Digital Rights Weekly | September 26 - 30

Fri Sep 30 15:20:04 CEST 2022

Hello Digital Rights Defenders!

Here is your weekly update on digital rights around the world for the
weeks of September 26 - 30. As a reminder, you can submit your news
for the newsletter here:
https://www.digitalrights.community/weekly-newsletter

###  Upcoming Virtual TCU Events ###

October 6 | Introducing Outline VPN and the Outline Support Community!
https://internetfreedomfestival.org/wiki/index.php/October_6_2022_GM

October 12 | Deconstructing Trauma
https://digitalrights.formstack.com/forms/chv2022_1

October 13 | Trauma & Identity: a deep dive on intersectionality
https://digitalrights.formstack.com/forms/chv2022_2

October 18 | Healing in the In-Between: Exploring Migration and
Vicarious Trauma (Waiting List)
https://digitalrights.formstack.com/forms/chv2022_3
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## Team CommUNITY Update ##

1. September Regional Briefs are Out!

The September Regional Briefs are out! They are full of updates and
critical information about digital justice issues and emerging topics
in Latin America, MENA, Africa and Asia regions, as well as
opportunities and community news.

This month take a look at the topics of loan apps reported by our
LATAM and Africa researchers
I personally recommend taking a look at the topic of loan apps
reported by our Latin America, an issue that can be tackled from so
many perspectives beyond the merely technological.

Please contact us if you know about individuals or groups working on
issues that should be reported in our briefs. Our intention is to
adopt innovative perspectives away from mainstream discourses, and
consequently, promote a more heterogeneous digital rights space.

https://www.digitalrights.community/blog/regionalbriefsseptember2022

2. 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

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### Digital Rights in the Community ###

1. Neil Gaiman, Along with Hundreds of other Authors Signed a Letter
in Support of Libraries’ Digital Rights

Hundreds of authors - including people like Neil Gaiman, Chuck Wendig,
and Hanif Abdurraqib. Eula Biss - have signed a letter to express
support for libraries’ open access to digital books and for protecting
their right to lend books in all formats. The letter was released by
Fight for the Future, a nonprofit group that addresses digital rights
issues. The letter also voices opposition to lawsuits that aim to
limit libraries’ access to ebooks and prevent them from lending
scanned materials, among other things.

https://www.salon.com/2022/09/29/writers-letter-library-e-book-digital-rights/

2. Attorneys, EFF and EPIC Want Facial Recognition Process Open to
Discovery in Court

Two digital rights groups and a defendants’ rights association are
arguing in a New Jersey court that evidence discovery in a criminal
case should include the defense’s ability to see aspects of facial
recognition systems and policies used to identify a defendant. An
amicus brief in support of a full discovery process has been filed by
the Electronic Privacy Information Center, or EPIC; the Electronic
Frontier Foundation and the National Association of Criminal Defense
Lawyers.

https://www.biometricupdate.com/202209/attorneys-digital-rights-advocates-want-facial-recognition-process-open-to-discovery-in-court

3. OONI Report:  Iran Blocks Social Media, App Stores and Encrypted
DNS Amid Protests

According to OONI’s latest report, over the past week, Iran
experienced severe mobile network outages. in addition to increased
levels of internet censorship, the report shares OONI network
measurement findings from Iran on the blocking of WhatsApp, Instagram,
Linkedin, Skype, Google Play Store, Apple App Store, and encrypted DNS
(DNS over HTTPS). This also includes IODA and Cloudflare Radar data on
mobile network outages over the last few days.

https://ooni.org/post/2022-iran-blocks-social-media-mahsa-amini-protests/

4. Serious Vulnerabilities in Matrix’s End-to-end Encryption Have Been Patched

Developers of the open source Matrix messenger protocol released an
update on Wednesday to fix critical end-to-end encryption
vulnerabilities that subvert the confidentiality and authentication
guarantees that have been key to the platform's meteoric rise.

https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2022/09/matrix-patches-vulnerabilities-that-completely-subvert-e2ee-guarantees/

5. “Girls Who Code” Books Banned in Pennsylvania

A school district in Pennsylvania temporarily banned the Girls Who
Code book series for young readers, according to an index of banned
books compiled by the free expression non-profit, Pen America. While
district officials denied banning the book series, a district
spokesperson confirmed to Business Insider that the ban had been in
place for 10 months, ending in September 2021

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/sep/26/pennsylvania-book-ban-girls-who-code

6. OPTIMA Report: The Impact of Internet Shutdowns on Women in Uganda

Internews OPTIMA training fellowship on network measurement has
released a report showing the impact Internet Shutdowns are having on
Women in Uganda. Uganda has a long-standing history of internet
shutdowns starting in 2006 when the Daily Monitor newspaper website
was temporarily blocked for publishing electoral results directly from
polling stations. The adverse impact of internet shutdowns on women
and their continual inability to communicate were categorized under
the professional, personal, and social level.

https://preparepreventresist.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Impact-of-Shutdowns-on-Women-in-Uganda.pdf

7. OverSight Board to Announce New Case on October 4

On October 4, the Oversight Board will announce a new case relating to
the removal of political content in Iran under the Violence and
Incitement policy. They will be accepting public comments via the news
section of their website from October 4 to October 17, in the
languages of English, Farsi, Turkish, Kurdish and Arabic.

