Digital Rights Weekly | March 27 - 31

[Team CommUNITY]

Hello Digital Rights Defenders!

Here is your weekly update on digital rights around the world for the
week of March 27 - 31. As a reminder, you can submit your news for the
newsletter here: https://www.digitalrights.community/weekly-newsletter

### Team CommUNITY (TCU) ###

1. Calling all IF Projects: Strut Your Stuff!

We are looking for Internet Freedom and digital rights projects that
want to showcase their amazing work during the Global Gathering. The
new venue has permanent booths, all of which come with electricity
(and even some with water). If you want your project to have a “home”
during the GG, reach out to us! Projects who have already signed up
include The Tor Project, Calyx Institute and Greenhost, with many
others on the way.

If you have questions, or want to see pictures of the booths before
you sign up, send us an email! We would love to hear from you. Signup
here:

https://digitalrights.formstack.com/forms/project_expo


2. Apply for the Feira @ the Global Gathering before April 7!

Join us at the Feira @ the Global Gathering, a three day social and
networking festival for digital rights defenders, hosted in an idyllic
outdoor space in Estoril, Portugal. Feira attendees can expect to
recharge and reconnect alongside self-organized meetups and
discussions, food, music, local vendors and a splash of glitter and
face paint. Apply before April 7!

https://www.digitalrights.community/blog/apply-feira-global-gathering



3. Interested in VPN Ecosystem? Check out our NEW blog post -
Conclusions and Opportunities from the 2022 VPN Community Initiative

We are happy to share a blog post overviewing the 2022 VPN Community
Initiative and a series of processes that allowed us to map challenges
and steps forward to develop the VPN ecosystem. You will read detailed
findings in areas like VPN Industry Standards, Circumvention, VPN
Privacy, Security, and User Education and needs, among others. This is
an open conversation between providers, researchers, developers, and
users, and we are going to keep fostering it. Stay tuned for the next
updates!

https://www.digitalrights.community/blog/conclusions-and-opportunities-2022-vpn-community-initiative


4. March NEW Regional Briefs are out!

Every month, our Community Leads from Africa, Asia, Latin America, and
MENA, bring critical information about digital justice issues around
the globe, current opportunities for digital rights defenders,
community news, regional developments, and more!

Our Asia community lead, Astha, is bringing an interesting viewpoint
on internet shutdowns and their economic impact both for small and
medium businesses as well as big investments. Mardiya, from Africa, is
sharing the exciting case of the Zenzeleni Mankosi Cooperative, a
community network provider that caters to rural South African
communities. In Latin America, López Obrador, the Mexican president,
claims that secret surveillance perpetrated by the army is “research
and not espionage”, and in the MENA region there is a transversal
situation of currency devaluation and a growing concern about digital
financial insecurity.

https://www.digitalrights.community/blog/regionalbriefsmarch2023

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### Digital Rights in the Community ###


1. Applications to the Sovereign Tech Fund are Open

The Sovereign Tech Fund invests in the development, improvement and
maintenance of open digital base technologies worldwide. The fund only
supports technologies with societal relevance, for example,
technologies from which a broad public benefits or on which
particularly vulnerable groups depend. The public interest in these
technologies is not measured solely by the number of users, but also
by their criticality in particularly important areas of society. The
goal of funding is the self-determined use of digital technologies, as
well as security, stability and (technological) diversity.

Applications can be submitted on an ongoing basis.

https://sovereigntechfund.de/en/applications/


2. 2024 Bellagio Center Residency Program is Now Open

The Rockefeller Foundation has a fully-funded residency in Lake Como
giving “academics, artists, policymakers, and practitioners an
opportunity to unlock their creativity.” They are currently accepting
applications for the 2024 Bellagio Center Residency Program. Apply
today for their General Open Call, Reinventing Capitalism, Promoting
Well-being, or Addressing Climate Change. Applicants must register to
apply by April 26, 2023.

https://www.rockefellerfoundation.org/bellagio-center/residency-program/?utm\_source=linkedI\[


3. Pollicy is Hiring a New Executive Director

Pollicy is on the lookout for a passionate, experienced, and visionary
feminist Executive Director to spearhead our team and drive the
organization's growth in Uganda, Africa, and beyond. If you're eager
to make a difference and possess the skills and experience to lead the
organization into the future, Pollicy invites you to explore the
opportunity further.

