Digital Rights Weekly | September 19 - 23
Team CommUNITY
team at digitalrights.community
Sat Sep 24 15:04:50 CEST 2022
Hello Digital Rights Defenders!
Here is your weekly update on digital rights around the world for the
weeks of September 19 - 23. As a reminder, you can submit your news
for the newsletter here:
https://www.digitalrights.community/weekly-newsletter
### Upcoming Virtual TCU Events ###
September 28 | Africa Monthly Meetup
https://internetfreedomfestival.org/wiki/index.php/September_28_2022,_Africa_Meetup
September 28 | MENA Monthly Meetup
https://internetfreedomfestival.org/wiki/index.php/September_28_2022,_MENA_Meetup
September 29 | Glitter Meetup: Quantum Visions of Africanfuturism:
Allegories of AI
https://internetfreedomfestival.org/wiki/index.php/September_29_2022_GM
_________________________________________________
## Team CommUNITY Update ##
1. RVSP for the Community Health Village
Sign up for the 2022 Community Health Village, which looks at
individual, community and organizational pathways towards collective
healing. You must RSVP for each session you are interested in
attending. Remember, some sessions have limited space, so sign up as
soon as you can.
https://www.digitalrights.community/blog/community-health-village-2022
_________________________________________________
### Digital Rights in the Community ###
1. Article19 Stands in Solidarity with Iranian Protests
Article19 is alarmed by reports of the Iranian authorities’ unlawful
use of force, including live ammunition and metal pellets such as
birdshot against protesters, reports of deaths and serious injuries,
as well as imposition of internet shutdowns and/or disruption. The
organization continues to monitor the violent crackdown. An
international law-compliant criminal investigation into the death in
custody of Mahsa/Jhina Amini must be carried out.
https://www.article19.org/resources/iran-justice-for-mahsa-jhina-amini/
2. Creative Storytelling Event on Data Protection Advocacy on September 30
Over the past 6 months, Internews’ ‘ADAPT’ Project, in collaboration
with the Heinrich Boell Foundation, Internet Bolivia, Coding Rights,
Paradigm Initiative, and Fundación Ciudadanía y Desarrollo have
produced a series of speculative audio fictions revolving around Data
Protection. You can now attend the launch event for these projects.
Read more and register here:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/privacy-is-global-creative-storytelling-for-data-protection-advocacy-tickets-423346259057
3. EFF Award Event on November 10
For thirty years, the Electronic Frontier Foundation has opened
nominations to the public to recognize leaders on the electronic
frontier who are extending freedom and innovation in technology. This
year, EFF invites you to celebrate the first annual EFF Awards! This
year’s winners are Alaa Abd El-Fattah, the Digital Defense Fund, and
Kyle Weins. The celebration will include drinks, bytes, and excellent
company.
https://www.eff.org/awards/effawards/2022
4. The Engine Room Launches New Website
Since the beginning of 2020, The Engine Room has been working with
HURIDOCS and PILPG on a project focused on tech tools for human rights
documentation in the context of transitional justice. The findings
from the research were initially published as pdf reports, but they
are now adapted and translated in three languages, English, French,
and Arabic. Check out their newly launched website:
https://www.theengineroom.org/website-launch-tech-tools-for-human-rights-documentation/
5. Global Witness Warns about Continued Facebook Disinformation Ahead
of Brazilian Presidential Vote
With less than three weeks until Brazilians take to the polls in a
tense Presidential election, disinformation is still able to be spread
on Facebook, despite pledges by the social media giant following
previous warnings by Global Witness. A month after Global Witness
exposes Meta’s failings, half of the tested disinformation ads are
still being approved.
https://www.globalwitness.org/en/press-releases/run-tense-brazilian-presidential-vote-facebook-still-failing-prevent-spread-election-disinformation/
6. Annual Conference for Truth and Trust Online, October 13-14
The annual Conference for Truth and Trust Online is organized as a
unique collaboration between practitioners, technologists, academics
and platforms to share, discuss, and collaborate on useful technical
innovations and research in the space. It will be held online on
October 12 and in Boston, MA on October 13-14. They are offering up to
50 in-person complimentary tickets to post-doctorates, researchers and
civil society organizations to attend TTO 2022.
