Digital Rights Weekly | November 14 - 19
Team CommUNITY
team at digitalrights.community
Fri Nov 18 19:04:51 CET 2022
Hello Digital Rights Defenders!
Here is your weekly update on digital rights around the world for the
weeks of November 14 - 19. As a reminder, you can submit your news for
the newsletter here:
https://www.digitalrights.community/weekly-newsletter
### Upcoming Virtual TCU Events ###
November 23 | Africa Meetup
https://internetfreedomfestival.org/wiki/index.php/November_23_2022,_Africa_Meetup
November 23 | CKS: Into the Fediverse on the back of Mastodon
https://digitalrights.formstack.com/forms/cks60
November 23 | MENA Meetup
https://internetfreedomfestival.org/wiki/index.php/November_23_2022,_MENA_Meetup
November 24 | Glitter Meetup: The Tor Project and how it can support
our communities
https://internetfreedomfestival.org/wiki/index.php/November_24_2022_GM
November 29 | Run Snowflake Proxies and Strengthen Internet Freedom
https://digitalrights.formstack.com/forms/vpnvillage2022_1
November 30 | Threat Modeling 101: Understanding When to Use or Not Use a VPN
https://digitalrights.formstack.com/forms/vpnvillage2022_5
_________________________________________________
### TCU Updates ###
1. Join us for the VPN Community Initiative Village!
The VPN Village is a series of virtual events focused on the education
of both new users and seasoned VPN professionals. It will take place
during the last week of November and the first week of December.
Learn:
+ NEW research on both VPN users, tools, and industry standards.
+ How to critically choose a VPN that is trustworthy and works for your context.
+ How to set up both an Outline server and run a Snowflake Proxy to
strengthen Internet Freedom.
Note, you must RSVP for each session individually!
https://www.digitalrights.community/blog/vpn-village-2022
_________________________________________________
### Digital Rights in the Community ###
1. OONI Probe User Guides Now Available in Russian
OONI Probe is a free and open source app that you can use to measure
internet censorship and other forms of network interference. The user
guide is now available in Russian, providing step-by-step instructions
on how to install, run, and customize your the OONI Probe desktop app.
Please share with your Russian-speaking colleagues and friends who
might be interested in measuring internet censorship.
https://twitter.com/OpenObservatory/status/1592776773489786883
2. Calling all Grassroots Creators: Apply for Jhakaas in Mumbai
Are you a young grassroots creator using media, art or culture to
create social change in your community? Consider applying for Jhakaas,
a three-day mela that celebrates you and your work, which will take
place in the heart of Mumbai from 27 February to 1 March 2023. Point
of View will cover all costs (travel, stay, food etc) The application
deadline is 20th November 2022!
https://linktr.ee/povmumbai
3. Join the “Ethics & Data in Research” Working Group at Future of Privacy Forum
Want to receive late-braking analysis of emerging US legislation
affecting research and data? Want to discuss the ethical and
technological challenges of conducting research? Want to learn best
practices to protect privacy, decrease risk and increase data sharing
for research, partnerships and infrastructure? Consider join the
Future of Privacy Forum (FPF) Ethics and Data in Research Working
Group Note: It is possible to leave the working group at any time.
https://fpf.org/join-the-ethics-and-data-in-research-working-group/
3. #VoPITPodcast: Launch of the Voices of Public Interest Technology Podcast
The first episode of Voices of Public Interest Technology launched
this week. The podcast fosters dialogue about the most pressing public
interest issues such as social justice, digital inequality and
internet rights, the digital transformation, social change,
environmental justice, and more. You can subscribe and listen to the
episodes on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google, and the podcast landing
page. #VoPITPodcast is also available on Twitter @VoPITPodcast
www.vopitpodcast.africa
4. New Report on State of Use of Hacking Tools in Brazil
The IP.rec published an in depth report on the state of use of hacking
tools by Brazilian public authorities. The team conducted research on
open databases of public administration contracts and via requests for
information. More than 200 contracts were surveyed that included
hacking vendors with capabilities of mass data extraction, bypassing
security protocols for mobile phones, and remote interception of
private communications. They found that the "government hacking"
industry iis gaining more "legitimacy" in the global economy of
exploitation of security vulnerabilities. This poses great risks to
human rights and cybersecurity worldwide.
https://ip.rec.br/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Mercadores-da-inseguranca.pdf
5. Will Qatar Get a Red Card on Digital Rights during the World Cup?
In the coming days, Qatar will be hosting one of the biggest sporting
events on the planet: the FIFA World Cup. In response, SMEX and
Ranking Digital Rights (RDR) are teaming up to launch Red Card on
Digital Rights: a three-part series investigating the state of the
internet and digital surveillance in Qatar as the country hosts this
year’s World Cup amid a slew of criticism over its human rights
record.
