Digital Rights Weekly | October 30 - November 3

Fri Nov 3 05:33:47 CET 2023

Hello Digital Rights Defenders!

Here is your weekly update on digital rights around the world for the
week of October 30 - November 3. As a reminder, you can submit your
news for the newsletter here:
https://www.digitalrights.community/weekly-newsletter

### Team CommUNITY (TCU) ###

1. The Regional Meetups Are Back in November!

The Regional Meetups will be starting back up in November. This is a
great opportunity to share, connect and support others. Check out the
dates below:

November 16 | Asia Regional Meetup:
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=November_16_2023,_Asia_Meetup

November 22 | LATAM Regional Meetup:
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=22_de_Noviembre,_2023_LATAM

November 23 | MENA Regional Meetup:
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=November_23_2023,_MENA_Meetup

November 23 | Africa Regional Meetup:
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=November_23_2023,_Africa_Meetup

2. November 21, "Getting to Know our Stress & Anxiety":

RSVP for the next "The Wellbeing Monthly", a monthly free virtual
educational workshop series led by diverse mental health
professionals.

https://digitalrights.formstack.com/forms/wellbeingmonthly5

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### Digital Rights in the Community ###

1. Staying Safe Online in the Context of Conflict in Gaza

Amist Israel’s escalating aggression on Palestinians, it is becoming
harder and harder for people in Gaza to share their stories with the
world. SMEX and Access Now have compiled a guide for people facing
repressive tactics, both in person and online, for speaking out on
these issues, with special attention focused on human rights
defenders, journalists, and activists.

https://www.accessnow.org/guide/staying-safe-online-in-the-context-of-conflict-in-gaza/

2. CRD Seeking Consultants to Conduct a Training of Trainers Programme
in Digital Security

Civil Rights Defenders is looking for an experienced security trainer
in Ethiopia to conduct a digital security training of trainers.
Applications open until November 15.

https://crd.org/2023/10/30/seeking-consultants-to-conduct-a-training-of-trainers-programme-in-digital-security/

3. Postdoctoral Fellows: Digital Technology for Democracy Lab Opens Applications

The Karsh Institute of Democracy at the University of Virginia invites
applications for postdoctoral fellows who will be part of the Digital
Technology for Democracy Lab. These two-year fellowships will begin in
August of 2024 and run through August 2026. Review the link below:

https://uva.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/UVAJobs/job/Charlottesville-VA/Postdoctoral-Fellows---Digital-Technology-for-Democracy-Lab_R0053934?source=uva_jobs

4. In the US, Young People May Be The Biggest Target for Online
Censorship and Surveillance

Over the last year, state and federal legislatures have tried to
pass—and in some cases succeeded in passing—legislation that bars
young people from digital spaces, censors what they are allowed to see
and share online, and monitors and controls when and how they can do
it. Check out this piece from EFF on what needs to happen to fight
back, and how young people can take their rights online when they
fight back.

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/10/young-people-may-be-biggest-target-online-censorship-and-surveillance-and

5. Reports from the Community:

a)  7amleh briefing: The Palestinian Digital Rights Situation Since
October 7th, 2023

7amleh - The Arab Center for the Advancement of Social Media, has
published a comprehensive briefing on “The Palestinian Digital Rights
Situation Since October 7th, 2023”. The briefing provides insight into
alarming violations documented by 7amleh, emphasizing the urgent need
for action from tech companies and international duty-bearers.

https://7amleh.org/2023/11/01/briefing-on-the-palestinian-digital-rights-situation-since-october-7th-2023

b) A Thousand Cassandras

In a new report supported by Open Society Foundations, some of the
most prescient minds of our time were asked about how digital human
rights advocates can better predict the future. They found that they
in fact do but are often ignored. The success at futuring comes from a
capacity to understand the past and analyze the present.

https://internet.exchangepoint.tech/a-thousand-cassandras

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### Digital Rights Resources ###

1. Scams are Targeting Teenager: How to Keep Your Kids Safe

Scammers are targeting teenagers using everything from low-level
phishing attempts to devastating blackmail scams. Here’s how to
identify some of the common scams children might run into, and talk to
them before they encounter them.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/10/30/teens-scams-parents/

