Digital Rights Weekly | February 13 - 17

Thu Feb 16 18:58:45 CET 2023

Hello Digital Rights Defenders!

Here is your weekly update on digital rights around the world for the
week of February 13 - 17. As a reminder, you can submit your news for
the newsletter here:
https://www.digitalrights.community/weekly-newsletter

### TCU ###

1. Announcing Team CommUNITY (TCU)’s Global Gathering!

Team CommUNITY (TCU) is happy to announce the location, dates, and
format of the 2023 Global Gathering!!! This first instance is a soft
launch and will have much more of a decentralized format and approach
consisting of three parts. If you are not able to participate this
year, do not worry, this is just the beginning. For the majority of
people, we will only have physical space to rekindle connections, with
some exceptions. Check out the new location, dates and ways to
participate, and let us know what you think!

https://www.digitalrights.community/blog/announcing-team-communitys-global-gathering

2. Deadline is Approaching: Enroll in TCU’s Psychosocial Circles by March 2

Make sure to sign up for Team CommUNITY Spring psychosocial Circles by
March 2!  They include two Activist Fatigue Circles, and one Diaspora
support Circle. They are open to all digital rights defenders and are
free of charge.

https://www.digitalrights.community/blog/psychosocial-circles-spring-2023

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### Digital Rights in the Community ###

1. Fellowship Opportunity at ARTICLE19

ARTICLE 19's Team Digital is looking for public interest advocates to
join their 2023-2024 Internet of Rights (IoR) Fellowship cohort. A
designated member of A19's Team Digital will work closely with fellows
through the 12-month fellowship, which begins in April 2023. All
fellows follow one of three tracks: Censorship, Connectivity, or
Datafication and engage in technical standards developing
organizations (SDOs). Deadline for applications is March 3, 2023.

https://www.article19.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Call-for-Applications-2023-IoR-Fellowship.pdf

2. Fellowships with Global Investigative Journalism Conference

The 2023 Global Investigative Journalism Conference is offering more
than 150 fellowships to both established and promising journalists in
developing and transitioning countries, and for journalists from
disenfranchised communities, to participate in this prestigious event.
Deadline: Feb 28, 2023

https://gijc2023.org/fellowships/

3. PrivacyCo’s Digital Rights Research Grant

PrivacyCo, the parent company of Top10VPN.com, is offering a funding
opportunity for original research that helps advance digital rights
globally. They are particularly interested in funding research that
uncovers hidden threats to digital rights through technical research
methods. PrivacyCo’s funding opportunities provide a platform for
researchers and postgraduate students to conduct original research and
promote digital rights globally. They will be accepting applications
on a rolling basis, with candidates invited to apply for up to
US$10,000 in funding.  Read more and apply here:

https://www.top10vpn.com/research-grant/

4. ARTICLE19 Launches the Internet Standards Almanac

ARTICLE 19 has just launched a digital interactive tool, the Internet
Standards Almanac, to support public interest technologists and civil
society organizations to participate in technical standards developing
organizations (SDOs). This interactive resource provides an overview
of active issues relevant to human rights across the major
Internet-related SDOs.

https://almanac.article19.org/

5. New Report from EFF on Uncle Sow: Dark Caracal in Latin America

In 2018, EFF along with researchers from Lookout Security published a
report describing the Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) dubbed "Dark
Caracal." Now, they have uncovered a new Dark Caracal campaign
operating since March of 2022, with hundreds of infections across more
than a dozen countries. The report shows evidence that the cyber
mercenary group Dark Caracal is still active and continues to be
focused on Latin America. Dark Caracal, using the Bandook spyware, is
currently infecting over 700 computers in Central and South America,
primarily in The Dominican Republic and Venezuela.

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/02/uncle-sow-dark-caracal-latin-america

7. Workshop on Thoughtful Biometrics

There are many biometrics, ways to capture and measure them, and
places in a techno-social system they can be implemented. The
technology landscape is wide and the policy and issue landscape they
present is also vast. This is what the Thoughtful Biometrics Workshop
explores.

https://www.thoughtfulbiometrics.org/

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### Digital Rights Resources ###

1. Chat GPT is Everywhere. Here’s Where It Came From

OpenAI’s breakout hit was an overnight sensation—but it is built on
decades of research. The chatbot is the most polished iteration to
date in a line of large language models going back years. This is how
it got here.

