Digital Rights Weekly | August 29 - September 2

Fri Sep 2 20:01:04 CEST 2022

Hello Digital Rights Defenders!

Here is your weekly update on digital rights around the world for the
weeks of August 29 - September 2. As a reminder, you can submit your
news for the newsletter here:
https://www.digitalrights.community/weekly-newsletter

###  Upcoming Virtual TCU Events ###

September 1 | Glitter Meetup: AI, Emerging technologies and the woman question
https://internetfreedomfestival.org/wiki/index.php/September_1_2022_GM

September 8 | Glitter Meetup: Digital Accessibility
https://internetfreedomfestival.org/wiki/index.php/September_8_2022_GM
_________________________________________________

## Team CommUNITY Update ##

1. RVSP for the Community Health Village

The schedule for the 2022 Community Health Village is out! It features
various educational and experiential sessions which are scheduled for
the months of October and November. This year the Villages focuses on
different types of trauma and ways to address them, while helping us
imagine how to health together by looking at individual, community as
well as organizational pathways towards collective healing.

Note, you
must RSVP for each session you are interested in attending. To do so
soon, as some sessions have limited space!

https://www.digitalrights.community/blog/community-health-village-2022

_________________________________________________

### Digital Rights in the Community ###

1. Open Call for Tor Board Candidates

For the first time ever, the Tor Project Board is publishing an open
call for candidates to become new members of the Board. The goal of
this open call is to provide a way for the whole community to
participate in this process.

https://blog.torproject.org/open-call-tor-board-candidates/

2. New Paper | USENIX’23

USENIX'23 has released a paper looking at users' motivations, needs,
considerations, and emotional connections to VPNs, as well as the
perceptions of and trust in the VPN ecosystem. For the paper,
researchers surveyed 1,252 VPN users in the US, and interviewed  9 VPN
providers to learn about issues from their point of view and
(mis)alignments in their understanding with users.
Read the report and
findings here:

https://vpnalyzer.org/survey2022.html

3. Drip App Launch - Period Tracking Done Right

This week the Drip App was released, which makes period and fertility
tracking more secure and transparent. The creators set out to build an
app that does not share or commodify user data, that illustrates
menstruation without butterflies and flowers, and implements
algorithms based on science.  More information and links to download
the app for free on iOS and Android can be found here:

https://dripapp.org

4. Sex Work Therapist Training

The European Sex Workers’ Rights Alliance (ESWA) is proud to announce
the launch of their Sex Work Therapist Training. The training aims to
provide therapists with the tools to help sex workers feel positive
embodiment within their personal and work lives even when presented
with mental health challenges. It will take place online and will
gather up to 25 therapists or therapists in training. It will be
delivered in English and is open to therapists based in Europe and
Central Asia. The pilot project will start with a 1-day training
divided into two sessions on September 22 and 23.

For more info and registration: https://forms.gle/NLzGUg1ovKUQjyTQ6

ESWA’s website: https://www.eswalliance.org/

5. CPJ Joins Letter Urging U.S. Government to Hold NSO Group
Accountable on Spyware

The Committee to Protect Journalists joined human rights and press
freedom organizations in separate actions in August urging the United
States government to hold NSO Group accountable for providing Pegasus
spyware to governments that have used the tool to secretly surveil
journalists around the world.

https://cpj.org/2022/08/cpj-joins-letters-urging-u-s-government-to-hold-nso-group-accountable-on-spyware/

You can read the full letter here:
https://www.accessnow.org/cms/assets/uploads/2022/08/Solicitor_General_NSO_Group.pdf

6.  Article19 Stands in Solidarity

ARTICLE 19 stands in solidarity with Indian and Arabic-language civil
society organizations as they demand the immediate publication of
Meta’s India Human Rights Impact Assessment (the India HRIA) and
Business for Social Responsibility’s Palestine report (the BSR
Palestine report). ARTICLE 19 calls on Meta to comply with its
transparency obligations under the UN Guiding Principles for Business
and Human Rights (UNGPs), in accordance with Meta’s human rights
policy, to release the findings of both the India HRIA and the
Palestine independent review without further delays, and to commit to
better practices in all independent reviews and human rights due
diligence going forward.

https://www.article19.org/resources/meta-transparency-human-rights-india-palestine/

