Digital Rights Weekly | March 7 - 11

Team CommUNITY team at digitalrights.community
Fri Mar 11 15:26:22 CET 2022 

Hello Digital Rights Defenders,

Here is your weekly update on digital rights around the world for the
week of March 7 - 11

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

###  Upcoming Virtual TCU Events ###

March 16 | Africa Monthly Meetup
The Africa Monthly Meetups bring together folks from the African
region to share, connect, seek help, and release stress by celebrating
each other.
https://internetfreedomfestival.org/wiki/index.php/March_16,_2022_,_Africa_Meetup

March 16 | (CKS) Podcast 101
Laura Vidal and Laura Schwartz Henderson will tell you all about the
challenges of producing a podcast for newcomers, including what tools
to use and tips on storytelling.
https://digitalrights.formstack.com/forms/cks54

March 16 | Lingua Cafe
LC is a language exchange that connects language learners and allows
them to exchange their language skills in an informal setting. This
gives individuals the opportunity to improve their language abilities
while also supporting fellow community members in their learning
endeavors.
https://internetfreedomfestival.org/wiki/index.php/Lingua_Cafe,_March_16,_2022

March 23 | MENA Monthly Meetup
The MENA Monthly Meetups bring together folks from the MENA region to
share, connect, seek help, and release stress by celebrating each
other.
https://internetfreedomfestival.org/wiki/index.php/March_23_2022,_MENA_Meetup

Upcoming Glitter Meetups (Every Thursday at 2pm UTC)

>>> March 17: Spyware Attacks in MENA Region
Join Mohammed Al-Maskati for a conversation about the Increasing
deployment of surveillance technologies and the use of spyware by
state actors to target human rights defenders in the MENA region.
https://internetfreedomfestival.org/wiki/index.php/March_17_2022_GM

>>> March 24: WikiRate
The team will share info about their open data platform that allows
anyone to systematically gather, analyze and report publicly-available
information on corporate Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG)
practices.
https://internetfreedomfestival.org/wiki/index.php/March_24_2022_GM

>>> March 31: Internews’ BASICS project
Building Analytical and Support Infrastructure for Critical Security
tools (BASICS) aims to increase the use of critical, open source,
digital security tools. Check it out if you’re interested in creating
non-invasive surveillance tech that respects privacy.
https://internetfreedomfestival.org/wiki/index.php/March_31_2022_GM

_________________________________________________

### Digital Rights in the Community ###

1. Twitter Launches Tor Onion Service Making Site Easier to Access in Russia

An official Tor onion service version of Twitter has been launched, as
Russia clamps down on access to social networks and independent media.
The site stands to be one of the most significant Tor onion services
ever launched. Users will need to have the Tor Browser or another
version of Tor installed to access the site:

https://www.vice.com/en/article/v7dqxd/twitter-tor-onion-service-dark-web-version

In addition, here are ways that Individuals can communicate if the
Internet stops working in Ukraine.

https://www.dw.com/en/how-to-send-messages-in-ukraine-if-the-internet-shuts-down/a-61041676


2. Deadlines Extended for Tactical Tech’s Call for Participants

Tactical Tech’s Exposing the Invisible project is offering a free
online Training of Trainers (ToT) program spanning from the end of
March until the end of June 2022. The call for participants has been
extended to March 15, 2022. Specifically, the ToT is for journalists
and other media professionals from the European Union.

https://exposingtheinvisible.org/news/call-for-tot-participants/


3. Evidence Indicates Activist in Morocco Recently Targeted with Pegasus Spyware

Analysis by Amnesty International’s Security Lab found that two phones
belonging to human rights defender Aminatou Haidar were targeted and
infected as recently as November 2021, just months after the Pegasus
Project revelations shocked the world.

https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2022/03/morocco-western-sahara-activist-nso-pegasus/


4. GreatFire Condemns Restrictions on Russian Media

GreatFire has published a statement condemning EU”s recent
restrictions on two Russian state-owned media, Russia Today and the
Sputnik New agency. They share that besides the ban being inefficient
and counterproductive, it sets a dangerous precedent for freedom of
access to information in the EU and the rest of the world.

https://applecensorship.com/restricting-free-speech-in-europe-is-a-victory-for-autocrats/

_________________________________________________

### Digital Rights Resources ###

1. VioGen, A Series of Reports Reverse Engineering Algorithms Used to
Inform Police & Legal Actions

Many countries have developed specialized programs which include a
risk assessment tool that provides an algorithmic risk score that is
used to make decisions or recommendations on what police or legal
actions should be enacted. The use of automated systems to predict
risk has been increasing in recent years, often raising concerns about
fairness and transparency. Eticas is currently reverse-engineering
these algorithmic systems in different areas in collaboration with the
affected stakeholders and civil society organizations.

Check out their first report looking at algorithm used to determine
protection measures for women at risk of gender violence.

https://eticasfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/ETICAS-FND-The-External-Audit-of-the-VioGen-System.pdf

_________________________________________________

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

1. Is Russia Preparing to Cut Itself off from the Global Internet?

A recent Russian government document being circulated is leading some
experts to believe that the country is preparing to disconnect from
the global internet. The letter appears to be an order from Andrei
Chernenko, Russia’s deputy digital minister, demanding that Russian
state-owned websites and online portals beef up their security by
Friday this week. It tells them to move their hosting to Russian
services if they are currently using foreign hosting services, and to
scrub their web pages of all JavaScript code that has been downloaded
from foreign sources. It includes one instruction that particularly
raises eyebrows: Russian state-owned web services must by Friday make
sure they have switched to domain name system (DNS) servers located on
Russian soil. This move would essentially allow Russia to effectively
shut down all independent media, and surveil their citizens.