https://www.technologyreview.com/2023/02/08/1068068/chatgpt-is-everywhere-heres-where-it-came-from

2. MoonMath Manual

You can now check out the updated version (v1.1.1) of the MoonMath
Manual to #zkSNARKs. The manual is a free resource for anyone
interested in understanding and unlocking the potential of
zero-knowledge proofs. It is designed to enable users to construct
zk-SNARKs using simple pen-and-paper computations. Throughout the
manual, users are encouraged to complete exercises that ensure they
engage with the foundational building blocks of zk-SNARKs.

https://leastauthority.com/community-matters/moonmath-manual/

3. Digital Capitalism is a Mine Note a Cloud

Big Tech seeks through abstractions of the ‘cloud’ to hide the
depletion of nature and the exploitation and surveillance of labor
that lies at the heart of its project to commodity data.

https://www.tni.org/en/article/digital-capitalism-is-a-mine-not-a-cloud

4. Explainer: Can You Get The Internet To Forget And Erase Your Personal Data?

The new Personal Data Protection bill extends the right to forget to
right to correction and erasure of personal data. But the powers it
gives to search engines are dangerous.

https://www.boomlive.in/explainers/india-right-to-forget-erasure-of-personal-data-google-tech-21032

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

1. Revealed: the Hacking and Disinformation Team Meddling in more than
30 Elections

A team of Israeli contractors who claim to have manipulated more than
30 elections around the world using hacking, sabotage and automated
disinformation on social media has been exposed in a new
investigation.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/feb/15/revealed-disinformation-team-jorge-claim-meddling-elections-tal-hanan

Forbidden Stories took an unprecedented dive into this world where
troll armies, cyber espionage and influencers are intertwined: “Jorge
- the contractors pseudonym - boasted of having used such tactics on
‘33 presidential campaigns, 27 of which were successful’.”

https://forbiddenstories.org/story-killers/team-jorge-disinformation/

2. Ecuador: Ola Bini Innocent Verdict Must Lead to Stronger Digital Rights

An Ecuadorian court has found Swedish digital rights, privacy and
human rights activist Ola Bini innocent, ending a long legal battle
and providing an opportunity for better safeguards for online freedoms
to be put in place in the country. ARTICLE 19 welcomes the decision
and urges the authorities to uphold the ruling and to not appeal
Bini’s acquittal.

https://www.article19.org/resources/ecuador-ola-bini-innocent-verdict-must-lead-to-stronger-digital-rights/

3. Apple Releases New Fix for iPhone Zero-day Exploit

Apple on Monday released a new version of the iPhone and iPad’s
operating systems to fix a vulnerability that hackers were exploiting
in the wild, meaning they were taking advantage of it to hack Apple
devices.

https://techcrunch.com/2023/02/13/apple-releases-new-fix-for-iphone-zero-day-exploited-by-hackers/

4. In Turkey, the State Resorts to Censorship Majeure

Rocked by a devastating earthquake on February 6, residents in Turkey
now also have to deal with censorship measures imposed by the state.
This time the authorities have avoided introducing a media gag order,
a practice often resorted to in times of crisis. Instead, there have
been plenty of direct and indirect threats, including by President
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, temporary throttling of Twitter and TikTok, as
well as detentions and criminal proceedings against social media
users. There are also reports of journalists being detained and
targeted for covering the wreckage.

https://globalvoices.org/2023/02/13/in-turkey-the-state-resorts-to-censorship-majeure/

TunnelBear has added users connecting from Turkey to their bandwidth
program. This means that anyone connecting from Turkey will have 10G
of data added to their account.

https://twitter.com/theTunnelBear/status/1623330512331763715

If you would like to support folks impacted by the earthquake, TCU has
compiled a list of places you can donate to, verified by trusted
community members, as well as non-monetary things you can do.

https://www.digitalrights.community/blog/how-you-can-support-folks-in-turkey-syria-and-neighboring-countries

5. Access Now Condemns Pakistan’s Wikipedia Shutdown

Human rights organization Access Now called upon Pakistan to “cease
its systematic control over online spaces” following a crackdown by
its government earlier this month on Wikipedia for content it deemed
“sacrilegious.”

https://cybernews.com/news/wikipedia-shutdown-pakistan-human-rights/

6. Ethiopia Clamps Down On Social Media Amid Protests

Facebook, Telegram and TikTok have been restricted in Ethiopia amid
protests over the split of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewhado Church.
According to Surfshark's Internet Shutdown Tracker, this is the 11th
government-imposed internet disruption in Ethiopia since 2015.