In addition, Article19 signed on to a letter to Malta that calls to
support The Shift News in the freedom of information battle as it
faces an all-out legal battle brought by 40 government entities in
Malta. These lawsuits pose a serious threat to the country’s already
worrying freedom of information and press freedom climate. The
organizations call for these cases to be immediately dropped and for
the government of Malta to fully comply with its Freedom of
Information obligations going forward.

https://www.article19.org/resources/malta-shift-news-freedom-of-information/

7. EFF Calls for Limiting Mandatory Cooperation and Safeguarding Human Rights

In a new round of talks this week to formulate a UN Cybercrime Treaty,
EFF is calling for strictly limiting the scope of the convention’s
international cooperation provisions and safeguards to ensure that
states respect human rights when responding to legal assistance
requests. EFF is among a group of digital and human rights
organizations participating in the UN-convened talks, which started in
February. A third round of discussions that began yesterday in New
York focuses on the scope of the treaty’s cooperation and mutual
assistance provisions. The goal is to work towards finding consensus
on the extent to which governments should cooperate and provide legal
assistance to each other in cybercrime investigations.

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/08/eff-calls-limiting-mandatory-cooperation-safeguarding-human-rights-international

8. Twitter Accused of Not Protecting Its Users Against Misinformation

The Washington Post revealed that Twitter's former chief security
officer is accusing his former employer, with supporting documents, of
not protecting its users from hacking and manipulation of information.
Contacted by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), the social network
denounced a "false narrative (...) intended to harm Twitter, its
customers and shareholders". RSF expands on the accusation, breaks
down what its implications, and gives police alternative to end
infodemics:

https://rsf.org/en/twitter-accused-not-protecting-its-users-against-misinformation

The Twitter whistleblower also claims that the social media giant has
endangered users in China raising questions about big tech’s
responsibility to protect dissidents from state persecution. Twitter’s
former head of security has alleged that the social media platform
became “dependent” on revenue from Chinese entities, making them
potentially privy to information that could allow them to identify and
glean sensitive information on users in China.

https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2022/8/26/twitter-whistleblower-claims-raises-fears-for-china-dissidents

9. 10 Week Seminar:  Media and Policy in the Era of Fake News

Fake news, post-truth, media, consumption of information – these terms
are shaping everyday life experiences, choices, imaginations,
political priorities and cultural frames. This 10 week seminar at the
New School focuses on communication, its role and place in the life of
society, policy and culture. This seminar will take place every
Thursday from October 6 till December 15, 2022 at 11:00am-12:30pm ET.

Open to all. Read more and register here:

https://event.newschool.edu/mediaandpolicy

_________________________________________________

### Digital Rights Resources ###

1. How to Shut Down the Internet - and How to Fight Back

>From total blackouts to targeted ‘screwdriver-style’ tactics,
governments are adept at controlling who can access the internet. But
resistance is growing. This piece lists how governments do this, in
addition to the way people fight back against this form of repression.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/aug/29/how-to-shut-down-the-internet-and-how-to-fight-back

2. Language & Coloniality: Non-Dominant Languages in the Digital Landscape

Pollicy released a white paper aiming to unpack the use of Indigenous
or non-majority language in the existing digital landscape.The white
paper aims to understand how the digital onboarding of language may
empower, limit, extend and enrich user engagement.

https://pollicy.org/resource/language-coloniality-non-dominant-languages-in-the-digital-landscape/

3. Journey Into the Misinformation Swamps

New York Times reporters have found that disinformation and
misinformation on social media have only grown worse since the 2016
U.S. elections and social media companies are not catching up.
Severals New York Times reports share trends and shifting tactics in a
conversation with each other:

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/26/us/politics/misinformation-social-media.html
(paywall)

_________________________________________________

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

1. Updates on Pushback of Google’s Project Nimbus

A Google employee of over seven years resigned this week due to
retaliation and hostility against workers who speak out. Google moved
the employee’s role overseas immediately after she opposed its $1B
AI/surveillance contracts with Israel.

https://twitter.com/ariel_koko/status/1564671798444036096

On September 8th, Amazon and Google tech workers will lead direct
actions in front of their offices in Seattle, San Francisco, and New
York City to escalate the pressure and demand #NoTechForApartheid.
https://www.notechforapartheid.com/#dayofaction

2. META Oversight Board Update

On August 25, Meta released its Q2 2022 Quarterly Update on the
Oversight Board. In the update, Meta listed the 9 cases and Policy
Advisory Opinions it referred to the Board from April 1 to June 30,
2022:

https://about.fb.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Meta-Q2-2022-Quarterly-Update-on-the-Oversight-Board.pdf

3. Meta Allows Graphic Images of Russian Airstrikes But Censors Israeli Attacks

Internal memos show Meta deemed attacks on Ukrainian civilians
“newsworthy” — prompting claims of a double standard among Palestine
advocates.

