Digital Rights Weekly | October 31 - November 4

Thu Nov 3 16:18:58 CET 2022

Hello Digital Rights Defenders!

Here is your weekly update on digital rights around the world for the weeks
of October 31 - November 4. As a reminder, you can submit your news for the
newsletter here: https://www.digitalrights.community/weekly-newsletter

###  Upcoming Virtual TCU Events ###

November 9 | AMA TCU’s In-Person Global Gathering
https://www.digitalrights.community/blog/globalgathering2023

November 10 | The Glitteriest Glitter Meetup
https://internetfreedomfestival.org/wiki/index.php/November_10_2022_GM

November 16 | Lingua Cafe
https://digitalrights.formstack.com/forms/lingua_cafe_13

November 16 | Latin America Meetup
https://internetfreedomfestival.org/wiki/index.php/16_de_Noviembre,_2022_LATAM

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### TCU Updates ###

1. October Regional Briefs are Out!

TCU’s Regional Briefs cover updates, community news, opportunities,
emerging topics on digital justice, regional news, and more! This month
Meta was covered in all the regions. Make sure to check out the deep
coverage of the Guacamaya hacking leaks in Latin America, which exposed
documents from military forces and other key institutions, which were given
to media and organizations for publishing.  Contact us if you know about
individuals or groups working on issues that should be reported in our
briefs!

https://www.digitalrights.community/blog/regionalbriefsoctober2022

2. November 9: AMA on the New IFF

Join us on November 9 and find out our plans for the first TCU global
gathering post-pandemic, and how you can participate!  Also, learn about
our three year vision to grow back the event to its former size, how you
can support other digital rights defenders to support equity, and much
more!

https://www.digitalrights.community/blog/globalgathering2023

_________________________________________________

### Digital Rights in the Community ###

1. Technology and Human Rights Fellowship at SMEX

SMEX is launching the inaugural SMEX Fellowship Programme to bring new
minds and voices to the digital rights field, raise innovative solutions to
the many-layered issues that govern use and access to the internet, and
expand research on emerging topics within digital rights in the MENA
region. SMEX is looking for fellows who will advance knowledge and
engagement on one of many topics relating to digital rights. They will do
so through a combination of at least two of the following tactics:
research, advocacy and lobbying, campaigns, convenings, op-eds and other
creative interventions.  Deadline: Sunday 11 December.

https://smex.org/2023-smex-fellowship-on-technology-and-human-rights/

2. Call for Panels at the PrivacyCamp23: Critical. Digital.Crisis

The 11th edition of Privacy Camp invites participants to explore the
criticality of our digital worlds. In 2023, the Privacy Camp invites you to
participate in, and foster, a discussion about the critical state(s) of our
world in which the digital is, itself, critical. What does it mean to
regulate digital technologies and infrastructures in times of crises? The
event will take place on 26 January 2023 in a hybrid format (in Brussels
with online broadcast). Participation is free and registrations will open
in December 2022. To submit a proposal, fill in their form by 17 November
2022.

https://privacycamp.eu/2022/10/27/privacycamp23-critical-digital-crisis-call-for-panels/

3. International Algorithmic Auditing Conference on November 8th.

On November 8, the first International Algorithmic Auditing Conference will
take place on November 8th from 5:30pm to 7:15pm in the Centre de Cultura
de Barcelona, Raval Room. While you can register to attend in-person, you
can also stream it. Register here:

https://eticas.tech/algorithmic-auditing-international-conference

4. Event on Sustaining and Scaling Your Work - How to Do it, Why It’s So
Hard, and Key Lessons Learned

Code for All will host a dynamic session on Tuesday 8 November at 3:30pm
UTC to share and validate key lessons on challenges and successful
approaches to scaling and sustaining civic tech tools, especially those
focused on strengthening governance. Register here:

https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEsceiprDspE93RsaLxBKxIjocrEk-tRTSC#/registration

5. New Research Project: Knowing Without Seeing

Knowing without Seeing is a research project by Amber Sinha which explores
meaningful transparency solutions for opaque algorithms, and privileges
comprehension over mere access to information. Through literature surveys,
interviews, case studies and regulatory review, the project articulates the
philosophical contours of this version of algorithmic transparency which
privileges understanding over merely accessing information, and speculates
how it may be delivered in practice, and assimilated in regulation.

https://www.knowingwithoutseeing.com

6. Fellowship at the Iran Cyber Dialogue

The Iran Cyber Dialogue (ICD) is currently accepting applications for their
first ever fellowship program! The ICD Fellowship Program is an initiative
aimed at engaging new leadership in the ICD community, through
collaborating with host organizations to support fellows in the undertaking
of new ideas and initiatives. This is done with the intention of
contributing to practical solutions to civil society issues in Iran, and
capacity building for the broader ICD community.  Deadline: Friday 11
November at 11:59pm (EST).