(https://truthandtrustonline.com/ticketfeewaiver)
More details about the program and schedule on truthandtrustonline.com
7. VPN Companies Removing Servers in India in Protest of the CERT-IN Directive
Most recently, Proton is removing their VPN servers in India to
protect the privacy of their users. This is due to India’s new
surveillance law. They have rolled out smart routing servers to still
give users an Indian IP address.
https://twitter.com/ProtonVPN/status/1572873537081454593
Other companies removing their VPN servers:
TunnelBear
https://help.tunnelbear.com/hc/en-us/articles/9008085360539-TunnelBear-no-longer-available-in-India
NordVPN https://support.nordvpn.com/General-info/1876267152/Can-I-connect-to-Indian-servers.htm
ExpressVPN
https://www.expressvpn.com/blog/remove-india-vpn-servers/
SurfShark
https://surfshark.com/servers/india
Avast
https://blog.avast.com/avast-secureline-vpn-india
Norton
https://community.norton.com/en/forums/accessing-norton-secure-vpn-india
_________________________________________________
### Digital Rights Resources ###
1. Iran: Circumventing Censorship with Tor
Tor is receiving lots of requests for support from Iran. While they
are investigating the situation, they are overwhelmed. If you are
having issues connecting to the Tor network from Iran, before
contacting us on our support channels, please try these solutions:
https://forum.torproject.net/t/iran-circumventing-censorship-with-tor/4590
2. UN Releases New Report on Spyware and Surveillance
The UN released the latest on privacy in the digital age by the UN
Human Rights Office. It looks at three key areas: the abuse of
intrusive hacking tools (“spyware”) by State authorities, the key role
of robust encryption methods in protecting human rights online, and
the impacts of widespread digital monitoring of public spaces, both
offline and online. The report details how surveillance tools such as
the “Pegasus” software can turn most smartphones into “24-hour
surveillance devices”, allowing the “intruder” access not only to
everything on our mobiles but also weaponizing them to spy on our
lives.
https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2022/09/spyware-and-surveillance-threats-privacy-and-human-rights-growing-un-report
3. Mozilla Releases New Report on Youtube’s Ineffective User Controls
YouTube is the second most visited website in the world, and its
algorithm drives most of the video views on YouTube. Previous Mozilla
research determined that people are routinely recommended videos they
don’t want to see, including violent content, hate speech, and
political misinformation. YouTube says that people can manage their
recommendations and search results through the feedback tools the
platform offers, but this report, based on surveys from 2,757
participants, shows that people do not feel in control over their
experience with the YouTube algorithm.
The report findings showed that people feel that using YouTube’s user
controls does not change their recommendations at all. YouTube’s user
control mechanisms are inadequate for preventing unwanted
recommendations. The report also determined that YouTube’s user
controls influence what is recommended, but this effect is negligible
and most unwanted videos still slip through.
https://foundation.mozilla.org/en/youtube/user-controls/
_________________________________________________
### Digital Rights in the Wider World ###
1. Detroit Cops Want $7 Million in Covid Relief Money for Surveillance
Microphones
The company behind the mics, ShotSpotter, is going all out to guide
police stations across the country on how to use relief money for the
controversial technology. Detroit’s City Council will soon vote on
whether to spend millions in federal cash meant to ease the economic
pains of the coronavirus pandemic on ShotSpotter, a controversial
surveillance technology critics say is invasive, discriminatory, and
fundamentally broken.
ShotSpotter purports to do one thing very well: telling cops a gun has
been fired as soon as the trigger is pulled. Using a network of
microphones hitched to telephone poles, rooftops, and other urban
vantage points, ShotSpotter is essentially an Alexa that listens for a
bang rather than voice commands.
https://theintercept.com/2022/09/17/police-surveillance-shotspotter-detroit/
2. How Russian Trolls Helped Keep the Women’s March Out of Lock Step
According to a Times report, in the 2017 Women’s March protesting
Donald Trump, organizations linked to the Russian government had
assigned teams to the Women’s March to deepen the divisions among
them. At desks in bland offices in St. Petersburg, using models
derived from advertising and public relations, copywriters were
testing out social media messages critical of the Women’s March
movement, adopting the personas of fictional Americans. They posted as
Black women critical of white feminism, conservative women who felt
excluded, and men who mocked participants as hairy-legged whiners.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/18/us/womens-march-russia-trump.html
3. Instagram Fined €405M for Violating Kids’ Privacy in Ireland
The Irish Data Protection Commission has fined Meta-owned social media
platform Instagram €405 million for violations of the General Data
Protection Regulation. The fine is the third for a Meta-owned company
handed down by the Irish regulator.
https://www.politico.eu/article/instagram-fined-e405m-for-violating-kids-privacy/
4. Facebook Report Concludes Company Censorship Violated Palestinian
Human Rights
According to Meta’s own study, Facebook and Instagram’s speech
policies harmed fundamental human rights of Palestinian users during a
conflagration that saw heavy Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip last
May. Palestinians and Digital Rights activists have been sounding the
alarm on anti-Palestinian and pro-Zionist bias for a while.
