Digital Rights Weekly | April 1 - 5

Mon Apr 8 19:34:13 CEST 2024

Hello Digital Rights Defenders!

Here is your weekly update on digital rights around the world for the
week of April 1 - 5. As a reminder, you can submit your news for the
newsletter here: https://www.digitalrights.community/weekly-newsletter

### Team CommUNITY (TCU) ###

1. 2024 Global Gathering Tickets: Just 1 Week Left to Apply!

April 15 is the deadline for the Global Gathering and Equity Fund
applications! This year the GG will take place September 27, 28, and
29 in Estoril, Portugal, and feature over 1,000 digital rights
defenders. Apply soon!

https://www.digitalrights.community/blog/2024-global-gathering-now-accepting-applications

Do you need a Visa to join? Review how we can support you:
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=Visa_and_Equity_Fund_Support

Would you like to start to plan your trip?
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=Planning_Your_Trip

2. April 11: Learn More About the Election Watch for the Digital Age
Project (Glitter Meetup)

Election Watch for the Digital Age is a data-driven project that helps
technology companies, policymakers, and civil society forecast the
risk of human rights violations and digital interference ahead of
elections around the world. Join the April 11 conversation to learn
from members of the Freedom House team about what goes into producing
Election Watch data and assessments!

https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=April_11_2024_GM

____________________________________________

### Digital Rights in the Community ###

1. Free & Open Source Software Sustainability Fund

The Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) Sustainability Fund is Open
Technology Fund’s (OTF) newest mechanism to support the long-term
maintenance of established FOSS projects and the communities that
sustain them. Subject to availability of funds, OTF expects to support
up to four projects ranging from $150,000 to $400,000 for
approximately 24 months. Deadline: May 17, 2024.

https://www.opentech.fund/funds/free-and-open-source-software-sustainability-fund/

2. Mozilla Senior Fellowship Program

Mozilla is seeking experienced practitioners, technologists,
researchers, policy experts and activists from around the world who
work at the intersection of technology and society and are passionate
about change to apply for the Senior Fellowship program. The program
provides time, resources, tools, community, and amplification to the
fellowship cohort. Registration deadline: April 17, 2024. Deadline to
submit full application: May 6, 2024. Read the following link to learn
more about the fellowship and join the information sessions:

https://foundation.mozilla.org/en/what-we-fund/fellowships/senior-fellows/fellowship-details/

3. The ICANN Grant Program

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) Grant
Program is an exciting opportunity for eligible organizations across
the globe to apply for funding for projects that are consistent with
ICANN's mission to help ensure a stable, secure, and unified global
Internet. Deadline: May 24, 2024.

https://www.icann.org/grant-program-en

You can read their code of conduct here:

https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/expected-standards-2016-06-28-en

4. African Union Digital and Innovation Fellowship - Cohort 2

The 12-month program fellows will be expected to co-create and build
innovative tailor-made products and processes that improve the
delivery of the African Union’s mandate especially in the context of
good governance and citizens engagement. The program will seek to
facilitate conditions for building the internal capacity of the host
African Union organs in the long term. Deadline: April 28.

https://auinnovationfellowship.com/

5. Online Course on Digital Capitalism from the Transnational Institute

Sign up for this free six-week course from brilliant experts and
activists taking on Big Tech worldwide and advancing an alternative
digital world rooted in justice, taking place from 1 April 2024 to 12
May 2024. This six week course will explore what digital capitalism
is, how and by whom it is being shaped, its implications for our
economy, society and environment, and the possibilities for
transformation. Read more and register here:

https://www.tni.org/en/event/digital-capitalism

6. Mapping Transparency & Governance on Rainforest Issues Grant

The Pulitzer Center is opening a new call for rainforest grant
applications. The center invites journalists, editors, and independent
media organizations to submit proposals on Innovative Reporting on
Mapping Transparency and Governance on Rainforest Issues. They seek
reporting projects on rainforests that address the intersection of
data transparency, governance, deforestation, land-grabbing, and other
critical issues in the Amazon, the Congo Basin, and Southeast Asia.
Deadline: April 18, 2024.

https://pulitzercenter.org/blog/call-proposals-mapping-transparency-and-governance-rainforest-issues

7. Apply to the 2024 Oxford Media Policy Summer Institute on
Technology, Policy, & Democracy in Flux

Apply to the third Oxford Media Policy Summer Institute on Technology,
Policy and Democracy in Flux: From Inequalities to Inclusion. The
Summer Institute brings together regulators, policymakers, graduate
students, academics, NGOs and others to engage with issues at the
heart of technology law and policy: democracy, justice, and security
in the digital age. It’s happening at Jesus College, Oxford on July 29
till August 9, 2024. Final Deadline to apply is on April 24.

