Digital Rights Weekly | November 13 - 17

Mon Nov 20 16:18:56 CET 2023

Hello Digital Rights Defenders!

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

### Team CommUNITY (TCU) ###

1. RSVP for the 2023 VPN Village: Happening in November and December!

We are excited to announce the 2023 VPN Village, a two-week virtual
series focused on VPN user education, and exploring legal, technical
and product development challenges. The Village will feature various
sessions that will take place between November and December. In coming
weeks we will be adding more sessions, but check out what has already
been secured. Also, make sure to RSVP soon!
https://www.digitalrights.community/blog/vpn-village-2023

2. The Regional Meetups Are Back in November!

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

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

3. 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. Open Call: Sustaining Defenders Through Feminist Holistic Security

The Association for Progressive Communications (APC) is pleased to
announce an open call for subgrants to support women human rights
defenders (WHRDs) in their work to promote safety and prevention and
protect human rights advocates. These grants are designed to support
WHRDs in developing and implementing holistic safety strategies,
including training, research, advocacy and lobbying. Deadline: 24
November, 2023

https://www.apc.org/en/node/39015/

2. Next Lingua Café Chat on November 22!

Join Rama Salahat from 7amleh and others, to discuss language
inclusion, Artificial Intelligence/Algorithms, and people with
disabilities campaigning to end colonialism in Palestine. 7amleh
recently launched the Violence Indicator online, an AI-powered tool
monitoring hate-speech across digital platforms in real time.

Wednesday, November 22nd at 11.30 EST / 16.30 UTC.
Facilitators: Shaimaa, Thalia, Erin and Sole
Where: Lingua Cafe Channel on TCU Mattermost

https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=Lingua_Cafe,_November_22,_2023

3. Reports from Our Community

a) Engage Media: Biometric & Digital Identification System

Check out these two new reports from Engage Media on Biometric &
Digital Identification System and ICT laws impacting Digital Rights in
7 Regions: Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia, Maldives, Nepal,
Philippines and Sri Lanka.

Link to the Biometric and Digital Identification System Report:
https://engagemedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Report-on-the-State-of-Digital-Identification-in-South-and-Southeast-Asia-2023.pdf

Link to the ICT Policies and Implications on Digital Rights Report:
https://engagemedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/EngageMedia-GIF-ICT-South-Southeast-Asia-Digital-Rights.pdf

b) EFF: To Address Online Harms, We Must Consider Privacy First

Every year, the EFF encounters new, often ill-conceived, bills written
by state, federal, and international regulators to tackle a broad set
of digital topics ranging from child safety to artificial
intelligence. These scattershot proposals to correct online harm are
often based on censorship and news cycles. Instead of this, EFF
proposes another solution in a new report: “Privacy First: A Better
Way to Address Online Harms”:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/11/address-online-harms-we-must-first-do-privacy

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### Digital Rights Resources ###

1. Newsletter on Internet Infrastructure & Human Rights

Subscribe to a new newsletter on internet infrastructure and human
rights. The latest edition features a talk given at the IETF 118
meeting by Dr Ahmad Alsadeh at Berzeit University and ISOC Palestine
on the internet shutdown in Gaza. He not only talked about the
shutdown but the long standing and ongoing constraints on
telecommunications infrastructure in Gaza, West Bank and East
Jerusalem.

https://internet.exchangepoint.tech

2. Posting Protest Photos? Here’s How to Protect Others’ Identities

By concealing people’s faces in your protest material, you can help
protect members of your community from the harms of surveillance. It
is an important form of digital community care.

https://digitalrightswatch.org.au/2023/11/15/posting-protest-photos-online/

3. Digital Blackout: Systematic censorship of Palestinian voices

Review this piece on unmasking biased content moderation of tech
platforms, shedding light on their role in suppressing Palestinian
voices and pro-Palestinian narratives.

https://globalvoices.org/2023/11/08/digital-blackout-systematic-censorship-of-palestinian-voices/

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

1. 7amleh Documents Over a Million Instances of Violence Speech in
Hebrew Against Palestinians on Social Media Platforms