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XC7tHqmomEzBkTUspn39eFhzzoQzze8RnteQeZOX8Rw/edit

7. Launch of Movement for a Better Internet

Public Knowledge joined six other organizations spanning the globe to
launch the Movement for a Better Internet, a diverse community of advocates
and activists working together to promote policies that create a better
internet for people everywhere. The movement is a collaborative effort
seeking to drive policy change based on a public interest vision for an
internet that benefits us all.

https://publicknowledge.org/public-knowledge-launches-movement-for-a-better-internet-to-create-an-internet-that-benefits-everyone/

8. Digital Security Guide for Human Rights Defenders in Iraqi Published.

The Human Rights Office of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq
(UNAMI HRO), in partnership with INSM for Digital Rights in Iraq, has
launched a digital security guide for human rights defenders in Iraq. It is
available in Arabic, English and Kurdish, and provides information, tools
and strategies on how to increase safety and privacy online.

https://reliefweb.int/report/iraq/unami-human-rights-and-insm-digital-rights-iraq-launch-user-guide-digital-security-iraqi-human-rights-defenders-enarku

_________________________________________________

### Digital Rights Resources ###

1. User Guide on Digital Security for Iraqi Human Rights Defenders

The Human Rights Office of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq
launched the “Online Protection and Digital Security: User Guide for Human
Rights Defenders”. This guide is available in Arabic, Kurdish, and English.
It provides tools and strategies for human rights defenders, activists, and
journalists to increase their safety and privacy online.

https://reliefweb.int/report/iraq/unami-human-rights-and-insm-digital-rights-iraq-launch-user-guide-digital-security-iraqi-human-rights-defenders-enarku

2. Cheat Sheet: Getting Privacy Reform Right in Australia

The Privacy Act in Australia is a federal law that currently applies to
federal government agencies and private companies. It contains Principles
which govern how entities can handle personal information. They are the
cornerstone of Australia’s privacy protection framework.

The Optus and Medibank breaches have demonstrated an urgent need for reform
to the Privacy Act, but changes made need to be meaningful and address
long-standing issues.  Digital Rights Watch Australia prepared this brief
as a high-level overview of key areas for reform to the Privacy Act.

https://digitalrightswatch.org.au/2022/10/26/privacy-reform-cheat-sheet/

_________________________________________________

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

1. Musk Agrees to Restore Twitter Content-Moderation Tools This Week

Twitter Inc.’s new owner Elon Musk promised civil rights leaders he will
restore content moderation tools that had been blocked for some staff by
the end of the week, according to three leaders who met with Musk on Monday.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/musk-agrees-restore-twitter-content-215434615.html

2. How Iran Tracks and Controls Protesters’ Phones

Iran’s tight grip on the country’s connection to the global internet has
proven an effective tool for suppressing anti-government resistance. While
disconnecting broad swaths of the population from the web remains a favored
blunt instrument of Iranian state censorship, the government has far more
precise, sophisticated tools available as well. Part of Iran’s data
clampdown may be explained through the use of a system called “SIAM,” a web
program for remotely manipulating cellular connections made available to
the Iranian Communications Regulatory Authority. The existence of SIAM and
details of how the system works are laid out in a series of internal
documents from an Iranian cellular carrier that were obtained by The
Intercept.

https://theintercept.com/2022/10/28/iran-protests-phone-surveillance/

3. New Delhi Gives Itself Power Over Social Media Content Moderation

The Indian government announced changes to its information technology rules
that will apply to social media companies. Under the amended rules, a
government panel will be formed to hear complaints from users about content
moderation decisions by social media platforms. This effectively gives the
government control over the content moderation decisions that social media
companies make. The Internet Freedom Foundation, a nonprofit that advocates
for digital rights, called the proposed panel “essentially a government
censorship body for social media that will make bureaucrats arbiters of our
online free speech”.