https://www.zdnet.com/article/russia-may-be-cutting-itself-off-from-the-internet/


2. Transparency Org Releases Alleged Leak of Russian Censorship Agency

Transparency organization Distributed Denial of Secrets has released
what it says is 800GB of data from a section of Roskomnadzor, the
Russian government body responsible for censorship in the country. The
raw data will be released soon.

https://www.vice.com/en/article/xgdmj7/russian-censorship-roskomnadzor-hacked-leak-distributed-denial-of-secrets


3. Private Tech Surveillance Companies Are Taking Over US Prisons

Private American companies are rapidly digitizing prison mail. Some
ankle-monitors can record whole conversations without people’s
knowledge or consent. Most recently, at the end of last month, a group
of American civil-rights organizations urged the federal government to
crack down on the use of surveillance software called Verus, which
transcribes imprisoned people’s phone-calls and scans the
conversations for key phrases.

https://theappeal.org/private-tech-surveillance-companies-are-taking-over-prisons/

In addition, this week in the USA Senator Ron Wyden shared that a
law-enforcement arm of the Department of Homeland Security
participated in a secret bulk surveillance program that collected
millions of records about money transfers made by citizens.
Specifically, the surveillance program collected records of transfers
greater than $500 to or from Mexico, and also transfers to or from the
states of Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Texas.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/secret-surveillance-program-collects-americans-money-transfer-data-senator-says-11646737201
_________________________________________________

### 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

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/

2022 Rob Blokzijl Award
Deadline: March 18, 2022
https://rob-blokzijl-foundation.org/2021/11/25/call-for-nominations-2022/

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/

_________________________________________________

### Global Events Calendar ###

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

Mozilla Festival (MozFest)
March 7 - 11
Online
https://schedule.mozillafestival.org/plaza

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

Africa Monthly Meetup
March 16
3pm SAST / 1pm UTC / 9am EDT
https://internetfreedomfestival.org/wiki/index.php/March_16,_2022_,_Africa_Meetup

Lingua Cafe
March 16
9am EDT / 1pm UTC
https://digitalrights.formstack.com/forms/linguacafe_5

CKS: Podcast 101
March 16
12pm EDT / 4pm UTC / 6pm Cairo Time
https://digitalrights.formstack.com/forms/cks54

Glitter Meetup: Spyware Attacks in MENA Region
March 17
9am EDT / 1pm UTC
https://internetfreedomfestival.org/wiki/index.php/March_17_2022_GM

MENA Monthly Meetup
March 23
11am EDT / 3pm UTC
https://internetfreedomfestival.org/wiki/index.php/March_23_2022,_MENA_Meetup

Glitter Meetup: The WikiRate project
March 24
9am EDT / 1pm UTC
https://internetfreedomfestival.org/wiki/index.php/March_24_2022_GM

Glitter Meetup: The BASICS Project
March 31
9am EDT / 1pm UTC
https://internetfreedomfestival.org/wiki/index.php/March_31_2022_GM

Glitter Meetup: Digital Privacy and Security Survey 2021
April 7
9am EDT / 1pm UTC
https://internetfreedomfestival.org/wiki/index.php/April_7_2022_GM

2022 Digital Rights and Inclusion Forum
April 12-14
Paradigm Initiative
https://drif.paradigmhq.org/

Virtual School of Internet Governance - French Version
May 2022
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

✎ Director, Global Anti-Corruption Consortium | The Organized Crime
and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP)
+ Remote
https://www.occrp.org/en/occrp-jobs/director-global-anti-corruption-consortium

✎ Executive Director | EngageMedia
+ Remote
https://engagemedia.org/2021/job-executive-director/

✎ Software Engineer in Release Engineering | Wikimedia Foundation
+ Remote
https://grnh.se/5d9739a71us

✎ Senior Community & Customer Care Specialist | Wikimedia Foundation
+ Remote
https://grnh.se/b563a56e1us

✎ Lead Product Manager, Content Experiences | Wikimedia Foundation
+ Remote
https://grnh.se/5703a1d51us

✎ Strategy Director | Purpose
+ New York, USA
https://www.purpose.com/jobs/#job-id-4002677

✎ Data Science Lead | Creative Associates International
+ Washington DC, USA
https://hq-creative.icims.com/jobs/2356/data-science-lead/job?mode=job&iis=Job%2BBoard&iisn=LinkedIn&mobile=false&width=1060&height=500&bga=true&needsRedirect=false&jan1offset=-300&jun1offset=-240

✎ Movement Communications Associate (Contract) | Wikimedia Foundation
+ Remote
https://grnh.se/57e6d3541us

✎ Two Board members | European Digital Rights (EDRi)
+ Remote
https://edri.org/take-action/careers/call-for-nomination-edri-board-elections-2022/

✎ Senior Communications and Media Manager | European Digital Rights (EDRi)
+ Brussels, Belgium
https://edri.org/take-action/careers/edri-is-looking-for-a-senior-communications-and-media-manager-permanent-position/

✎ Program Officer- FemTech- Multi-Regional PMU | Internews
+ Remote
https://phf.tbe.taleo.net/phf04/ats/careers/v2/viewRequisition?org=INTERNEWS&cws=38&rid=1670

✎ Cybercrime Investigative Reporter | The Organized Crime and
Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP)
+ Remote (UTC+0 to UTC+4)
https://www.occrp.org/en/occrp-jobs/cybercrime-investigative-reporter

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_________________________________________________

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(((Hugs & light)))
Team CommUNITY at ARTICLE 19
www.digitalrights.community
Organizers of the Internet Freedom Festival
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