The Arab Center for the Advancement of Social Media, has documented,
using the “Violence Indicator”, over one million instances of hate
speech and/or incitement to violence in Hebrew targeting Palestinians
and Palestinian rights advocates on social media platforms since
October 7, 2023.

https://7amleh.org/2023/11/14/7amleh-documents-over-a-million-instances-of-violent-speech-in-hebrew-against-palestinians-on-social-media-platforms

2. How Meta’s Platforms Normalize Anti-Palestinian Racism

The reluctance or inability of social media companies generally, and
Meta in particular, to safeguard their users implicates them,
significantly contributing to the dehumanization and normalization of
calls for violence against Palestinians as well as the amplification
of anti-Palestinian racism.

https://www.mei.edu/publications/how-metas-platforms-normalize-anti-palestinian-racism

Read more about how Big Tech censorship in Gaza exposes systemic
discrimination and rights failures.

https://advox.globalvoices.org/2023/11/14/digital-apartheid-and-the-use-of-social-media-algorithms-in-humanitarian-crises/

3. Human Rights Watch: Rights Concerns Over License Plate Tracking in Uganda
Uganda’s new surveillance system, which allows the government to track
the real time location of all vehicles in the country, undermines
privacy rights, and creates serious risks to the rights to freedom of
association and expression. The government should scrap the system.

https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/11/14/uganda-rights-concerns-over-license-plate-tracking

4. From Arab Spring to Controlled Spaces

An Interview with Afef Abrougui, a researcher at the intersection of
technology and Human Rights, on Public Dialogue in the Middle East.

https://akademie.dw.com/en/from-arab-spring-to-controlled-spaces/a-67389093

5. UAE: Concerns Around Authorities’ Use of Digital Surveillance During COP28

Amnesty International’s Campaigner on Disrupting Surveillance said
that “Amnesty International fears that Human Rights Defenders and
other members of civil society in the UAE may continue to be targeted
with spyware, including those attending COP28. As hosts of the
conference, the UAE has pledged to offer a platform for activists’
voices, yet this will not be possible unless human rights, including
the rights to privacy and peaceful assembly, are respected.
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2023/11/uae-concerns-around-authorities-use-of-digital-surveillance-during-cop28/

6. In Serbia’s Collaboration with a UAE Tech Firm, Fears of ‘Digital Autocracy’

Serbia has thrown its doors wide open to an Emirati tech firm seen as
central to the Gulf kingdom’s sophisticated security and surveillance
infrastructure, as well as to a Chinese genetics firm blacklisted by
the US for its ties to the military.

https://balkaninsight.com/2023/11/13/in-serbias-collaboration-with-a-uae-tech-firm-fears-of-digital-autocracy/

7. The Digital Gender Gap, a Major Obstacle to the Fight for Equality
for Women in Pakistan

Only 26% of Pakistani women have access to the internet, compared to
47% of men, one of the most pronounced digital gender gaps in the
world. The lack of access to the Internet makes it more difficult for
them to educate themselves, progress at work and fight cyberbullying.

https://english.elpais.com/international/2023-11-14/the-digital-gender-gap-a-major-obstacle-to-the-fight-for-equality-for-women-in-pakistan.html

8. Big Tech Gets a Big Policy Win in Europe

Brussels won’t publish a legislative proposal on fair share, which
would have asked web companies to pay internet service providers.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2023-11-09/eu-fair-share-setback-is-a-win-for-big-tech#xj4y7vzkg

Amazon is next in line for EU scrutiny over product risks and user
rights. The European Commission formally sent Amazon a request for
information under the Digital Services Act. It is asking the company
to provide more information on the measures it has taken to comply
with obligations related to risk assessments and mitigation measures
to protect consumers online.

https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/mex_23_5809

9. The Mirai Confessions: Three Young Hackers Who Built a Web-Killing
Monster Finally Tell Their Story

Netflix, Spotify, Twitter, PayPal, Slack. All down for millions of
people. How a group of teen friends plunged into an underworld of
cybercrime and broke the Internet—then went to work for the FBI.