After yet another series of Israeli airstrikes against the densely
populated Gaza Strip earlier this month, Palestinian Facebook and
Instagram users protested the abrupt deletion of posts documenting the
resulting death and destruction. Like other American internet
companies, Meta responded to the Russian invasion of Ukraine by
rapidly enacting a litany of new policy carve outs designed to broaden
and protect the online speech of Ukrainians, specifically allowing
their graphic images of civilians killed by the Russian military to
remain up on Instagram and Facebook. This shows clear double-standards
in addressing war crimes.

https://theintercept.com/2022/08/27/facebook-instagram-meta-russia-ukraine-war/

4. The AI startup Erasing Call Center Worker Accents: Is It Fighting
Bias or Perpetuating It?

An entire “accent neutralization” industry tries to train workers to
sound more like the western customers they are calling. Sanas is a
startup that wants its technology to be a shortcut. Using data about
the sounds of different accents and how they correspond to each other,
Sanas’s AI engine can transform a speaker’s accent into what passes
for another one – and right now, the focus is on making non-Americans
sound like white Americans.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/aug/23/voice-accent-technology-call-center-white-american

5. Websites Can Identify If You’re Using iPhone’s New ‘Lockdown’ Mode

Once Apple launches the new iPhone and iPad operating system early
next month, users will be able to turn on a new privacy mode that the
company calls “extreme.” Apple calls it “Lockdown Mode” and it works
by disabling some regular iPhone features that have been exploited to
hack users in the past. A developer who created a proof of concept
website that detects whether you have Lockdown Mode enabled or not
shows that users turning on Lockdown Mode will be easy to fingerprint
and identify. In other words, Lockdown Mode users will be easy to
detect and they will stand out because Lockdown Mode will presumably
be relatively uncommon.

https://www.vice.com/en/article/epzpb4/websites-can-identify-if-youre-using-iphones-new-lockdown-mode

6. How YouTube’s Partnership with London’s Police Force is Censoring
UK Drill Music

Originating from the streets of Chicago, drill music is a creative
output of inner-city Black youths. The rap genre is a crucial
mouthpiece of artistic and cultural expression. However, London’s
police force have argued that the genre is partly responsible for the
rise in knife crime and have sought to remove drill music from online
platforms based on the mistaken and racist belief. In 2018, streaming
platform YouTube started an “enhanced partnership” with the UK police,
which has since facilitated a pervasive system of content moderation
for drill rappers in the UK.

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/08/how-youtubes-partnership-londons-police-force-censoring-uks-drill-music

7. Children's Online Safety Bill Pass in California

California lawmakers passed the first statute in the nation requiring
apps and sites to install guardrails for users under 18. The new rules
would compel many online services to curb the risks that certain
popular features — like allowing strangers to message one another —
may pose to child users. The bill, the California Age-Appropriate
Design Code Act, could herald a shift in the way lawmakers regulate
the tech industry.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/30/business/california-children-online-safety.html

8. How LibsOfTikTok Is Helping the Kremlin Boost Anti-LGBTQ Disinformation

LibsofTikTok, the online persona of Brooklyn real estate agent, has
been at the forefront of the Kremlin’s anti-LGBTQ campaign, targeting
schools, hospitals, and libraries in recent months.

https://www.vice.com/en/article/bvmvka/libsoftiktok-kremlin-boost-anti-lgbtq-disinformation

9. How the UK Treats New Migrants: Ankle Tags and 24/7 Surveillance

GPS surveillance was first used as a means of monitoring those on
immigration bail in 2021, first via ankle tags but with plans to
introduce devices such as smartwatches from this autumn. This
monitoring makes it possible to obtain a complete history of where a
person has been and when, minute by minute, 24 hours a day. The Home
Office can access all the information, unfettered, upon a suspected
breach of immigration bail, such as the device running out of charge
or the wearer failing to report to the Home Office at the time
specified. Government guidance says that it may be used without the
person being informed, for purposes that extend beyond bail
enforcement, including to inform immigration applications. And the
data may also be retained for many years, long after the device has
been removed.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/aug/30/ankle-tags-24-7-surveillance-uk-new-migrants-immigration-rwanda