https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2022/10/28/in-india-govt-now-has-power-over-social-media-content-moderation

4. Lebanese Security Forces Cuts Internet to Syria

A new report authored by SMEX states that Lebanese security forces stormed
camps in Lebanon's Bekaa valley between 10 and 14 October, seizing
televisions, radios, and satellite dishes, as well as mobile phones and
routers. SMEX said that this was an attempt to cut off refugees from Syria
from communication with the outside world. They do not know why Lebanese
authorities had taken this action.  The news came as Lebanon deported
dozens of Syrian refugees to Syria as the first part of a "repatriation"
plan. Rights groups have condemned the move, pointing out that refugees
forced to return to Syria could face arrest, detention, and torture at the
hands of President Bashar al-Assad's regime.

https://english.alaraby.co.uk/news/lebanese-security-cuts-internet-syrian-refugees

5. Employee Surveillance in the USA is the New Normal

Workplace surveillance is on the rise in the United States in what’s
becoming the worst version of “new normal” imaginable. According to one
market research firm, 60% of employers with more than 1,000 employees used
tools to track their workers by the end of 2021. Other surveys have
reported even higher numbers. Whatever the actual percentage, it’s clear
that this dystopian monitoring is widespread and, sadly, not going
anywhere.Putting a load of laundry in between meetings? Might come up in
the next performance review.

https://time.com/6224729/employee-surveillance-mothers-remote-work/
(paywall)

6. China’s High-Tech Surveillance Drives Oppression of Uyghurs

Underpinning China’s system of oppression is a high-tech network of
surveillance. Developed in partnership with private companies, China has
unleashed wholesale monitoring and tracking of Uyghur individuals,
including biometric data collection of facial imagery and iris scans and
genomic surveillance through mandatory DNA sampling.

https://thebulletin.org/2022/10/chinas-high-tech-surveillance-drives-oppression-of-uyghurs/

7. Russia Uses Facial Recognition to Hunt Down Draft Evaders

Moscow authorities are using the city’s video surveillance system with
facial recognition technology to track down and detain draftees seeking to
evade mobilization for Russia’s war on Ukraine. BBC Russian and some
Telegram channels reported that at least seven men have been detained over
the past month by law enforcement officers after the city’s facial
recognition system flagged them to the police as “draft dodgers.” Following
their detention, the men were brought to a police station and then a
military enlistment office. While some were released as they were not
eligible for the draft, at least two were told to go to the front line.
Russian law does not meaningfully restrict the use of facial recognition
technology, so there’s little to prevent misuse and few, if any,
protections for those under surveillance.

https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/10/26/russia-uses-facial-recognition-hunt-down-draft-evaders

8. Committee to Protect Journalists: Kyrgyztan’s Block of Website a
“Flagrant Act of Censorship”

Kyrgyzstan’s Ministry of Culture, Information, Sports, and Youth Policy on
Wednesday announced a two-month block of the website of Radio Azattyk, the
local service of U.S. Congress-funded broadcaster Radio Free Europe/Radio
Liberty, under the country’s false information law after the outlet refused
to remove a video report on recent border clashes between Kyrgyzstan and
Tajikistan. The decision to block Radio Azattyk is the third use of the
2021 false information law against a media outlet.

https://cpj.org/2022/10/cpj-kyrgyzstans-block-of-rfe-rl-website-a-flagrant-act-of-censorship/

9. Internal Reports in China Fall Prey to Censorship

Newspapers, think tanks and universities across China each have their own
classified reporting channel, sending intelligence up to local and
provincial officials. They monitor air pollution in industrial Hebei
province and guide the disposal of spoiled pickles in Hunan, a region famed
for its cuisine. But a few outlets, such as Xinhua and the state-controlled
People’s Daily, supply intelligence directly to China's rulers. Their
confidential reports have toppled officials, changed policy, and launched
government campaigns against poverty and waste. The Communist Party calls
internal reporting a secret weapon, acting as its “eyes and ears,” while
propaganda acts as its “throat and tongue.”

https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/xis-china-internal-reports-fall-prey-censorship-92410111

10. UN Security Council Boosts Commitment to Fight Digital Terror

A two-day meeting of the UN Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee in
India has ended with the adoption of a document committing Member States to
prevent and combat digital forms of terror, notably using drones, social
media, and online terrorist financing.

