Digital Rights Weekly | December 4 - 8
Team CommUNITY
team at digitalrights.community
Fri Dec 8 16:39:15 CET 2023
Hello Digital Rights Defenders!
Here is your weekly update on digital rights around the world for the
week of December 4 - 8. As a reminder, you can submit your news for
the newsletter here:
https://www.digitalrights.community/weekly-newsletter
### Team CommUNITY (TCU) ###
1. This Holiday Season Gift a Safer, Freer, and more Feminist Internet
This holiday season consider making a donation to our Team CommUNITY’s
Equity Fund! Besides supporting a safer, freer, and more feminist
Internet, with every $40+ donation our head of team will call your
family member of choice and explain what you do for a living. Plus,
you get the pleasure of knowing that you are supporting the future of
a more equitable Internet!
https://www.digitalrights.community/donate
2. Recommend a Glitter Meetup - Fill in This Form in Just 5 Mins!
We are looking for your recommendations for future Glitter Meetup
(GM), the weekly virtual town hall of the digital rights community,
which takes place on the TCU Mattermost. Specifically, we are looking
for guest experts to invite! Fill out the form below, will only take
you five minutes to complete, and let us know your recommendations.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1nrrygXID3JopeDcUntkRSOUzxhg9iV8iazXYdSDPpo4/edit
3. Join Next Week Glitter Meetup: Advancing Digital Rights in
Franco-phone Communities, Africa and MENA
Join us to explore digital rights landscape in the Francophone region
- the challenges and
opportunities for growth and advancement. In
addition, we will brainstorm how to support, and grow digital rights
talent in the region, given the major gaps that still exist.
December 14 at 9am EST / 2pm UTC on the TCU’s Mattermost:
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=December_14_2023_GM
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### Digital Rights in the Community ###
1. Tell Facebook: Stop Silencing Palestine
Tell Facebook to take five concrete steps to end the silencing of
Palestinians, as well as content and accounts related to Palestine.
https://act.eff.org/action/tell-facebook-stop-silencing-palestine
2. Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society Fellowship Applications Open
The Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University
opened its call for applications for the fellowship program for the
2024-2025 year! This opportunity is for people who wish to spend
2024-2025 in residence in Cambridge, MA, as part of the Center's
vibrant community of research and practice. Deadline: January 22,
2024.
https://cyber.harvard.edu/getinvolved/fellowships/2425Fellows
3. Balkan Media Assistance Program Grant
The Balkan Media Assistance Program is offering a grant pool for media
organizations, media industry associations and Civil Society
Organizations based in the five Western Balkan countries, Bosnia and
Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia. Grant
amount: cost-reimbursable grants, each in the maximum amount of
$10,000. Deadline: December 15, 2023.
https://balkansmedia.org/bs/grant/bmap-forward-joint-advocacy-grants-0
4. Calls for Projects on Harnessing Emerging Technologies for
Sustainable Development
The United States Embassy in Zimbabwe announces an open competition
for creative, sustainable and engaging projects that foster open and
transparent dialogues on how emerging technologies can support
Zimbabwe’s development and international partnerships.
https://www2.fundsforngos.org/latest-funds-for-ngos/calls-for-projects-on-harnessing-emerging-technologies-for-sustainable-development/
5. Global: Amnesty International Website Launches on Tor Network to
Help Universal Access
Amnesty International has today launched its global website as an
.onion site on the Tor network, giving users greater access to its
ground-breaking work exposing and documenting human rights violations
in areas where government censorship and digital surveillance are
rife.
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2023/12/global-amnesty-international-website-launches-on-tor-network-to-help-universal-access/
6. Indonesia: Revise the Electronic Information and Transaction Law
A number of organizations forming the Global Coalition, issued an
urgent plea to the Indonesian government to stand resolutely with its
people and uphold the principles of freedom of expression by urgently
revising the Electronic Information and Transactions Law.
https://www.article19.org/resources/indonesia-revise-the-electronic-information-and-transaction-law/
7. Reuters Takes Down Blockbuster Hacker-for-Hire Investigation After
Indian Court Order
Reuters has “temporarily” taken down a blockbuster investigation into
a specific Indian hacker-for-hire operation after facing a court order
issued on Monday, according to an editor’s note now published on
Reuters’ site in place of the article.
https://www.404media.co/reuters-takes-down-blockbuster-hacker-for-hire-investigation-after-indian-court-order/
8. University of Michigan’s Researchers are Looking for Digital
Literacy Trainers to Interview Them
A group of researchers at the University of Michigan would like to
learn from your insights in a 60-minute individual interview session.