For more information on the role and how to apply, please click here:
https://pollicy.org/events/were-hiring-executive-director-of-pollicy/


4. New Reports from Our Community!

a) IMS’s Report on “Public Interest Infrastructure”

IMS (International Media Support) launched the report "Public interest
infrastructure: digital alternatives in our data-driven world and
journalism’s role in getting there". The report examines why digital
infrastructures are crucial to the work and survival of independent
media and why the current infrastructures are a serious threat to
press freedom, access to information and democracy. Finally, the
report rounds off with a list of recommendations to catalyze the
ambitious work towards the vision of public interest infrastructure.

https://www.mediasupport.org/publication/public-interest-infrastructure/


b) 7amleh’s 2022 Racism & Incitement Index

7amleh - The Arab Center for the Advancement of Social Media,
published the results of the index of racism and incitement in public
conversations published in Hebrew on the Internet during the year
2022. The year 2022 witnessed a significant increase in the volume of
violent speech directed at the Arab and Palestinian communities, as
violent speech increased by 10% compared to 2021, and the number of
violent publications published through networks in the Hebrew language
reached 685 thousand conversations, compared to 620 thousand violent
publications during the year 2021.

https://7amleh.org/2023/03/28/index-of-racism-and-incitement-2022-7amleh-monitored-685-thousand-racist-and-inciting-speeches-in-the-hebrew-language


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### Digital Rights Resources ###

1. Radiotopia Presents: Bot Love and bots’ role in people’s mental health.

Radiotopia Presents: Bot Love brings us into communities of people who
create deep bonds with their AI companions — and what this means for
the rest of us. Hosts and reporters Anna Oakes and Diego Senior
explore the nature of love, the fabric of human relationships, and the
role that AI-driven chatbots — and the private companies that provide
them — can play in people’s mental health.

https://www.radiotopia.fm/podcasts/bot-love


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

1. Bangladeshi Journalist Arrested Under Disputed Digital Law

Police in Bangladesh have arrested a journalist for an influential
newspaper on charges of spreading false news under the contentious
Digital Security Act.

https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/bangladeshi-journalist-arrested-disputed-digital-law-98209517


2. Twitter Widens Its Censorship of Modi’s Critics

Last week, the Indian government imposed an internet blackout across
the northern state of Punjab, home to 30 million people, as it
conducted a manhunt for a local Sikh nationalist leader, Amritpal
Singh. The shutdown paralyzed internet and SMS communications in
Punjab (some Indian users told The Intercept that the shutdown was
targeted at mobile devices).

While Punjab police detained hundreds of suspected followers of Singh,
Twitter accounts from over 100 prominent politicians, activists, and
journalists in India and abroad have been blocked in India at the
request of the government.

https://theintercept.com/2023/03/28/twitter-modi-india-punjab-amritpal-singh/


3. Privacy First: Ugandan Court Hears Civil Society’s Human Rights
Warnings on Digital Identity System

The High Court of Uganda at Kampala must put human rights at the core
of any decisions on the country’s digital ID system, Ndaga Muntu — a
scheme mandatory for accessing core socio-economic services that
millions of people cannot live without.

https://www.accessnow.org/press-release/uganda-digital-identity-system-human-rights-warnings/


4. Exposing Hidden Realities: How Media Censorship Helps Iran’s Regime

In tandem with the societal change that happened as a result of the
massive protests in Iran, the Iranian people continue to face ruthless
and rampant information warfare, creating obstacles to democratic
change. One of the disinformation and censorship campaigns is led by
the regime and foreign-backed Persian language outlets and media that
are run by currents that do not seek regime change.

https://irannewsupdate.com/news/infightings/exposing-hidden-realities-how-media-censorship-helps-irans-regime/


5. Amnesty International Uncovers New Hacking Campaign Linked to
Mercenary Spyware Company

Amnesty International is not naming the company while the Security Lab
continues to track and investigate its activity. However, the attack
showed all the hallmarks of an advanced spyware campaign developed by
a commercial cyber-surveillance company and sold to governments
hackers to carry out targeted spyware attacks.

https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2023/03/new-android-hacking-campaign-linked-to-mercenary-spyware-company/


6. The 'Insanely Broad' USA’s Restrict Act Could Ban Much More Than Just TikTok

The Restrict Act, a proposed piece of legislation which provides one
way the USA government might ban TikTok, contains “insanely broad”
language and could lead to other apps or communications services with
connections to foreign countries being banned in the U.S., multiple
digital rights experts told Motherboard. The bill could have
implications not just for social networks, but potentially security
tools such as virtual private networks (VPNs) that consumers use to
encrypt and route their traffic.

https://www.vice.com/en/article/4a3ddb/restrict-act-insanely-broad-ban-tiktok-vpns

Free expression organization PEN America released a letter signed by
more than a dozen other civil liberties, digital rights, and
anti-censorship organizations opposing federal legislation and
proposals that seek to impose a wholesale ban on social media platform
TikTok in the United States.

