Digital Rights Weekly | January 16 - 20

[Team CommUNITY]

Hello Digital Rights Defenders!

Here is your weekly update on digital rights around the world for the
week of January 16 - 20. As a reminder, you can submit your news for
the newsletter here:
https://www.digitalrights.community/weekly-newsletter

### Digital Rights in the Community ###

1. Amnesty Tech Evidence Lab's Recent GM on Jan 12

Folks from Amnesty's Evidence Lab joined TCU on June 12, where they
shared info on open source intelligence or research methodologies,
also referred to as OSINT.  Read about how to get started in the field
and recommendations for free/libre tools the team uses. Glitter
Meetups happen every Thursday at 2pm UTC.

https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=January_12_2023_GM

2. “Destiny” Secure File Transfer Now Available for Download

"Destiny" is a secure and open source file transfer application that
allows people to transfer files without needing to reveal their
identity to each other or the service provider. It was developed for
and with Human Rights Organizations (HROs) as a free Privacy Enhancing
Technology (PET) alternative which does not collect personal
identifying information for file transfer. Funding for the project was
made possible by a grant. It's available for free as a mobile app on
Android (Google Play and F-Droid) as well as a desktop app for Mac,
Windows, and Linux (available on GitHub).

https://leastauthority.com/community-matters/destiny/


3. New Citizen Lab Report: You Move, They Follow. Uncovering Iran’s
Mobile Legal Intercept System

CitizenLab analyzed a series of internal documents shared by the
Intercept - including emails sent by Iranian representatives to
companies - detailing the development and launch of an Iranian mobile
network. The technical detail included in the documents sheds new
light into the level of sophistication Iranian authorities sought to
use to conduct surveillance operations and control access to mobile
information and communications.   Read their summary findings and the
wider implications of this tactic here:

https://citizenlab.ca/2023/01/uncovering-irans-mobile-legal-intercept-system/


4. Call for the Release of Two Saudi Wikipedians

Access Now, ALQST for Human Rights, ARTICLE 19, Global Voices (GV),
the Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) and IFEX call for the
immediate release of two Saudi doctors and internet activists arrested
in 2020 for their online activism. One of them, Osama Khalid, has been
sentenced to more than 30 years in prison. Osama Khalid and Ziad
Al-Sufyani, two young doctors known for their contribution to
Wikipedia posts in Arabic, have been sentenced to prison in Saudi
Arabia.

https://www.gc4hr.org/news/view/3188


5. Jailed Belarusian Website Editor “Keeps Hope Alive” Behind Bars

Imprisoned Belarusian journalist Maryna Zolatava, the editor of her
country’s leading independent media outlet, TUT.BY, has not given up
hope although the authorities have branded her as a “terrorist” and
she is facing more than ten years in prison in a trial that began on 9
January. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemns this travesty of
justice and calls for the release of this emblematic figure of
journalism.

https://rsf.org/en/now-trial-jailed-belarusian-website-editor-keeps-hope-alive-behind-bars

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### Digital Rights Resources ###

1. The 10 Scariest Future Tech Trends, According to Forbes

There is some incredible emerging tech on the horizon for 2023, but
there are also some dangerous and worrying advances that could have
significant implications globally.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2023/01/16/the-10-scariest-future-tech-trends-everyone-must-know-about-right-now/?sh=3dd3237c7b75

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

1. Digital Rights Ireland Appeal on Facebook Data Leak Case

Digital Rights Ireland takes DPC to Court Over Facebook’s 530 Million
Users’ Data Leak
Digital Rights Ireland is appealing against the Irish Data Protection
Commission’s decision that the leaking of over 110 million EU-based
Facebook users’ details was “not a data breach within the definition
of Article 4(12)” of the GDPR to the Irish Circuit Court.

https://www.digitalrights.ie/dri-takes-dpc-to-court-over-facebook-data-leak/


2. UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak Faces Rebellion Over Accountability
of Executives

UK prime minister Rishi Sunak is facing rebellion over the Online
Safety Bill, with 36 Conservative MPs calling for social media bosses
to be jailed if their platforms publish harmful content. In an
amendment to the bill which is also supported by Labour,
communications watchdog Ofcom would be given the power to prosecute
individual executives at social media companies that are found to have
breached the law. They could face up to two years in prison if found
to have failed to protect children from harm on their platforms, for
example by publishing content promoting self-harm, showing sexual
violence or facilitating suicide.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/emmawoollacott/2023/01/13/rishi-sunak-faces-rebellion-over-accountability-of-tech-executives/?sh=6707d211523e


3. How the Whatsapp & Instagram Blackout is Impact Millions of Iranians

The Iranian government shut down Instagram and WhatsApp and
drastically reduced internet speed on September 21 in response to
nationwide protests. This has not only greatly restricted Iranians'
access to information but it has also limited millions of Iranians'
business activities. Three of France24 Observers explain how these
restrictions have affected their daily lives and how they are still
managing, sometimes, to get around them.

https://observers.france24.com/en/middle-east/20230116-instagram-whatsapp-internet-blackout-iran-protests


