like Facebook to host third-party content without being held
responsible for the content itself.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/why-amazon-is-the-heads-of-10000-facebook-groups-instead-of-meta-183245859.html

2. Authorities Access User Data through Amazon Ring

Amazon has several forms that police can fill out to get user’s data
without permission or a warrant by stating its a life-threatening
emergency. Not only is this not listed in their Terms of Service, but
in the last seven months alone, Amazon has provided private Ring
videos to law enforcement 11 times. To-date, Amazon has partnered with
2,161 law enforcement agencies, and its not at all clear that
obtaining Ring footage has actually helped law enforcement with cases.
In fact, a 2020 NBC News investigation suggested they largely hadn’t.
Note; If individuals have a wired Ring camera, they can turn on the
company’s end-to-end encryption for video streams. However, this
feature is not available on its popular battery powered models.
https://www.theverge.com/2022/7/14/23219419/amazon-ring-law-enforcement-no-warrant-no-consent

3. Armenia's Prosecutor General Wants to Monitor Internet Content

In a letter addressed to the government of Armenia, Armenia's
Prosecutor General, Artur Davtyan said the internet should be under
state control and regulated through legislation. According to the
Prosecutor's office, the proposal to monitor content online comes at a
time when “there has been an increase in the spread of national,
religious, sexual or other discrimination on internet websites and
social networks, and other banned content in Armenia, including drug
advertisements.” Internet Freedom advocates see the proposal as a tool
of persecution that would restrict freedom of speech.

https://globalvoices.org/2022/07/14/armenias-prosecutor-general-wants-to-monitor-internet-content/

4. Indonesia Urges Tech platforms to Sign Up to New Licensing Rules or
Risk Being Blocked

Indonesia urged tech companies to register under new licensing rules,
or run the risk of having their platforms blocked, with data showing
many big tech firms such as Google and Meta had yet to comply days out
from the July 20 deadline. The requirement to register is part of a
set of rules, first released in November 2020, that will allow
authorities to order platforms to take down content deemed unlawful,
or that "disturbs public order" within four hours if considered
urgent, and 24 hours if not.

https://www.reuters.com/technology/indonesia-urges-tech-platforms-sign-up-new-licensing-rules-or-risk-being-blocked-2022-07-18/
(paywall)

5. China: Data Breaches and Pre-Publication Censorship

The Chinese government moved systematically to squash news about what
was probably the largest known breach of a Chinese government computer
system, involving the personal information of as many as one billion
citizens. The breach exposed the risks of its expansive efforts to
vacuum up enormous amounts of digital and biological information on
the daily activities and social connections of its people from social
media posts, biometric data, phone records and surveillance videos.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/14/business/china-data-privacy.html (paywall)

Imagine you are working on your novel on your home computer and all of
a sudden, the online word processing software tells you that you can
no longer open the draft because it contains illegal information.
Within an instant, all your words are lost. This is what happened in
June to a Chinese novelist who was working with WPS, a domestic
version of cloud-based word processing software such as Google Docs or
Microsoft Office 365. In the Chinese literature forum Lkong on June
25, the writer accused WPS of “spying on and locking my draft,” citing
the presence of illegal content. Chinese web users are asking
questions about just how far the state’s censorship reaches.

https://www.technologyreview.com/2022/07/15/1056042/chinese-novel-censored-before-shared/
(paywall)

6. Regulate Surveillance Technology and Personal Data Across African Continent

Governments across the African continent installed thousands of
closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras and surveillance devices
across cities, along with artificial-intelligence (AI) systems for
facial recognition and other uses. Such technologies are often part of
state-led initiatives to allegedly reduce crime rates and strengthen
national security against terrorism. These digital surveillance tools
raise privacy concerns. Governments must legislate locally to prevent
civil-rights abuses.
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-01949-9

7. The Case of Selective Morality, Sexist Laws, and Online Censorship
in Pakistan

Pakistan’s relationship with media censorship is long and one that has
seen many changes over the years, but what has remained consistent is
the fact that it focuses on policing women’s presence on the screens:
how they are portrayed, what they wear, how they talk, the kind of
relationship they maintain with men on screen with them and what this
says about them. The scrutiny goes deep into their personal lives
where they are attacked and character assassinated for their choices
outside of their work or the way they portray themselves on the
internet. As a result, increased censorship of these mediums is
prevalent across all platforms, but more so on social media.

https://genderit.org/feminist-talk/case-selective-morality-sexist-laws-and-online-censorship-pakistan
_________________________________________________

### 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

Mozilla Tech Policy Fellowship
Deadline: Not Specified
https://foundation.mozilla.org/en/blog/mozilla-is-seeking-senior-tech-policy-fellows-apply-today/

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/

Open Tech Fund | Secure Usability and Accessibility Lab
Deadline: Rolling
https://www.opentech.fund/labs/sua-lab/

Sustainable Protection Fund - Sub-Saharan Africa
Deadline: July 24
https://www.digitaldefenders.org/sustainable-protection-fund-open-call-for-sub-saharan-africa/

Dan Kamnisky Fellowship
Deadline: August 15
https://thedankaminskyfellowship2022.splashthat.com/