https://www.wired.com/story/mirai-untold-story-three-young-hackers-web-killing-monster/

10. Meta Wants Parents and App Stores to Keep Teens Off Unsafe Apps

The tech giant is calling for legislation requiring that parents
approve teens’ downloads on app stores like Google and Apple.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/11/15/meta-law-parental-controls-apple-google-apps/

11. European Lawmakers Try to Balance Protection & Privacy with Law on
Explicit Images of Children

The draft proposition would require internet providers to assess the
risk of their services being used for the sexual abuse or exploitation
of children, and to take steps to mitigate those threats.

https://english.elpais.com/international/2023-11-14/european-lawmakers-try-to-balance-protection-and-privacy-with-law-on-explicit-images-of-children.html

12. Opinion: We Need Product Safety Regulations for Social Media

As social media more frequently exposes people to brutality and
untruths, we need to treat it like a consumer product, and that means
product safety regulations.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/we-need-product-safety-regulations-for-social-media/

13. Commentary: Perhaps YouTube Fixed Its Algorithm. It Did Not Fix
its Extremism Problem

Despite whatever improvements have been made to its algorithms,
YouTube is still a massive repository of dangerous content that
spreads across other social media and messaging apps both organically
and through recommendations.

https://techpolicy.press/perhaps-youtube-fixed-its-algorithm-it-did-not-fix-its-extremism-problem/

_________________________________________________

### 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

Women’s International League for Peace & Freedom
Deadline: November 26, 2023
https://www.wilpf.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Final-Expression-of-Interest-English.pdf

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/

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### 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/

The Wellbeing Monthly: Getting to Know our Stress & Anxiety
Team CommUNITY
November 21, 2023
9am EDT / 2pm UTC
Online
https://digitalrights.formstack.com/forms/wellbeingmonthly5

Operating the Propaganda Machine: Social Media Accountability in the
2022 Philippine Election
November 21, 2023
8pm EST (Nov 20) / 1am UTC
Online
https://digitalreach.asia/blog/operating-the-propaganda-machine-social-media-accountability-in-the-2022-philippine-election/

Lingua Cafe
Team CommUNITY
November 22, 2023
11:30am EST / 4:30pm UTC
Online
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=Lingua_Cafe,_November_22,_2023

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

VPN Village: Entender, eludir y confrontar apagones: Formaciones en
línea con la Shutdown Academy
Team CommUNITY
November 27, 2023
9am EST / 2pm UTC
Online
https://digitalrights.formstack.com/forms/1vpn2023

VPN Village: Advanced Outline Deployments for Resilience and Scale
Team CommUNITY
November 29, 2023
8am EST / 1pm UTC
Online
https://digitalrights.formstack.com/forms/2vpn2023

VPN Village: (Glitter 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

Glitterest Glitter Meetup
Team CommUNITY
December 7, 2023
9am EST / 2pm UTC
Online
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=December_7_2023_GM
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

✎ Communications Coordinator | Mobilizing Activists around Medical
Abortion (MAMA) Network
+ Remote
http://recruiterflow.com/edge/jobs/96

✎ Holistic Security Coordinator | Mobilizing Activists around Medical
Abortion (MAMA) Network
+ Remote
http://recruiterflow.com/edge/jobs/95

✎ Data and Back-End Engineer | Global Fishing Watch
+ Remote
http://boards.greenhouse.io/globalfishingwatch/jobs/5800763003

✎ EU Advocacy Officer | 7amleh - The Arab Center for the Advancement
of Social Media
+ Remote
https://7amleh.org/2023/11/08/job-opportunity-eu-advocacy-officer

✎ Open Source Researcher | Videre Est Credere
+ London, UK and Remote (UTC-1 - +4)
http://www.idealist.org/en/nonprofit-job/6e534848e47f4bbb92b762835dc244e6-open-source-researcher-videre-est-credere-london

✎ Project Officer - Grants and Contracts | Digital Defenders Partnership
+ Remote - Latin America and the Caribbean
http://www.digitaldefenders.org/open-vacancy-project-officer-grants-and-contracts/

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
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