https://ifex.org/will-qatar-get-a-red-card-on-digital-rights-what-you-should-know-if-you-are-traveling-to-qatar-for-the-world-cup/
6. Libya: Repeal Anti-Cybercrime Law Now
Article19 and a number of civil society organizations are demanding
that the Libyan House of Representatives repeal the Anti-Cybercrime
Law n°5/2022 issued on 27 September 2022. The law regularizes the
Executive’s comprehensive, warrantless surveillance over the digital
spaces and allows them to censor websites and content, thus directly
undermining citizen’s digital rights.
https://www.article19.org/resources/libya-repeal-anti-cybercrime-law-now/
7. New Report on Digital Creatives in Kampala from Pollicy
Pollicy released a new report aiming to understand the experiences of
digital creatives in Kampala, Uganda, through a gendered lens. It
found that there is a large gap in the availability of data and
knowledge on the digital creative industry in Uganda. Key findings
include a need to clearly define the digital creative industry, which
at present is largely informal. Creatives face a number of structural
barriers such as negative or harmful perceptions, policies and
practices which hinder the growth of the sector. The study also found
a significant discriminatory and sexist trend towards women digital
creatives
https://pollicy.org/resource/digital-creatives/
_________________________________________________
### Digital Rights Resources ###
1. Interview with Cory Doctorow’s New Book: Chokepoint Capitalism
Check out this interview with author and activist Cory Doctorow about
his new book, Chokepoint Capitalism, where he covers copyright scams,
surveillance capitalism, the lies of Big Tech, and the fight for the
freedom to create.
https://jacobin.com/2022/11/cory-doctorow-chokepoint-capitalism-monopoly-tech
_________________________________________________
### Digital Rights in the Wider World ###
1. Tiktok Users are Bleeding Data, and it's Unlike Anything Seen Before
A recent report by cybersecurity firm Internet 2.0 highlights the
hidden dangers of TikTok’s “excessive” data collection regimen.
To-date, significant research indicates that the data collection
practice of the platform outpaces anything that Facebook, Instagram or
Twitter have ever imagined. In addition, quite plausible is that the
Chinese government has access to and leverage to collect all of this
accumulated data. TikTok is collecting data at such a large scale that
its resulted in:
+ an official Apple research announcement outlinking how TikTok
deliberately spies on its users.
+ An outright ban preventing US military personnel from using it due
to it being a cyber threat.
+ A call from the FCC to ban TikTok entirely.
+ An uptick in privacy advocate concerns.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/emilsayegh/2022/11/09/tiktok-users-are-bleeding-data/?sh=1ce9254f6a2f
2. Musk Lays off the entire Human Rights, Accessibility, and Bias and
Harm Reduction Teams
Musk’s chaotic, shoot-from-the hip style has uncertainty swirling
around the future of the Twitter, leaving many questions unanswered.
One of the first, concrete actions Musk has taken is to lay off nearly
half of Twitter’s staff, including the entire teams dedicated to human
rights, accessibility team, and reducing bias and harm. Soon after,
key staff responsible for information security, privacy, and trust and
safety resigned.
https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/11/12/musk-chaos-raises-serious-rights-concerns-over-twitter
Although for different reasons, Twitter is not the only Tech company
with mounting layoffs. More than 35,000 tech workers across 72
companies have been laid off this past month, adding to a total of
120,000 tech jobs lost this year, according to layoffs.fyi, which
tracks job cuts in the tech industry.
https://www.npr.org/2022/11/14/1136659617/tech-layoffs-amazon-meta-twitter
3.. Oversight Board Overturns Meta’s Original Decision in “Russian Poem” Case
The Oversight Board has overturned Meta’s original decision to remove
a Facebook post comparing the Russian army in Ukraine to Nazis and
quoting a poem that calls for the killing of fascists. It has also
overturned Meta’s finding that an image of what appears to be a dead
body in the same post violated the Violent and Graphic Content policy.
Meta had applied a warning screen to the image on the grounds that it
violated the policy. This case raises some important issues about
content moderation in conflict situations.
https://oversightboard.com/news/485045113689422-oversight-board-overturns-meta-s-original-decision-in-russian-poem-case/
4. Civil Society Groups Report Surveillance Intimidation at COP 27
Members of civil society attending Cop27 have described how
surveillance and intimidation by the Egyptian authorities is
threatening their participation in the climate conference. To date,
Germany's Foreign Ministry, as well as activists and rights groups,
have complained. In response, the UN Department for Safety and
Security (UNDSS) is probing allegations that Egypt was monitoring
participants.
https://www.dw.com/en/un-investigates-allegations-of-egypt-surveillance-at-cop27/a-63756174
5. The Sales of Iranian Internet Providers Tumble, Meanwhile Experts
are asking BigTech to Bring Back Domain Fronting
Almost half of the Internet service providers in Iran have seen a 50%
drop in sales due to disruptions, censorship, and Internet shutdowns
by the government during protests. The computer trade union of Tehran
-- or Tehran ICT Guild Organization -- announced last week that almost
half of the ISP firms have faced a 50% drop. This was based on a
survey conducted with 104 member companies.