2. Eaten by the Internet: Putting Internet Infrastructure Power on Your Radar

To understand power in the contemporary tech industry, we must look
closely at the Internet’s often-invisible infrastructure. This sizable
domain, from material components such as cell antennas, clouds, chips,
data servers, and satellites to less tangible but equally crucial
standards and software components, including the operating systems,
browsers and computing power that enables connectivity, rarely
attracts attention unless something breaks down.

https://techpolicy.press/eaten-by-the-internet-putting-internet-infrastructure-power-on-your-radar/

_________________________________________________

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

1. Israeli Restrictions Leave Palestinians Facing Digital Divide

The communication blackout in Gaza this weekend, as a result of
Israel's heaviest bombardment to-date of the 2.3 million person
enclave, is not the start of Gaza’s connectivity crisis. For years
Palestinians have had to rely on slower networks: People in the West
Bank are only able to use 3G mobile services, while those in Gaza only
get 2G, which is considerably slower and often more vulnerable to
security attacks due to weaker encryption. Meanwhile, Israel is
upgrading from 4G to 5G.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/oct/30/israeli-restrictions-leave-palestinians-facing-digital-divide

Check out examples of how the Internet disruptions caused additional
problems over the weekend as a result of expanded Israeli ground and
air assault:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/10/30/how-internet-disruptions-caused-problems-gaza-over-weekend/

While the Internet access in Gaza was partially restored after the
blackout., it was then cut off again for the second time in five days.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/11/1/israel-imposes-communication-blackout-on-gaza-second-time-in-five-days

Additionally, while shadowbanning is not a new issue for
pro-Palestinian users, a new surge of concern has risen that social
media companies are suppressing pro-Palestine content during this
critical time. This has led users to rely on "Algospeak," an evasion
tactic where users create new words to use in place of keywords that
may get picked up by AI-powered filters.

https://www.vox.com/technology/23933846/shadowbanning-meta-israel-hamas-war-palestine

2. The UN's Secretary-General Announces Creation of New Artificial
Intelligence Advisory Board

The UN’s Secretary-General announced the creation of a new Artificial
Intelligence Advisory Body on risks, opportunities and international
governance of artificial intelligence. That body will support the
international community’s efforts to govern artificial intelligence.

https://press.un.org/en/2023/sga2236.doc.htm

3. ‘State-Sponsored’ Attacks on Phones of India Opposition leaders, says Apple

Tech giant warns several prominent politicians and journalists their
devices were likely compromised by ‘state-sponsored attackers’.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/31/state-sponsored-attacks-on-phones-of-india-opposition-leaders-says-apple

4. Hundreds of Millions of Australian Identity Checks May have been
Illegally Conducted

Identity verification services are used by government departments and
businesses – such as credit card providers and power companies – to
combat fraud and identity theft. Not surprisingly, privacy experts are
concerned that hundreds of millions of identity checks under the
federal government’s ID verification service may have been illegally
conducted. The government is rushing through laws to underpin the ID
verification service given that they have been operating without a
legislative framework.

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/oct/31/hundreds-of-millions-of-australian-identity-checks-may-have-been-illegally-conducted-senate-hears

5. How the UK’s Emphasis on Apocalyptic AI Risk Helps Business

Experts say focus of the UK’s global AI summit on ‘frontier AI’
distracts from regulation of existing ills of technology.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/oct/31/uk-ai-summit-tech-regulation

ARTICLE 19 joined other civil society organizations and labor groups
in signing an open letter to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak criticizing
the UK government’s AI Safety Summit, which excludes the communities
and workers most affected by artificial intelligence. Read the letter
below:

https://www.article19.org/resources/uk-ai-safety-summit-excludes-crucial-voices/

5. NGOs Urge EU Commission to Include Porn Websites in the ‘Systemic Risk’ Club

Several civil society organizations have urged the European Commission
to designate major porn websites as “very large online platforms” that
have to follow a strict regime under the Digital Services Act (DSA).