They are looking for adults who have either taught or been involved
with an organization that teaches digital literacy skills to its
members. Their team hopes to develop resources that are useful for
educators and community leaders, and can help to better support
student learning about privacy related topics. All of your information
will be anonymized and stored securely if you choose to participate!
You will receive $25 upon completion of the interview. To participate,
please reach out to them at privacyinstrumentstudy at umich.edu
9. Report from Our Communities
a) Serbia: World Bank-funded Digital Welfare System Exacerbating Poverty
Poverty-stricken and marginalized communities in Serbia are being
pushed further into poverty as an automated welfare delivery system,
funded by the World Bank, strips them of social assistance. Roma and
people with disabilities are especially impacted.
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2023/12/serbia-world-bank-funded-digital-welfare-system-exacerbating-poverty-especially-for-roma-and-people-with-disabilities/
b) Community Watch: China’s Vision for The Future of the Internet
How is China promoting its internet regulation norms? Check out this
new report which details the history of the Community with a Shared
Future approach, how China has gotten other countries to participate
in it, and China’s motivations for attempting to change internet
norms.
https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/chinas-vision-for-the-future-of-the-internet/
c) From Hungary to Turkey, Digital Rights Violations Grow
Balkan Investigative Reporting Network released its Digital Rights
Violations Annual Report 2022-2023 provides extensive information
about and analysis of digital rights violations in Albania, Bosnia and
Herzegovina, Croatia, Hungary, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia,
Romania, Serbia and Turkey.
https://birn.eu.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/01-BIRN-Digital-Rights-Violations-Annual-Report-2022-2023.pdf
________________________________________________
### Digital Rights Resources ###
1. The Digital First Aid Kit 3.0 is online!
The Digital First Aid Kit is an open-source project developed by
RaReNet and CiviCERT members. This edition includes three new
workflows (doxing, defamation and surveillance), a section with tips
to document digital attacks and a brand-new workflow navigation. The
Kit is now available in 14 languages. Visit the following link to
learn how to better protect yourself and the communities you support
from the most common digital emergencies:
https://digitalfirstaid.org
2. Advocating and Campaigning Against Internet Shutdowns Course
This Shutdown Academy in partnership with Access Now's course focuses
on internet shutdowns and how to mobilize and fight against them.
Aimed at civil society organizations and grassroots activists, the
course provides practical advice, tactics, and strategies that
individuals or organizations with limited resources can enact.
https://advocacyassembly.org/en/courses/75
_________________________________________________
### Digital Rights in the Wider World ###
1. Kenya Suspends Digital IDs Amid Data Protection Concerns
Kenya’s High Court has paused the roll-out of Maisha Namba, a proposed
digital ID system set to replace the failed Huduma Namba. The court,
through Judge John Chigiti cites the lack of a data protection impact
assessment as the reason for the suspension.
https://techcabal.com/2023/12/05/kenya-halts-roll-out-of-digital-ids/
2. Meredith Whittaker Wants to Keep Your Digital Conversations Private
Whittaker, the president of Signal, is also asking hard questions
about artificial intelligence.
https://www.vox.com/23925244/meredith-whittaker-signal-privacy-ai-future-perfect-50-2023
3. Pro-Palestine Facebook Post Sparks CIA Warning
The incident illustrates the deep divisions that the war in Gaza has
opened up within US government institutions.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/11/29/cia-cautions-staff-on-social-media-use-after-officers-pro-palestine-post
4. The Pegasus Case Has finally Gone to Trial in Mexico.
The Pegasus case in Mexico involves potentially thousands of victims
and various government administrations.