4. Iranian Citizens Aave Also Been Targeted by EyeSpy Spyware hHdden in VPNs.

SecondEye, which was developed in Iran, is marketed as a parenting or
employee surveillance tool but has been converted into spyware called
EyeSpy. The malware is deployed hidden in free VPN packages, which
have increased in popularity since the Iranian government’s digital
blackout, which has left citizens without access to the internet
during the recent civil unrest. Once the spyware has been downloaded,
the victim has effectively enabled round-the-clock digital
surveillance on their device.

https://techmonitor.ai/technology/cybersecurity/eyespy-spyware-iran-vpn


5. Israel’s Cognyte Won Tender to Sell Intercept Spyware to Myanmar Before Coup

According to documents reviewed by Reuters, Israel's Cognyte Software
Ltd won a tender to sell intercept spyware to a Myanmar state-backed
telecommunications firm a month before the Asian nation's February
2021 military coup. The deal was made even though Israel has claimed
it stopped defense technology transfers to Myanmar following a 2017
ruling by Israel's Supreme Court.

https://www.reuters.com/technology/israels-cognyte-won-tender-sell-intercept-spyware-myanmar-before-coup-documents-2023-01-15/


6. France Plots Surveillance Power Grab for Paris 2024 Olympics

France is seeking to massively expand its arsenal of surveillance
powers and tools to secure the millions of tourists expected for the
2024 Paris Summer Olympics. Among the plans are large-scale, real-time
camera systems supported by an algorithm to spot suspicious behavior,
including unsupervised luggage and alarming crowd movements like
stampedes.

https://www.politico.eu/article/paris-2024-olympic-games-raise-surveillance-fears-camera-facial-recognition/


7. OpenAI Used Kenyan Workers on Less Than $2 Per Hour

ChatGPT was hailed as one of 2022’s most impressive technological
innovations upon its release last November. The powerful artificial
intelligence (AI) chatbot can generate text on almost any topic or
theme.

In an attempt to make ChatGPT less toxic, a Time Investigation Found
that OpenAI used outsourced Kenyan laborers earning less than $2 per
hour.  OpenAI’s outsourcing partner in Kenya was Sama, a San
Francisco-based firm that employs workers in Kenya, Uganda and India
to label data for Silicon Valley clients like Google, Meta and
Microsoft. Sama markets itself as an “ethical AI” company and claims
to have helped lift more than 50,000 people out of poverty.

https://time.com/6247678/openai-chatgpt-kenya-workers/

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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

PhD Scholarships in Digital Governance
The Hertie School
January 31, 2023
https://www.hertie-school.org/en/digital-governance/about/opportunities/phd-scholarships-in-digital-governance

NLnet
Deadline: February 1, 2023
https://nlnet.nl/news/2022/20221201-call.html

Alliance for Gender Equality in Europe
Deadline: February 12, 2023
https://alliance-genderequality.org/

Information Controls Fellowship Program (ICFP)
Deadline: February 20, 2023
https://www.opentech.fund/funds/icfp/

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

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/

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/

Secure Usability and Accessibility Lab
Open Tech Fund
Deadline: Rolling
https://www.opentech.fund/labs/sua-lab/
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### Events Calendar ###

MENA Monthly Meetup
January 25, 2023
Online
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=January_25_2023,_MENA_Meetup

Privacy Camp 2023
25 January, 2023
Brussels & Online
https://privacycamp.eu/

Africa Monthly Meetup
8am EST / 1pm UTC
January 26th, 2023
Online
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=January_26_2023,_Africa_Meetup

How to use the world’s largest online library of secrets
Glitter Meetup
9am EST / 2pm uTC
January 26th, 2023
Online
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=January_26_2023_GM

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

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

✎ Human Resources Manager | Tactical Tech
+ Remote/Berlin
https://tacticaltech.org/news/job-HR-Manager

✎ (Senior) Technical Researcher: Digital Society, Rights, and Governance | DAI
+ Kazakhstan (remote)
https://phf.tbe.taleo.net/phf04/ats/careers/v2/viewRequisition?org=DAINC&cws=48&rid=7589

✎ Research Lead | Invest in Open Infrastructure
+ Remote
https://investinopen.org/jobs/

✎ Director of Digital Innovation & Impact | Not For Profit People,
Consumers International
+ Remote
http://careers.nfp-people.co.uk/job/director-of-digital-innovation-impact-707

✎ Administrator | Chayn
+ Remote
https://chayn.notion.site/Administrator-e688781f23d145738a1672c6a7d78350

✎ Policy Analyst (East Asia) | Access Now
+ Singapore, Taiwan, or other cities in East or Southeast Asia
https://accessnow.bamboohr.com/careers/163?source=aWQ9MTc%3D

✎ PR & Outreach Manager | AW AlgorithmWatch gGmbH
+ Berlin, Germany
https://algorithmwatch.org/en/job-pr-outreach-manager-2023/

✎ Project Lead “Auditing Platforms for Systemic Risks” | AW AlgorithmWatch gGmbH
+ Berlin, Germany
https://algorithmwatch.org/en/job-project-lead-auditing-platforms-for-systemic-risks/

✎ Sales Internship | Tremau
+ Remote
https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/3431619833

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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