https://allafrica.com/stories/202302110006.html

7. India’s Government Wants Total Control of the Internet

The Modi administration keeps giving itself new powers, and Big Tech
keeps giving in.

https://www.wired.com/story/indias-government-wants-total-control-of-the-internet/

Surfshark’s Internet Censorship Tracker also found that residents in
Indian-administered Kashmir experienced more internet shutdowns and
restrictions than any other region in 2022, including Iran and Russia.
Kashmir has experienced restricted and blocked internet regularly
since 2019, when Indian authorities revoked the region’s special
autonomous status. Data from the Home Department of Jammu and Kashmir
show 49 internet suspension orders were issued last year.

https://www.voanews.com/a/kashmir-registers-highest-number-of-internet-restrictions-globally-/6958516.html

8. Instagram’s Sex Censorship Sweeps Up Educators, Adult Stars, and Sex Workers

Adult stars and sex workers say Instagram unfairly patrols their
accounts while letting celebrities dodge the same rules.

https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/internet/instagram-account-post-taken-down-sex-censorship-educators-adult-star-rcna58185

_________________________________________________

### 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

Open Source Software Sustainability Fund
February 20, 2023
https://www.opentech.fund/news/open-technology-fund-announces-free-and-open-source-software-sustainability-fund/

Digital Freedom Fund
Deadline: February 28, 2023
https://digitalfreedomfund.org/grants/

Fellowship
Global Investigative Journalism Conference
Deadline: February 28, 2023
https://gijc2023.org/fellowships/

Internet of Rights Fellowship
Article 19
Deadline: March 3, 2023
https://www.article19.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Call-for-Applications-2023-IoR-Fellowship.pdf

Digital Rights Research Grant
PrivacyCo
Deadline: Rolling
https://www.top10vpn.com/research-grant/

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 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/
_________________________________________________

### Events Calendar ###

Africa Meetup
8am EST / 1pm UTC
February 23, 2023
Online
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=February_23_2023,_Africa_Meetup

Glitter Meetup: Perú: The Digital Rights in the Country and in a
Social Demonstration Context
9am EST / 2pm UTC
February 23, 2023
Online
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=February_23_2023_GM

MENA Monthly Meetup
10am EST / 3pm UTC
February 28, 2023
Online
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=February_28_2023,_MENA_Meetup

Thoughtful Biometrics Workshop
March 16
Online
https://www.thoughtfulbiometrics.org/

DRIF23
April 12 to 14
Hybrid/Nairobi
https://whova.com/portal/registration/draif_202304/

RightsCon
Access Now
June 5 - 8, 2023
Hybrid
https://www.rightscon.org/attend/

7th Palestine Digital Activism Forum
7amleh
May 23-25, 2023
TBD
https://7amleh.org/2023/01/24/palestine-digital-activism-forum

The Global Gathering
Team CommUNITY
September 15-17
Portugal
https://www.digitalrights.community/blog/announcing-team-communitys-global-gathering

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

✎ Policy and Advocacy Manager - Africa | Access Now
+ Nairobi or Remote in the African Region
https://accessnow.bamboohr.com/careers/170?source=aWQ9MjA%3D

✎ Policy and Advocacy Manager - US | Access Now
+ Washington, DC, USA
https://accessnow.bamboohr.com/careers/166?source=aWQ9MjA%3D

✎ Event Volunteer Coordinator, Wikimania (Contract) | Wikimedia Foundation
+ Remote
https://grnh.se/b7fa48c21us

✎ Deputy Director of Advocacy | Freedom of the Press Foundation
+ Remote
https://grnh.se/d6dd93f25us

✎ Freelance Product Designer | Chayn
+ Remote
https://c.chayn.co/3RR871f

✎ Digital Sherlocks | Digital Forensic Research Lab
+ Remote
https://www.digitalsherlocks.org/360os-digitalsherlocks

✎ Program Manager | Sovereign Tech Fund
+ Berlin, Germany
https://sovereigntechfund.de/jobs

✎ Siegel Public Interest Technology Summer Fellowship | Princeton
University Center for Information Technology Policy
+ Washington DC, New York, Denver, San Francisco, Boston, Austin, USA
https://citp.princeton.edu/programs/public-interest-technology-summer-fellowship/

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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