https://theintercept.com/2022/09/21/facebook-censorship-palestine-israel-algorithm/
5 Court Case Challenging Upstream Surveillance: Wikimedia v. NSA
The ACLU is challenging the constitutionality of the NSA’s mass
interception and searching of Americans’ international Internet
communications. At issue is the NSA’s “Upstream” surveillance, through
which the U.S. government systematically monitors private emails,
messages, and other data flowing into and out of the country on the
Internet’s central arteries. The ACLU’s lawsuit was brought on behalf
of the Wikimedia Foundation and eight legal, human rights, and media
organizations, which together engage in trillions of sensitive
communications and have been harmed by Upstream surveillance.
https://www.aclu.org/cases/wikimedia-v-nsa-challenge-upstream-surveillance
6. From Camping To Cheese Pizza, ‘Algospeak’ Is Taking Over Social Media
Internet users are increasingly using code words known as “algospeak”
to evade detection by content moderation technology, especially when
posting about things that are controversial or may break platform
rules.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexandralevine/2022/09/16/algospeak-social-media-survey/?sh=2025b80255e1
7. House Committee Investigates the Role of PR Firms in Spreading
Climate Disinformation
The oil industry’s long history of disinformation is well documented,
but PR firms have operated “behind the scenes” for decades. On
September 14, a congressional committee probed the history that PR
firms have played in creating and spreading climate disinformation in
order to block climate policy and promote fossil fuel interests.
https://www.desmog.com/2022/09/14/house-committee-pr-climate-disinformation/
_________________________________________________
### 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
Mentoreo de IT Women
Deadline: September 25, 2022
https://www.lacnic.net/4882/1/lacnic/programa-de-mentoreo-de-it-women
Racism and Technology Center
Deadline: October 31, 2022
https://racismandtechnology.center/2022/09/03/do-you-want-to-work-on-anti-racism-and-technology/
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/
Open Tech Fund | Secure Usability and Accessibility Lab
Deadline: Rolling
https://www.opentech.fund/labs/sua-lab/
_________________________________________________
### Global Events Calendar ###
TecnoRizoma
August 17 - October 22
Online
https://tinyurl.com/TecnoRizomaCentroamerica
Sex Work Therapist Training
September 22 - 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
Glitter Meetup: Quantum Visions of Africanfuturism: Allegories of AI
September 29
9am EDT / 1pm UTC
https://internetfreedomfestival.org/wiki/index.php/September_29_2022_GM
Digital Quality of Life Index 2022
October 2
2pm UTC
https://surfshark.zoomtv.lt/registration
Understanding the Internet
October 4
17:00–18:30 CEST
https://ripe85.ripe.net/programme/parallel-events/student-event/
Bloom Training Workshop: Delivering Trauma Support Online
Chayn
October 5
14:00 - 16:00 BST
Online
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/bloom-training-workshop-delivering-trauma-support-online-tickets-420221793697
Digital Health Week
October, 10 - 16
https://digitalhealthweek.co/
The Conference for Truth and Trust Online 2022
October, 12
Boston, MA, USA
http://truthandtrustonline.com/ticketfeewaiver
The Conference for Truth and Trust Online 2022
October, 13 - 14
Online
http://truthandtrustonline.com/
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
✎ Project Coordinator | The Royal Society
+ London, UK
https://careers-royalsociety.icims.com/jobs/1602/project-coordinator/job
✎ Data Visualization Specialist (Contract) | Wikimedia Foundation
+ Remote
https://grnh.se/e5f76fde1us
✎ Policy Adviser | The Royal Society
+ London, UK
https://careers-royalsociety.icims.com/jobs/1601/policy-adviser%2c-data/job
✎ Project Lead | Point of View
+ Remote in India
https://pointofview.in/landing/openings/
✎ Senior Software Engineer - Privacy Edge | Cloudflare
+ Remote in US, UK and Portugal
https://boards.greenhouse.io/cloudflare/jobs/4078268?gh_jid=4078268
✎ East Asia Researcher | The Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project
+ East Asia
https://www.occrp.org/en/occrp-jobs/east-asia-researcher
✎ Senior Designer | Access Now
+ Various Locations
https://accessnow.bamboohr.com/jobs/view.php?id=146&source=aWQ9MjA%3D
✎ Senior Project Manager (Communications) | Wikimedia Foundation
+ Remote
https://grnh.se/2acf14b51us
✎ Web App Developer (Full-Stack, Backend, and Frontend) | Butterfy
+ Remote
https://uploads-ssl.webflow.com/5fe2721ea6fb441f47d88866/6323160f086b145f181c9083_Butterfy%20Job_Web%20App%20Dev_Oct%202022.pdf
✎ UX Designer | Butterfy
+ Remote
https://uploads-ssl.webflow.com/5fe2721ea6fb441f47d88866/6323160f6cd200922731a048_Butterfy%20Job_UX%20design_Oct%202022.pdf
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(((Hugs & light)))
--
Team CommUNITY at ARTICLE 19
www.digitalrights.community
Organizers of the Internet Freedom Festival
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