https://english.elpais.com/international/2023-12-05/witness-in-pegasus-case-accuses-pena-nieto-of-ordering-spying-operation-on-carlos-slim.html
5. Digital Landscape and Israel Losing the War of Public Opinion
In the age of social media, Israel is no longer able to conceal the
truth about its conduct in Palestine.
https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2023/11/30/israel-has-lost-the-war-of-public-opinion
6. Social Media Advertising in Israel
In the last 30 days, Pro-Israeli groups have bought, collectively,
just under $2 million in digital ads in the United States via Meta’s
platforms Facebook and Instagram, according to an analysis by Digital
Bridge.
https://www.politico.eu/newsletter/digital-bridge/the-wests-unknown-social-media-enforcer/
7. How Telegram Became the Center of the Internet
The encrypted messaging app collapses distance, offering unparalleled
access to war and conflict. In recent years, the messaging app and
digital platform has recurrently become the place for the rawest, most
direct coverage of massive international crises, first with Russia’s
invasion of Ukraine, and now with Hamas’s October 7 attack and
Israel’s subsequent month-long massacre of thousands of Palestinians
in Gaza.
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2023/12/telegram-ukraine-gaza/
8. Protecting Workers' Rights Throughout the AI Revolution
Labor disputes are already impacted by developments of AI in the
workplace. For example, IndustriALL Europe has called for the use of
AI and algorithmic systems to be included in collective bargaining
agreements. The ongoing strike of Hollywood actors and writers,
concerned about the ways in which AI will impact their work, is
another example.
https://euobserver.com/stakeholders/157779
9. Saudi Calls to Boycott TikTok Mount as Platform Denies Discrimination
Calls to boycott TikTok in Saudi Arabia have intensified since the
launch of a campaign accusing the video platform of unjustly censoring
and banning Saudi accounts expressing positive views about the
Kingdom.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2419606/media
10. Is Meta’s Ad-free Service Just Another Way to Make People Pay for Privacy?
The owner of Instagram and Facebook thought an ad-free subscription
service would satisfy European data cops – some advocacy groups aren’t
so sure.
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/dec/05/is-metas-ad-free-service-just-another-way-to-make-people-pay-for-privacy
11. Jordan: Security Forces Target LGBT Activists
The authorities in Jordan have systematically targeted lesbian, gay,
bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights activists and coordinated an
unlawful crackdown on free expression and assembly around gender and
sexuality. Government officials also smeared LGBT rights activists
online based on their sexual orientation, and social media users
posted photos of LGBT rights activists with messages inciting violence
against them.
https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/12/04/jordan-security-forces-target-lgbt-activists
12. EU Lawmakers Reluctant to Stop EU Companies Profiting from
Surveillance & Abuse Through the AI Act
Responding to EU lawmakers’ reluctance to ban the export of harmful
and rights-violating AI technologies from the EU in the AI Act,
Amnesty International’s Advocacy Advisor on Artificial Intelligence,
said: “While lawmakers are engaged in tense discussions on prohibiting
or strictly limiting the use of certain AI technologies in the EU over
their unacceptable human rights risk, they are seemingly ready to
allow the export of those same technologies from the EU to the rest of
the world.”
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2023/12/eu-lawmakers-reluctant-to-stop-eu-companies-profiting-from-surveillance-and-abuse-through-the-ai-act/
13. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Calls for Attentive
Governance of AI Risks, Focusing on People’s Rights
The High Commissioner expressed alarm about the capacity of digital
technologies to reshape societies and influence global politics. Some
70 elections are scheduled in 2024 - covering countries where 4
billion people live - and digital fakes and disinformation campaigns
could play a role.
https://www.ohchr.org/en/statements-and-speeches/2023/11/turk-calls-attentive-governance-artificial-intelligence-risks
The commissioner also declared how genocides can and must be
prevented, and described the role of the digital landscape.