https://pcmlp.socleg.ox.ac.uk/oxford-media-policy-summer-institute-2024/

Read key takeaways from last year’s summer school here:

https://www.apc.org/fr/node/39293

8. Reports & Statements from Our Community

a) YouTube Approves Disinformation Ads in India Ahead of General Election

YouTube is approving election disinformation ads in India ahead of the
country’s general election, a new joint investigation by Access Now
and Global Witness has found. Access Now and Global Witness’ new
investigation, “Votes will not be counted”: Indian election
disinformation ads and YouTube, found that YouTube is approving ads
presenting baseless allegations of electoral fraud, lies about voting
procedures, and attacks on the integrity of the electoral process.

https://www.accessnow.org/press-release/youtube-disinformation-ads-india-election-2024-en/

b) Myanmar: Crackdown on Freedom of Expression with 24-hour Monitoring

Since Myanmar’s Junta seized power through a military coup three years
ago, the country’s landscape has been marked by severe violence and
human rights atrocities, including possible war crimes and crimes
against humanity. According to the ARTICLE 19 Global Expression report
2023, Myanmar now ranks a dismal 156th place, indicating a crisis in
freedom of expression.

https://www.globalexpressionreport.org

In its latest effort to completely obliterate freedom of expression in
the country, Myanmar’s Junta established a committee tasked with
cracking down on so-called “fake news”, pornographic material, content
incompatible with “traditional Burmese culture” and “political
criticism”. ARTICLE 19 calls on the military authorities to
immediately withdraw the Order and dismantle the Committee.
Additionally, they urge tech companies operating in Myanmar to take
all necessary means to mitigate the severe threats to freedom of
expression this Order poses:

https://www.article19.org/resources/myanmar-crackdown-on-freedom-of-expression-with-24-hour-monitoring-2/

c) 7amleh 2023 Report

7amleh - the Arab Center for the Advancement of Social Media, issued
its annual report summarizing its most prominent achievements and
activities during the year 2023, in which it worked to expand advocacy
efforts for Palestinian digital rights.

https://7amleh.org/annual23/eng/

d) OpenVPN is Open to VPN Fingerprinting

 Certain governments are attempting to restrict VPN access by
identifying connections using “dual use” DPI technology. To
investigate the potential for VPN blocking, researchers developed
mechanisms for accurately fingerprinting connections using OpenVPN,
the most popular protocol for commercial VPN services. They identified
over 85% of OpenVPN flows with only negligible false positives,
suggesting that OpenVPN-based services can be effectively blocked with
little collateral damage. They proposed short-term defenses and in the
longer term, urged commercial VPN providers to be more transparent
about their obfuscation approaches and to adopt more principled
detection countermeasures, such as those developed in censorship
circumvention research.

PDF: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2403.03998.pdf
Other Formats: https://arxiv.org/abs/2403.03998

e) SplinterCon’23 Report

The internet’s inherent open architecture is increasingly weaponized
as a tool for censorship and persecution. Read the report that emerged
from the inaugural SplinterCon, held in Montreal in December 2023. The
gathering brought together a diverse community of network researchers,
technology entrepreneurs, software developers, and internet freedom
advocates to address the challenges and innovations in the realm of
the “Splinternet.”

https://splintercon.net/montreal23-2/#Montreal-report

________________________________________________

### Digital Rights Community Resources ###

1. How to Disable The New Calling Feature on X that Will Leak Your
Location Without Your Consent?

Social media platform X (formerly twitter) has just added a new
calling feature. Audio and video calls can now be made through the
direct messaging system, prompting concerns that users’ locations
would now be visible to strangers because it shows their IP addresses.
This option is turned on by default and anyone with a profile on the
platform can be called by other users. The function can be disabled,
but some people have reported receiving an error message or trying
multiple times before the feature turns off. Apparently, it can only
be disabled using X’s mobile app, and not on a browser. After
receiving numerous complaints, the social media company has introduced
the ‘Enhanced Call Privacy’ option, which enables users to mask their
IP addresses during calls.