Meanwhile, 73 of local, regional and international partners have
issued a joint statement regarding Business for Social Responsibility
(BSR) ’s Human Rights Due Diligence report on Arabic and Hebrew
content on Meta’s platform.

https://7amleh.org/2022/09/27/statement-regarding-bsr-s-hra-for-meta-on-palestine-and-israel

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### Digital Rights Resources ###

1. How to Advocate for Data Privacy and Users' Rights

Want to speak up against Big Tech, unjust data collection, and
surveillance? Here's how to be an activist in your community and
beyond.

https://www.wired.com/story/how-to-advocate-your-tech-privacy/

2. Does Educational Technology Disregard Students' Digital Rights?

Different platforms have violated students' personal data by
collecting, monitoring, and storing it to share with technology
companies for advertising purposes. A report issued by Human Rights
Watch (HRW) revealed that EdTech apps and websites used by students
collected, monitored, and tracked the personal information of children
in many countries, violating their digital rights. Find out who is
involved, and how can this information be taken care of.

https://observatory.tec.mx/edu-news/edtech-digital-rights

3. How AI is helping Birth Digital Humans that Look and Sound Just like Us

Digital twins capture the physical look and expressions of real
humans. Increasingly these replicas are showing up in the
entertainment industry and beyond. It gives rise to some thorny
questions.

https://www.technologyreview.com/2022/09/29/1060425/seeing-double-ai-births-digital-humans/

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

1. As UN Debates Spyware Threats, Rights Groups Say Ban It

Human and digital rights advocates have welcomed UN Secretary-General
Antonio Guterres’ recent recognition that spyware has become a
significant threat to the UN's human rights work.
But they say now is the time for member states to finally enforce a
global moratorium on the sale and use of surveillance technologies
until regulations catch up with technology.

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/spyware-human-rights-groups-say-ban

2. S. Korea to Create Comprehensive Framework on Digital Rights

South Korea will establish a comprehensive framework enumerating basic
rights for digital access by 2023. The Ministry of Science and ICT
unveiled its plan for a bill, tentatively named the Digital Society
Framework Act, at an economic policy conference presided over by
President Yoon Suk Yeol at the Kim Dae-jung Convention Center in the
southwestern city of Gwangju.

https://world.kbs.co.kr/service/news_view.htm?lang=e&Seq_Code=172724

3. US Expanding Internet Access to Iranian People amid Violent
Government Crackdown

The US Department of Treasury announced it was updating guidance to
expand internet service to Iranians by issuing Iran General License
D-2, which they hope brings US sanction guidance in line with the
changes in modern technology. The new guidance will offer more options
of secure internet platforms and services.  It address a range of
internet freedom issues, such as adding covered categories of software
and services such as social media platforms, video conferencing, and
authorization for communication tools that “assist ordinary Iranians
in resisting repressive internet censorship.”

https://www.politico.com/news/2022/09/23/treasury-department-expands-internet-iranians-00058577

4. Wider Adoption of Anti-Censorship Tools After Iran Protests

Iranian citizens are flocking to tools designed to help citizens of
blacked-out nations connect to the internet as their government tries
to squelch protests. Google says its Jigsaw subsidiary's open-source
Outline tool has seen a spike in demand from Iran this week, per data
shared exclusively with Axios. Simon Migliano from Top10VPN states
that the daily demand for virtual private network (VPN) services in
Iran is up over 3,000% compared to before the protests.

https://www.axios.com/2022/09/30/iran-protests-vpn-google-jigsaw-outline

5. Roskomnadzor Has Become Putin’s Personal Powerful Surveillance Network

The New York Times has obtained 160,000 pages of leaked documents
detailing Roskomnadzor’s activities from transparency activist group,
DDoSecrets. They show just how powerful the regulatory agency has
become, both in terms of internet oversight and as a weapon to be
deployed in Putin’s never ending propaganda campaigns.

https://www.techdirt.com/2022/09/29/rozkomnadzor-has-become-putins-personal-powerful-surveillance-network/

6. Google’s Perilous Plan for a Cloud Center in Saudi Arabia is an
Irresponsible Threat to Human Rights

Saudi Arabia has a dismal track record of digital espionage, including
infiltration of social media platforms, cyber surveillance, repression
of public dissent, and censorship of those criticizing the government.
Yet, against this backdrop of rampant repression and abusive
surveillance, Google is moving ahead with plans to set up, in
partnership with the state-owned company Saudi Aramco, a massive data
center in Saudi Arabia for its cloud computing platform serving
business customers.