10. The Rise of Workplace Surveillance

Across many industries, technology is giving employers a means to
electronically gauge what their workers are doing — a fundamental
change in workplace practice. A New York Times investigation has found
that such tracking software is unexpectedly common, with the
information used to make decisions about when and how much employees
get paid.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/24/podcasts/the-daily/workplace-surveillance-productivity-tracking.html
(paywall)

11. Meta Gave Police Their Private Data. Now a Mother and Daugther Duo
Face Abortion Charges

Before Roe v Wade was officially overturned, Meta handed user data to
local Nebraska polce of a mother and daughter facing criminal charges
for allegedly carrying out an illegal abortion in Nebraska. Private
messages between the two discussing how to obtain abortion pills were
given to police by Facebook. The 17-year-old, reports say, was more
than 20 weeks pregnant.

In Nebraska, abortions are banned after 20 weeks of pregnancy. The
teenager is now being tried as an adult. Court documents filed in June
and made public on Tuesday show how tech companies including Facebook
contribute to criminal prosecutions of abortion cases.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/aug/10/facebook-user-data-abortion-nebraska-police

12. How the Find My App Became an Accidental Friendship Fixture

Introduced 10 years ago, the app has slowly become a popular way to
keep track of friends. However, sharing locations can come with
privacy concerns, especially if users are not aware of or do not
consent to whom they share their location with, and for how long. Even
if users consent at first, expectations among friends can make it more
difficult to opt out, she said.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/20/technology/find-my-app-friends.html?searchResultPosition=3

13. The Censorship Machine Erasing China’s Feminist Movement

This past summer, a viral video of a group of women being viciously
attacked in a restaurant sparked national outrage in China after the
video had gone viral on Chins social media, sparking a renewed
reckoning about women’s rights in the country. The response has been
quashed thanks to strategic censorship. Two days after the incident,
Weibo announced a zero-tolerance policy toward users who spread
“harmful speech,” including comments that “attacked state policy and
the political system” or that “incited gender conflict.” In
forty-eight hours, the platform removed more than fourteen thousand
posts, suspended eight thousand users, and permanently banned another
thousand.

https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/the-censorship-machine-erasing-chinas-feminist-movement

14. Nepal: Digital authoritarianism, Surveillance, Data Collection,
and Online Repression

>From questionable data collection practices to the curtailment of free
speech, Nepal is leaning towards an authoritarian model of internet
control. COVID-19 accelerated this development, in addition to taking
on tactics from neighboring China and India.

https://advox.globalvoices.org/2022/08/29/%E2%80%8B%E2%80%8Btowards-digital-authoritarianism-in-nepal-surveillance-data-collection-and-online-repression/

15. Pakistan : YouTube was Temporarily Blocked During Former PM's
Political Rally

YouTube users started to experience service disruption across Pakistan
on August 21 just as the former prime minister Imran Khan was to
address a political rally in Punjab in a streamed speech.

https://advox.globalvoices.org/2022/08/25/youtube-is-temporarily-blocked-during-former-pms-political-rally-in-pakistan/

16. Saudi Arabia: Woman Jailed for 45 years Over Social Media Use

The Saudi citizen Nourah bint Saeed al-Qahtani was sentenced to 45
years in prison after a specialized criminal court convicted her of
“using the internet to tear [Saudi Arabia’s] social fabric”, according
to documents that were obtained and reviewed by Democracy for the Arab
World Now (Dawn), an organization founded by Jamal Khashoggi. Court
documents in Shehab case revealed she had been convicted for the
alleged crime of following the Twitter accounts of individuals who
“cause public unrest and destabilize civil and national security”. In
some cases, she retweeted tweets posted by dissidents in exile.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/aug/30/saudi-woman-given-jail-sentence-for-social-media-use-says-human-rights-group

17. When Internet Shutdowns Spill Over Borders

The mechanics of the internet mean that blocks on access imposed by
one country may leach over the borders onto neighboring populations,
or even be felt half a world away by users in different continents.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/aug/29/when-internet-shutdowns-spill-over-borders

_________________________________________________

### 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/

BOLT Grant Program
Deadline: September 2
https://www.isocfoundation.org/grant-programme/bolt-grant-program/

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 ###

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

Glitter Meetup: AI, Emerging technologies and the woman question
September 1
9am EDT / 1pm UTC
https://internetfreedomfestival.org/wiki/index.php/September_1_2022_GM