If you use X, read this step-by-step guide on how to disable this feature:
https://smex.org/the-new-feature-on-x-will-leak-your-location-without-your-consent/

The Open Rights Group and Big Brother Watch labeled X’s move as
“extremely concerning” and “a serious error of judgment” regarding
users’ safety and privacy.
https://twitter.com/OpenRightsGroup/status/1764936891797782893

2. Boston, A Community-Based Approach to Enhance Inclusive Digital
Experiences for All

Boston is part of the the Cities Coalition for Digital Rights, a
network of cities helping each other in the greenfield of digital
rights based policy-making. The coalition was launched by the Cities
of Amsterdam, Barcelona and New York in November 2018 and now has a
membership of over 50 cities worldwide.

https://citiesfordigitalrights.org/thecoalition

Its local authorities have been making efforts to meet their goal of
enabling full citizen participation in digital experiences:

https://citiesfordigitalrights.org/boston-community-based-approach-enhance-inclusive-digital-experiences-all

________________________________________________

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

1. Meta Shuts Monitoring Tool in Election Year

CrowdTangle, a digital tool considered vital in tracking viral
falsehoods, will be decommissioned by Meta in a major election year, a
move researchers fear will disrupt efforts to detect an expected
firehose of political misinformation. The tech giant says CrowdTangle
will be unavailable after August 14, less than three months before the
US election.

https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20240401-grave-step-backwards-meta-shuts-monitoring-tool-in-election-year

2. “Lavender”: The AI Machine Directing Israel’s Bombing Spree in Gaza

The Israeli army has marked tens of thousands of Gazans as suspects
for assassination, using an AI targeting system with little human
oversight and a permissive policy for casualties.
According to six Israeli intelligence officers, “Lavender” has played
a central role in the unprecedented bombing of Palestinians,
especially during the early stages of the war. Its influence on the
military’s operations was such that they essentially treated the
outputs of the AI machine “as if it were a human decision.”

https://www.972mag.com/lavender-ai-israeli-army-gaza/

Israel also rolled out a mass facial recognition program in the Gaza
Strip. The program uses technology from Google Photos and a custom
tool built by the Tel Aviv-based company Corsight to identify people
affiliated with Hamas. Soldiers said that Corsight’s technology wasn’t
always accurate, particularly when it relied on grainy footage or
photos where people’s faces were obscured. In some instances,
Corsight’s tool mistakenly identified people as being connected to
Hamas.

https://www.theverge.com/2024/3/27/24114043/israel-facial-recognition-gaza-strip-corsight

3. How Digital Rights Laws Shape Online Engagement for Nonprofits in West Africa

In West Africa and beyond, the convergence of technology and legal
frameworks significantly impacts citizens’ daily online interactions.
This article examines the cyber laws of Nigeria, Ghana and Senegal as
case studies within the broader context of West Africa, serving to
provide insight into the diverse approaches to digital rights
legislation within the region.

https://wacsi.org/navigating-the-digital-terrain-how-digital-rights-laws-shape-online-engagement-for-nonprofits-in-west-africa/

4. Amazon Will Have to Publish an Ads Library in EU After All

Amazon will have to provide information about the ads running on its
platform in a publicly accessible online archive after a decision by
the European Union’s highest court this week.
The ads transparency requirement is part of the online governance and
algorithmic accountability rulebook, which has applied to Amazon’s
marketplace since late August 2023.

https://techcrunch.com/2024/03/27/amazon-dsa-ads-library-cjeu/

5. Podcast: Reforming Tech Amidst a Global Backlash Against Women’s Rights

Last year, researchers at Human Rights Watch wrote about the global
backlash against women’s rights. In multiple countries, they say,
hard-won progress has been reversed amidst a wave of anti-feminist
rhetoric and policies, and it may take decades to reverse the
trajectory.

https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/03/07/global-backlash-against-womens-rights

It’s against that backdrop that this podcast’s guest, Lucy Purdon,
pursues concerns at the intersection of tech and digital rights with
women’s human rights.

https://www.techpolicy.press/reforming-tech-amidst-a-global-backlash-against-womens-rights/

Purdon is the founder of Courage Everywhere and author of an October
2023 report for the Mozilla Foundation titled "Unfinished Business:
Incorporating a Gender Perspective into Digital Advertising Reform in
the UK and EU."

https://assets.mofoprod.net/network/documents/Unfinished_Business_Summary_and_Recommendations_Lucy_Purdon_Oct_23_FINAL_.pdf

Digital violence and gender inequality is a vicious cycle.
Technology-facilitated gender-based violence is deeply rooted in
patriarchal systems. The development of comprehensive policies with a
human rights perspective is urgent in order to generate systemic
changes.

https://www.derechosdigitales.org/23444/digital-violence-and-gender-inequality-a-vicious-cycle/

6. Opinion Article - The Internet is Not Theirs: Shifting Towards a
Public Service

Information, education and knowledge should not depend, or not
exclusively, on the arbitrary decisions of a handful of Silicon Valley
billionaires. “Walling off the internet” is the expression we hear
every time the issue of internet regulation arises. However, this
article gave an alternative to the, in all probability vain, objective
of walling off the internet or blocking specific networks: build them
from scratch. Creating platforms, applications and social networks
that function as a public service, as a resource for citizens, rather
than as a business for the world’s largest companies.