https://www.iranintl.com/en/202211139907
Meanwhile, Instagram influencers outside of Iran, who are supporting
the protestors, claim that their accounts are being demonetized,
reported or blocked by Instagram.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/gingergentile/2022/11/10/is-instagram-censoring-influencers-who-support-iranian-protestors/?sh=259700f34ef4
Also, experts are noting that BigTech could help protestors by using
an old tool: domain fronting, and are hoping they will reinstate it in
Iran.
https://www.technologyreview.com/2022/11/11/1063107/big-tech-iran-protests-domain-fronting/
6. Southeast Asia’s Leaders Should Work Towards a Freerer Internet
Southeast Asia’s heads have begun to gather in Cambodia for a summit
of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), where they will
also be joined by other world leaders like U.S. President Joseph
Biden. This summit comes at a critical time, with regional and global
authoritarianism on the rise, reports of gross human rights violations
in Myanmar, and a continued crackdown on civil society across the
region. Cutting across all of these issues is the threat to internet
freedom.
https://www.justsecurity.org/84029/southeast-asias-leaders-should-work-toward-a-freer-internet/
_________________________________________________
### 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
The Creative Media Awards
Mozilla
Deadline: November 30, 2022
https://foundation.mozilla.org/en/blog/mozillas-creative-media-awards-seek-projects-exploring-ai-and-responsible-design/
The Africa Innovation Mrad
Mozilla
Deadline: November 30, 2022
https://foundation.mozilla.org/en/blog/mozillas-africa-innovation-mradi-introduces-its-in-real-life-fund/
Fellowship on Technology and Human Rights
SMEX
Deadline: December 11, 2022
https://smex.org/2023-smex-fellowship-on-technology-and-human-rights/
The Responsible Computer Science Challenge
Mozilla
Deadline: December 15, 2022
https://foundation.mozilla.org/en/blog/mozillas-responsible-computer-science-challenge-opens-applications-in-kenya/
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 ###
Africa Meetup
November 23
8am EST / 1pm UTC
Online
https://internetfreedomfestival.org/wiki/index.php/November_23_2022,_Africa_Meetup
CKS: Into the Fediverse on the back of Mastodon
November 23
9am EST / 2pm UTC
Online
https://digitalrights.formstack.com/forms/cks60
MENA Meetup
November 23
12pm EST / 5pm UTC
Online
https://internetfreedomfestival.org/wiki/index.php/November_23_2022,_MENA_Meetup
Glitter Meetup: The Tor Project and how it can support our communities
November 24
9am EST / 2pm UTC
Online
https://internetfreedomfestival.org/wiki/index.php/November_24_2022_GM
Run Snowflake Proxies and Strengthen Internet Freedom
VPN Village
November 29
9am EST / 2pm UTC
Online
https://digitalrights.formstack.com/forms/vpnvillage2022_1
Threat Modeling 101: Understanding When to Use or Not Use a VPN
VPN Village
November 30
8:30am EST / 1:30pm UTC
Online
https://digitalrights.formstack.com/forms/vpnvillage2022_5
“All of them claim to be the best”: A multi-perspective study of VPN
users and VPN providers
VPN Village
December 1
11am EST / 4pm UTC
Online
https://digitalrights.formstack.com/forms/vpnvillage2022_2
Getting Started with Outline: Helping your friends and family access
the Open Internet
VPN Village
December 6
9:30am EST / 2:30pm UTC
Online
https://digitalrights.formstack.com/forms/vpnvillage2022_3
How to Critically Choose a VPN
VPN Village
December 7
10am / 3pm UTC
Online
https://digitalrights.formstack.com/forms/vpnvillage2022_4
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/
✎ Lead Program Officer, Community Resources (North Western Europe) |
Wikimedia Foundation
+ Remote
https://grnh.se/578aaae21us
✎ Travel & Convening Administrative Associate (Contract) | Wikimedia Foundation
+ Remote
https://grnh.se/ebad48171us
✎ Senior Foreign Assistance Program Analyst | Competitive Innovations
+ Washington, DC, USA
https://jobs.cillc.com/careers/36401-CILLC-Jobs-Portal/jobs/15741383-Senior-Foreign-Assistance-Program-Analyst?host=jobs.cillc.com
✎ Director of Strategic Communications | Tor Project
+ Remote
https://www.torproject.org/about/jobs/director-strategic-comm/
✎ Software Developer (C Language) | Tor Project
+ Remote
https://www.torproject.org/about/jobs/software-engineer-c-developer/
✎ Research Associate | Freedom House
+ New York or Washington, D.C., USA
https://phe.tbe.taleo.net/phe01/ats/careers/requisition.jsp?org=FREEHOUS&cws=1&rid=1317
✎ Digital Safety Specialist (MENA) | Access Now
+ Africa or Middle East
https://accessnow.bamboohr.com/careers/158?source=aWQ9MjA%3D
✎ Impact Lead: Civic Rights in a Digital Age | Hivos
+ Multiple Locations Options
https://hivos.bamboohr.com/careers/102
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.
--
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.
More information about the Festival
mailing list