The non-binding document, known as The Delhi Declaration on countering the
use of new and emerging technologies for terrorist purposes was adopted in
the Indian capital on Saturday, following a series of panels that involved
Member States representatives, UN officials, civil society entities, the
private sector, and researchers.
The declaration aims to cover the main concerns surrounding the abuse of
drones, social media platforms, and crowdfunding, and create guidelines
that will help to tackle the growing issue.

https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/10/1130007

_________________________________________________

### 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

Data Futures Lab
Mozilla
Deadline: November 11, 2022
https://foundation.mozilla.org/en/blog/data-futures-lab-invites-applications-from-organisations-collecting-data-for-the-public-benefit/

SMEX
Fellowship on Technology and Human Rights
Deadline: December 11, 2022
https://smex.org/2023-smex-fellowship-on-technology-and-human-rights/

Iran Cyber Dialogue (ICD)
ICD Fellowship Program
Deadline: November 11, 2022
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XC7tHqmomEzBkTUspn39eFhzzoQzze8RnteQeZOX8Rw/edit

Incident Emergency Fund
Digital Defenders Partnership
Deadline: Rolling Basis
https://www.digitaldefenders.org/incident-emergency-fund/

Rapid Response Fund
Open Tech Fund
Deadline: Rolling Basis
https://www.opentech.fund/news/request-for-proposal-otfs-rapid-response-fund/

Digital Freedom Fund
Deadline: Check website, call for proposal will open soon.
https://digitalfreedomfund.org/grants/

Safety Net Fund
Deadline: Ongoing
https://wphfund.org/whrds-safety-net/

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/

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

### Global Events Calendar ###

Sustaining and Scaling Your Work – How to Do It, Why It’s So Hard, and Key
Lessons Learned
Code for All & IRI
November 8
3:30pm UTC
Online
https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEsceiprDspE93RsaLxBKxIjocrEk-tRTSC#/registration

First International Algorithmic Auditing Conference
November 8
11:30am EST / 4:30pm UTC
Eticas Consulting
Online & Barcelona, Spain
https://eticas.tech/algorithmic-auditing-international-conference

AMA TCU’s In-person Global Gathering
November 9
8am EDT / 12pm UTC
Online
https://www.digitalrights.community/blog/globalgathering2023

The Glitterest Glitter Meetup
November 10
9am EDT / 1pm UTC
Online
https://internetfreedomfestival.org/wiki/index.php/November_10_2022_GM

Lingua Cafe
November 16
9am EST / 2pm UTC
Online
https://digitalrights.formstack.com/forms/lingua_cafe_13

Latin America Meetup
November 16
6:30pm EST / 10:30pm UTC
Online
https://internetfreedomfestival.org/wiki/index.php/16_de_Noviembre,_2022_LATAM

Africa Meetup
November 23
8am EST / 1pm UTC
https://internetfreedomfestival.org/wiki/index.php/November_23_2022,_Africa_Meetup

MENA Meetup
November 23
12pm EST / 5pm UTC
https://internetfreedomfestival.org/wiki/index.php/November_23_2022,_MENA_Meetup

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

✎ International Grant Accountant (US based) | Article 19
+ NY, Maryland or Washington DC, USA
https://equalit.ie/job-post/python-developer-for-deflect-ca/

✎ Python Developer | eQualitie
+ Remote
https://equalit.ie/job-post/python-developer-for-deflect-ca/

✎ Senior Digital Manager | Color Of Change
+ Remote or Various Locations, USA
https://jobs.lever.co/colorofchange/27e21ca8-bb91-4fb0-9bec-238235c07fe4

✎ Individual Donor Associate | Color Of Change
+ Remote or Various Locations, USA
https://jobs.lever.co/colorofchange/8f9fe0d5-8505-4f75-b2a3-102239206445

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

✎ Program Coordinator or Program Officer (Tech and Human Rights) | Syria
Justice and Accountability Centre
+ Washington, DC, USA
https://syriaaccountability.org/careers/#pct

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.
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