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/09/googles-perilous-plan-cloud-center-saudi-arabia-irresponsible-threat-human-rights

7. Vietnam to Restrict which Social Media Accounts Can Post News

The Vietnamese government is formulating new rules to control which
types of social media accounts are allowed to disseminate news in the
country, Reuters reported, citing sources. The decision, according to
Reuters, results from the government’s concerns over users mistaking
social media accounts for authorized news outlets.

https://techcrunch.com/2022/09/28/vietnam-social-media-news-crackdown/

8. Greece Plans Automated Drones to Spot People Crossing Border

The Greek Migration Ministry announced it would use EU-funded drones
with “Artificial Intelligence” to track people seeking refuge at the
border. Promises that they will also improve search and rescue
operations ring hollow.

https://algorithmwatch.org/en/greece-plans-automated-drones/

9. India’s Internet Bill Is Straight Out of Beijing’s Playbook

India is moving closer to a more Chinese-style, controlled internet.
The country’s anticipated telecom law, which is in draft, seeks to
bend the industry to the government’s will by imposing a license
requirement on everything from Gmail to FaceTime and Skype. Licensed
services will have to “unequivocally identify” their customers.
Senders of messages will have to be similarly identifiable to the
recipients. “These provisions essentially strip away the user’s right
to stay anonymous,” said the New Delhi-based Internet Freedom
Foundation, a think tank. “Such a broad and excessive requirement, in
the absence of a data protection law, fails to prioritize user safety
and security.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/indias-internet-bill-is-straight-out-of-beijings-playbook/2022/09/29/4287b6c8-404b-11ed-8c6e-9386bd7cd826_story.html

Also, the new Draft Telecom Bill will give the Central government the
power to intercept any messages sent through WhatsApp in matters
related to national security. Thisis not the first attempt by the
government to try to limit WhatsApp. In 2021, when the new IT rules
came into force, WhatsApp took the Indian government to court as the
new rules mandated social media platforms to trace the origin of the
messages sent on their platforms.

https://analyticsindiamag.com/draft-telecom-bill-could-kill-whatsapps-end-to-end-encryption/

10 Facebook’s Systems Promoted Violence Against Rohingya; Meta Owes Reparations

According to a new Amnesty International Report, Facebook owner Meta’s
dangerous algorithms and reckless pursuit of profit substantially
contributed to the atrocities perpetrated by the Myanmar military
against the Rohingya people in 2017. The display of inflammatory
content – including that which advocates hatred, constituting
incitement to violence, hostility and discrimination – is an effective
way of keeping people on the platform longer. In the months and years
prior to the crackdown, Facebook in Myanmar had become an echo chamber
of anti-Rohingya content.

https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2022/09/myanmar-facebooks-systems-promoted-violence-against-rohingya-meta-owes-reparations-new-report/

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### 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

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/
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### Global Events Calendar ###

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

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

Glitter Meetup: Introducing Outline VPN and the Outline Support Community!
October 6
9am EDT / 1pm UTC
https://internetfreedomfestival.org/wiki/index.php/October_6_2022_GM

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

Community Health Village
October 12 - November 3
https://internetfreedomfestival.org/wiki/index.php/Community_Health_Village_2022

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

✎ Staff Attorney, Technology and Civil Liberties | ACLU of Northern California
+ San Francisco, Sacramento, Fresno, CA, USA
https://boards.greenhouse.io/aclunc/jobs/6407565002#app

✎ Software Engineer III - Web Team | Wikimedia Foundation
+ Remote
https://grnh.se/7e4e37451us

✎ Web Developer | Calyx Institute
+ Remote
https://calyxinstitute.org/web-developer

✎ Lead Counsel | Wikimedia Foundation
+ Remote
https://grnh.se/c07159691us

✎ Data Journalist for Africa | The Organized Crime and Corruption
Reporting Project (OCCRP)
+ Remote in Africa
https://www.occrp.org/en/occrp-jobs/data-journalist-for-africa

✎ Russian Language Engagement Editor | The Organized Crime and
Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP)
+ Remote (Central European time zone)
https://www.occrp.org/en/occrp-jobs/russian-language-engagement-editor

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If you feel like sending some digital glitter our way, or need further
assistance, feel free to reply to this message.
_________________________________________________

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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
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