Glitter Meetup: Digital Accessibility
September 8
9am EDT / 1pm UTC
https://internetfreedomfestival.org/wiki/index.php/September_8_2022_GM

Latin America Meetup
September 21
6:30pm EDT / 10:30pm UTC
https://internetfreedomfestival.org/wiki/index.php/21_de_Septiembre,_2022_LATAM

Glitter Meetup: Palestine under a digital panopticon: what can we do?
September 22
9am EDT / 1pm UTC
https://internetfreedomfestival.org/wiki/index.php/September_22_2022_GM

Sex Work Therapist Training
September 22 and 23
2pm - 6pm CET
The European Sex Worker’s Rights Alliance
https://forms.gle/NLzGUg1ovKUQjyTQ6

Africa Meetup
September 28
9am EDT / 1pm UTC
https://internetfreedomfestival.org/wiki/index.php/September_28_2022,_Africa_Meetup

MENA Meetup
September 28
11am EDT / 3pm UTC
https://internetfreedomfestival.org/wiki/index.php/September_28_2022,_MENA_Meetup

"Understanding the Internet"
October 4
17:00–18:30 CEST
https://ripe85.ripe.net/programme/parallel-events/student-event/

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

RIPE 85
October 24 - October 28
Hybrid: Belgrade & Online
https://ripe85.ripe.net/

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

✎ Multiple Positions | MissionWired
https://jobs.lever.co/MissionWired

✎ Multiple Positions | Wikimedia
+ Remote
https://wikimediafoundation.org/about/jobs/

✎ Multiple Positions | Chayn
https://chayn.notion.site/Open-positions-at-Chayn-726daa612b2f434a8f4fa593394a0ab2

✎ Senior Software Engineer - Privacy Edge | Cloudflare
+ Remote
https://boards.greenhouse.io/cloudflare/jobs/4078268?gh_jid=4078268

✎ Senior Director, California Policy | Common Sense Media
+ Sacramento, CA, USA
https://commonsense.hire.trakstar.com/jobs/fk02ok6?cjb_hash=O_rVWm27&apply_now=true

✎ Python Developer | Jobways
+ Remote in Texas, USA
https://www.jobways.com/job/JDPYT220706144350/details/

✎ Programme Manager, AI Standards | The Alan Turing Institute
+ Hybrid in London, UK
https://cezanneondemand.intervieweb.it/turing/jobs/programme-manager-ai-standards-26203/en/

✎ Research Assistant, AI Standards | The Alan Turing Institute
+ Hybrid in London, UK
https://cezanneondemand.intervieweb.it/turing/jobs/research-assistant-ai-standards-26174/en/

✎ Research Associate/Senior Research Associate, AI Standards | The
Alan Turing Institute
+ Hybrid in London, UK
https://cezanneondemand.intervieweb.it/turing/jobs/research-associatesenior-research-associate-ai-standards-26173/en/

✎ Digital Resilience Consultant | Co-Creation HUb Limited
+ Lagos, Kigali
https://jobs.smartrecruiters.com/Co-creationHub/743999846237771-digital-resilience-consultant

✎ Consultancy for Privacy International’s 2019-2022 strategy
evaluation | Privacy International
+ UK
https://privacyinternational.org/opportunities/4943/consultancy-privacy-internationals-2019-2022-strategy-evaluation

✎ Researcher, Technology and Inequality | Amnesty International USA
+ Remote in USA
https://www.paycomonline.net/v4/ats/web.php/jobs/ViewJobDetails?job=34991&clientkey=FACBA214DB8B6B051E8C6DC04E56D67A

✎ Policy Counsel: FCC and FTC | Free Press
+ Washington DC, USA
https://freepress.bamboohr.com/jobs/

✎ Senior Communications & Technology Advisor | Internet Society
+ Remote
https://internetsociety.bamboohr.com/jobs/view.php?id=188

✎ Grants Program Manager | Access Now
+ Remote
https://accessnow.bamboohr.com/jobs/view.php?id=135&source=aWQ9MjA%3D

✎ Senior Program Officer, U.S Government Grants | The Organized Crime
and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP)
+ Washington, DC or area, USA
https://www.occrp.org/en/occrp-jobs/senior-program-officer-us-government-grants

✎ Digital Assistant | Article19
+ Remote and London, UK
https://article.peoplehr.net/Pages/JobBoard/Opening.aspx?v=46e3886d-2d36-49c7-8d63-0790b6a1ee6e

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_________________________________________________

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