Disinformation campaigns on social media can further amplify these
statements, until condoning and justifying violence becomes
normalized. There must be better governance of digital tools and
digital spaces.
https://www.ohchr.org/en/statements-and-speeches/2023/12/genocide-can-and-must-be-prevented-turk-declares
14. Interview: On Ecological Technology
In this expansive interview, writer, artist, and technologist James
Bridle seeks to widen our thinking beyond human centric ways of
knowing. In questioning our fundamental assumptions about
intelligence, they explore how radical technological models can
decentralize power and become portals into a deeper relationship with
the living world.
https://emergencemagazine.org/interview/an-ecological-technology/
_________________________________________________
### 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
Commonwealth Africa Cyber Fellowships
Deadline: December 10, 2023
https://thecommonwealth.org/news/applications-open-commonwealth-africa-cyber-fellowships
Balkan Media Assistance Program Grant
USAID - Internews
Deadline: December 15, 2023
https://balkansmedia.org/bs/grant/bmap-forward-joint-advocacy-grants-0
Digital Freedom Fund
Deadline: February 14, 2024
https://digitalfreedomfund.org/grants/
FOSS United
Deadline: Rolling
https://fossunited.org/grants
Digital Rights Research Grant
PrivacyCo
Deadline: Rolling
https://www.top10vpn.com/research-grant/
Sovereign Tech Fund
Deadline: Rolling
https://sovereigntechfund.de/en/applications/
Incident Emergency Fund
Digital Defenders Partnership
Deadline: Rolling Basis
https://www.digitaldefenders.org/incident-emergency-fund/
Safety Net Fund
Deadline: Ongoing
https://wphfund.org/whrds-safety-net/
Rapid Response Fund
Derechos Digitales
Deadline: Rolling Basis
https://www.derechosdigitales.org/sobre-el-fondo-de-respuesta-rapida/
Urgent Action Fund for Feminist Activism
Deadline: Rolling Basis
https://urgentactionfund.org/
Urgent Action Fund - Asia & Pacific
Deadline: Rolling
https://www.uafanp.org/our_grants
Open Briefing’s Responsive Assistance
Deadline: Rolling Basis
https://www.openbriefing.org/support/referral/
_________________________________________________
### Events Calendar ###
Glitter Meetup: Advancing Digital Rights in Franco-phone Communities,
Africa and MENA
Team CommUNITY
December 14, 2023
9am EST / 2pm UTC
Online
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=December_14_2023_GM
Glitterest Glitter Meetup: Until Next Year!
Team CommUNITY
December 21, 2023
9am EST / 2pm UTC
Online
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=December_21_2023_GM
Glitterest Glitter Meetup: Welcome Back!
Team CommUNITY
January 11, 2024
9am EST / 2pm UTC
Online
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=January_11_2024_GM
Virtual School on Internet Governance
Jan 22 - April 13, 2024
Online
https://forms.gle/5G8y3NTVMVHwr3MP8
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 sent to us 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
✎ Interim Leadership Team | FRIDA
+ Remote
https://workforfrida.applytojobs.ca/coeds/26501
✎ Regional Project Manager Francophone Africa | Digital Defenders
Partnership
+ Remote - Francophone Africa
http://www.digitaldefenders.org/open-vacancy-regional-project-manager-francophone-africa-2/
✎ Consultancy on Human Resources Management Policies and Procedures |
DigitalReach
+ Remote
https://digitalreach.asia/careers/consultancy-on-human-resources-management-policies-and-procedures/
✎ Part-time Finance Consultant | DigitalReach
+ Bangkok, Thailand (Semi-remote)
https://digitalreach.asia/careers/part-time-finance-consultant/
✎ Business Development Officer, Technical Diversification (Health,
Humanitarian, and Environment/Climate) | Internews
+ Remote in United States
https://phf.tbe.taleo.net/phf04/ats/careers/v2/viewRequisition?org=INTERNEWS&cws=38&rid=2161
✎ Legal Fellow (Summer 2024) | Wikimedia Foundation
+ Remote
https://boards.greenhouse.io/wikimedia/jobs/5537339?gh_src=b6759ad81us
✎ Senior Global Movement Communications Specialist (ESEAP Region) |
Wikimedia Foundation
+ Remote
https://boards.greenhouse.io/wikimedia/jobs/5531646?gh_src=2626d1e71us
✎ Senior Software Engineer, Future Audiences | Wikimedia Foundation
+ Remote
https://boards.greenhouse.io/wikimedia/jobs/5544809?gh_src=b99525111us
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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### 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
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