Sir Harry Evans Global Fellowship
Deadline: August 15
https://www.durham.ac.uk/sir-harry-evans-memorial-fund/global-fellowship/

Arab Reform Initiative
Deadline: September 5
https://www.arab-reform.net/job/call-for-applications-ari-non-resident-fellows-for-2022-2023/

_________________________________________________

### Global Events Calendar ###

Asia Meetup
July 27
4am EDT / 8am UTC
https://internetfreedomfestival.org/wiki/index.php/July_27,_2022_Asia_Meetup

Africa Meetup
July 27
9am EDT / 1pm UTC
https://internetfreedomfestival.org/wiki/index.php/July_27,_2022_,_Africa_Meetup

MENA Meetup
July 27
11am EDT / 3pm UTC
https://internetfreedomfestival.org/wiki/index.php/July_27_2022,_MENA_Meetup

Glitter Meetup: Introducing The Meme Studies Research Network
July 28
9am EDT / 1pm UTC
https://internetfreedomfestival.org/wiki/index.php/July_28_2022_GM

TecnoRizoma
August 17 - October 22
Online
https://tinyurl.com/TecnoRizomaCentroamerica

Digital Health Week
October, 10 - 16
https://digitalhealthweek.co/

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

✎ Digital Threat Solutions Specialist | Internews
+ Remote in UK or US
https://phf.tbe.taleo.net/phf04/ats/careers/v2/viewRequisition?org=INTERNEWS&cws=38&rid=1753

✎ Program Officer - Eastern Europe & Central Asia | HURIDOCS
+ Remote
https://www.idealist.org/en/nonprofit-job/584f8dbced2c45c0a676795744a3d1ab-programme-officer-eastern-europe-and-central-asia-huridocs-human-rights-information-and-documentation-systems-geneva

✎ Principal UX Designer | Wikimedia Foundation
+ Remote
https://grnh.se/0164c6ce1us

✎ Trauma-informed therapist partner [French] | Chayn
+ Remote
https://chayn.notion.site/Trauma-informed-therapist-partner-French-22cd8c2c7ecd4e54b6cdc6cf425c6b4e

✎ Policy Counsel - MENA | Access Now
+ Remote or MENA Region
https://accessnow.bamboohr.com/jobs/view.php?id=132&source=aWQ9MjA%3D

✎ Regional Partnerships Consultant, Middle East and North Africa
(Contract) | Wikimedia Foundation
+ Remote
https://grnh.se/e1d1ca401us

✎ Coordinator (first level management position) | Wikimedia Central
and Eastern European Hub
+ Remote (UTC+1 - UTC+3)
https://ogloszenia.ngo.pl/389623-coordinator-wikimedia-central-and-eastern-european-hub.html

✎ Advocacy and Communications Lead | SUPERRR Lab
+ Berlin, Germany
https://superrr.net/2022/07/01/jobs-advocacy-communications.html

✎ Project Lead Fellowship Program | SUPERRR Lab
+ Berlin, Germany
https://superrr.net/2022/07/01/jobs-projektleitung-fellowship.html

✎ Junior Ethics & Technology Researcher | Eticas Researcher Consulting
+ Remote
https://www.eticasconsulting.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/JD-Ethics-technology-Researcher.pdf

✎ Community Facilitator, Movement Strategy and Governance (Japan)
(Contract) | Wikimedia Foundation
+ Remote
https://grnh.se/196cea9b1us

✎ Community Facilitator Specialist (USA & Canada) | Wikimedia Foundation
+ Remote
https://grnh.se/e3ff57091us

✎ Senior Manager, Campaign Organizing | Wikimedia Foundation
+ Remote
https://grnh.se/3bc781361us

✎ Information Security Analyst | Wikimedia Foundation
+ Remote
https://grnh.se/da6294e91us

✎ Postdoctoral Scholar | Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication at
University of Michigan
+ Remote within US
https://careers.umich.edu/job_detail/220065/postdoctoral-research-fellow?fs=e&s=cl

✎ International Affairs Intern | 7amleh
+ Not Specified
https://7amleh.org/2022/07/13/7amleh-is-looking-for-an-international-affairs-intern

✎ Policy Director | Data & Society
+ Remote
https://boards.greenhouse.io/datasocietyresearchinstitute/jobs/6238528002

Need to unsubscribe or change your address?
Head to https://lists.ghserv.net/mailman/options/festival and enter
your email address.

If you feel like sending some digital glitter our way, or need further
assistance, feel free to reply to this message.
_________________________________________________

### Know someone that wants to subscribe to our newsletter? ###

They can sign up here:
https://www.digitalrights.community/weekly-newsletter

### Want to partner with us?###

If you have any questions or want to learn more about partnerships,
get in touch at team at digitalrights.community. We are always looking
for like-minded organizations and people.

(((Hugs & light)))
--
Team CommUNITY at ARTICLE 19
www.digitalrights.community
Organizers of the Internet Freedom Festival
PGP: 2E1D CC33 A362 0BD6 236E  540A F60A 89AD 6FF9 7A2F

You can now submit your news for the Digital Rights weekly directly.
To post your job opportunities, submit your opportunities to our Job Board.