https://www.euractiv.com/section/platforms/news/ngos-urge-eu-commission-to-include-porn-websites-in-the-systemic-risk-club/

6. This is How AI Generators See the World

Artificial intelligence image tools have a tendency to spin up
disturbing clichés: Asian women are hypersexual. Africans are
primitive. Europeans are worldly. Leaders are men. Prisoners are
Black. See inside the stereotyping machines pushing American bias
across the internet:

https://wapo.st/3SmaWd2

_________________________________________________

### 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

The Green Screen
Catalyst Fund
Deadline: November 15, 2023
https://greenscreen.network/en/catalyst-fund/

Commonwealth Africa Cyber Fellowships
Deadline: December 10, 2023
https://thecommonwealth.org/news/applications-open-commonwealth-africa-cyber-fellowships

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 ###

Collective Redress – Lessons from Around the Globe
Digital Freedom Fund
October 11 - November 22
Online
https://digitalfreedomfund.org/collective-redress-lessons-from-around-the-globe/

Building Trans-national Cooperatives to Advance Public Interest Technologies
Team CommUNITY
November 9, 2023
9am EDT / 2pm UTC
Online
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=November_9_2023_GM

Asia Regional Meetup
Team CommUNITY
November 16, 2023
5:30pm IST/ 6:30pm MMT / 7am EDT / 12pm UTC
Online
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=November_16_2023,_Asia_Meetup

What Is Happening in Digital Rights Around the World?
Team CommUNITY
November 16, 2023
9am EDT / 2pm UTC
Online
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=November_16_2023_GM

The Wellbeing Monthly: Getting to Know our Stress & Anxiety
Team CommUNITY
November 21, 2023
9am EDT / 1pm UTC
Online
https://digitalrights.formstack.com/forms/wellbeingmonthly5

LATAM Regional Meetup
Team CommUNITY
November 22, 2023
5:30pm EDT / 10:30pm UTC
Online
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=22_de_Noviembre,_2023_LATAM

Africa Regional Meetup
Team CommUNITY
November 23, 2023
10am EDT / 3pm UTC
Online
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=November_23_2023,_Africa_Meetup

MENA Regional Meetup
Team CommUNITY
November 23, 2023
12pm EDT / 5pm UTC
Online
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=November_23_2023,_MENA_Meetup

Preparing for the 2024 Election and Addressing Surveillance and
Censorship in Tanzania
Team CommUNITY
November 30, 2023
9am EST / 2pm UTC
Online
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=November_30_2023_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

✎ Frontend Developer | Meedan
+ Remote
http://meedan.bamboohr.com/careers/49?source=aWQ9MjU%3D

✎ Technical Program Manager (Contract) | Wikimedia Foundation
+ Remote
https://grnh.se/32869acb1us

✎ Communications Coordinator | Eticas
+ Remote in USA
http://eticastech.sharepoint.com/:b:/s/Intranet/EeG0jENXEEJElE4Ycv65WG8BjdLBEjDkvRTOtrMhuuYUqQ?e=nPkpEU

✎ Full-stack Developer | Eticas
+ Remote
http://eticastech.sharepoint.com/:b:/s/Intranet/EUjxHg6qHW9HgAnqUCmgbJoBW7Ni1aQk4TWq4e5BJMlumg?e=b4nin6

✎ Co-Executive Director | The Engine Room
+ Remote
https://www.theengineroom.org/job-posting-co-executive-director-for-the-engine-room/

✎ Managing Director | Mailvelope
+ Remote
https://mailvelope.com/en/careers

✎ Specialist, Global Compensation and People Analytics (Contract) |
Wikimedia Foundation
+ Remote
https://grnh.se/bea873fb1us

✎ Strategy & Administration Specialist - Talent & Culture | Wikimedia Foundation
+ Remote
https://grnh.se/17f37f221us

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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They can sign up here:
https://www.digitalrights.community/weekly-newsletter

### 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
Organizers of the Global Gathering
PGP: 2E1D CC33 A362 0BD6 236E  540A F60A 89AD 6FF9 7A2F

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