The letter lays out how a nationwide ban on TikTok would have serious
consequences for free expression in the digital sphere and set a
dangerous precedent for the restriction of speech in a time of
increased global censorship of internet users.

https://pen.org/press-release/pen-america-with-other-free-speech-organizations-sends-letter-to-congress-opposing-proposed-national-tiktok-ban/


7. No to spyware: Biden administration bars U.S. federal government
from using rights-abusing tech

On March 27, President Biden issued an executive order barring
operational use of foreign or domestic commercial spyware by all U.S.
federal agencies, unless they meet stringent requirements.

https://www.accessnow.org/press-release/no-to-spyware-us/


8. Robot Recruiters: Can Bias be Banished from AI Hiring?

A third of Australian companies rely on artificial intelligence to
help them hire the right person. But studies show it’s not always a
benign intermediary.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/mar/27/robot-recruiters-can-bias-be-banished-from-ai-recruitment-hiring-artificial-intelligence


9. Microsoft Security Copilot is a New GPT-4 AI Assistant for Cybersecurity

Microsoft is gradually building AI copilots for everything. The latest
one is for security professionals.

https://www.theverge.com/2023/3/28/23659711/microsoft-security-copilot-gpt-4-ai-tool-features


10. Stanford’s Dark Hand in Twitter Censorship

The two latest “Twitter Files” drops revealed that Stanford played a
direct role in Twitter’s gross violation of online free speech. Emails
revealed that the Stanford Internet Observatory (SIO) actively
collaborated with Twitter to suppress information they knew was
factually true. The investigation revealed that Stanford’s Virality
Project “recommends that multiple platforms take action even against
‘stories of true vaccine side effects’ and ‘true posts which could
fuel hesitancy.’”

https://stanfordreview.org/stanfords-dark-hand-in-twitter-censorship/


11. Opinion: New EU Telecom Rules Will Leave Everyone Worse Off

Proposed regulations are on the cards, which threaten to fragment the
Internet, undermine net neutrality and leave European users bearing
the costs.

https://www.politico.eu/article/new-eu-telecom-rules-will-leave-everyone-worse-off-internet-network/


12. Opinion: National Security is Teaching the US to Love Tech Controls

America once shied away from ‘the r-word’ but tech now faces a
regulation revolution

https://www.ft.com/content/bb2734ed-7a86-4cb1-8c0d-7cbcd62835c0?sharetype=blocked
(paywall)

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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


Omidyar Network
Responsible Technology Youth Power Fund
Deadline: April 1, 2023
https://www.rtyouthpower.org/apply-now

Ford Foundation
Dignity and Justice Fund
Spyware Accountability Initiative
Deadline: April 16, 2023
https://fordfoundation.forms.fm/spyware-accountability-initiative-spring-2023-request-for-concept-notes/forms/9600

Digital Good Network
Digital Good Research Fund
Deadline: April 28, 2023
https://digitalgood.net

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 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 ###

Glitter Meetup: No Minor Futures - Fairer Digital Societies with and for Youth
April 6, 2023
9am EDT / 1pm UTC
Online
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=April_6_2023_GM

DRIF23
April 12 to 14, 2023
Hybrid/Nairobi
https://whova.com/portal/registration/draif_202304/

Glitter Meetup: Understanding (ALPR) as a form of algorithmic surveillance
April 13, 2023
9am EDT / 1pm UTC
Online
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=April_13_2023_GM

LATAM Monthly Meetup
April 19, 2023
6:30pm EDT / 10:30pm UTC
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=19_de_Abril,_2023_LATAM

Glitter Meetup: Ecuador - The Digital Rights Challenges in the Country
and Ola Bini's Case
April 20, 2023
9am EDT / 1pm UTC
Online
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=April_20_2023_GM

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

Advocacy Evaluation Workshop
Center for Victims of Torture
May 29 - June 1, 2023
Mexico City
https://www.newtactics.org/e2a-upcoming-training-opportunities

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

North American School of Internet Governance
June 10 - 11, 2023
Washington DC, USA
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdST3GSV-nNF-8j7H9hO9ZDCaWMHJylM-oo9Z1VSpzUORhoig/viewform

Oxford Media Policy Summer Institute
July 31 - August 11, 2023
Oxford, USA
http://pcmlp.socleg.ox.ac.uk/oxford-media-policy-summer-institute-2023/

Freedom Not Fear
September 1- 4, 2023
Brussels
https://freedomnotfear.org

The Global Gathering
Team CommUNITY
September 15-17, 2023
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

✎ Executive Director | Pollicy
+ East Africa, Uganda preferred
https://pollicy.org/events/were-hiring-executive-director-of-pollicy/

✎ Communications and Media Officer | Access Now
+ Multiple Global Locations
https://accessnow.bamboohr.com/careers/176?source=aWQ9MjA%3D

✎ Communications and Digital Engagement Officer | Access Now
+ Multiple Global Locations
https://accessnow.bamboohr.com/careers/176?source=aWQ9MjA%3D

✎ Mexico: Digital Security Specialist, Multi-Regional PMU | Internews Network
+ Remote
https://phf.tbe.taleo.net/phf04/ats/careers/v2/viewRequisition?org=INTERNEWS&cws=38&rid=2006

✎ Frontend Web Developer | Butterfy
+ Remote
https://uploads-ssl.webflow.com/5fe2721ea6fb441f47d88866/641db634f51e4265ae0e68b4_Butterfy%20Job_Frontend%20Dev_Mar%202023.pdf

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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