https://english.elpais.com/technology/2024-03-28/the-internet-is-not-theirs-shifting-towards-a-public-service.html

7. Commentary - Silence Isn’t Golden: How Internet Shutdowns Threaten
People’s Rights

The menace of Internet shutdowns cannot be overstated. They are not
only an attack on digital rights but also a direct assault on
democracy and freedom. It’s imperative to collectively condemn and
resist these assaults on freedom of expression and information and
continue to protect the rights of all individuals to access reliable
information safely and freely.

https://internews.org/commentary/silence-isnt-golden-how-internet-shutdowns-threaten-peoples-rights/

_________________________________________________

### 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://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=Fundraising_Opportunities

Supporting Digital Security in Ukraine and Moldova
Deadline: April 10, 2024
https://www.state.gov/drl-strengthening-resilience-for-digital-security-providers-and-capacity-for-civil-society-in-ukraine-and-moldova/

U.S. State Department Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor
Spyware misuse in Europe and Eurasia
Deadline: April 15, 2024
https://www.state.gov/drl-improving-remedy-accountability-and-deterrence-for-the-repressive-misuse-of-spyware-in-europe-and-eurasia/

Mozilla Senior Fellows
Deadline to Register: April 17, 2024
Deadline to Submit: May 6, 2024
https://foundation.mozilla.org/en/what-we-fund/fellowships/senior-fellows/fellowship-details/

Grant Applications for Mapping Transparency & Governance on Rainforest Issues
Pulitzer Center
Deadline: April 18, 2024
https://pulitzercenter.org/blog/call-proposals-mapping-transparency-and-governance-rainforest-issues
Oxford Media Policy Summer Institute on Technology, Policy, & Democracy in Flux
Jesus College, Oxford
Deadline: April 24, 2024
https://pcmlp.socleg.ox.ac.uk/oxford-media-policy-summer-institute-2024/

African Union Digital and Innovation Fellowship - Cohort 2
Deadline: April 28, 2024
https://auinnovationfellowship.com/

Women in Digital Economy Fund
Deadline: May 6, 2024
https://widef.global/funding/

FOSS Sustainability Fund
Open Technology Fund
Deadline: May 17, 2024
https://www.opentech.fund/funds/free-and-open-source-software-sustainability-fund/

ICANN Grant Program
Deadline: May 24, 2024
https://www.icann.org/grant-program-en

Female EdTech Fellowship Europe
Deadline: July 22, 2024
https://www.edtech-fellowship.eu/

Digital Rights Fund for WANA Region
Deadline: Rolling
SMEX
https://smex.org/digital-rights-fund/

FOSS United
Deadline: Rolling
https://fossunited.org/grants

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 ###

Virtual School on Internet Governance
Jan 22 - April 13, 2024
Online
https://forms.gle/5G8y3NTVMVHwr3MP8

Virtual Course on Digital Capitalism
April 1 - May 12, 2024
https://lnkd.in/eGSKb2PX

Glitter Meetup: What Is Happening in Digital Rights Around the World?
April 4, 2024
9am EDT / 1pm UTC
Online
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=April_4_2024_GM

Glitter Meetup: Learn more about the Election Watch for the Digital Age Project
April 11, 2024
9am EDT / 1pm UTC
Online
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=April_11_2024_GM

The Social Networking Glitter Meetup
April 18, 2024
9am EDT / 1pm UTC
Online
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=April_18_2024_GM

Glitter Meetup: Quiet: A Secure Slack Alternative for Groups that Outgrow Signal
April 25, 2024
9am EDT / 1pm UTC
Online
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=April_25_2024_GM

LATAM Meetup
May 22, 2024
5:30pm EDT / 9:30pm UTC
Online
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=22_de_Mayo,_2024_LATAM

Africa Meetup
May 23, 2024
11am EDT / 3pm UTC
Online
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=May_23_2024,_Africa_Meetup

Check out a list of our virtual events here:
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=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

✎ Digital Campaign Manager | The Syria Campaign
+ Remote
https://thesyriacampaign.org/digital-campaign-manager/

✎ Backend Web Development Specialist | Internews
+ Remote in UK or USA
https://phf.tbe.taleo.net/phf04/ats/careers/v2/viewRequisition?org=INTERNEWS&cws=38&rid=2220

✎ Open-Source Software Documentation Expert | Internews
+ Remote
https://phf.tbe.taleo.net/phf04/ats/careers/v2/viewRequisition?org=INTERNEWS&cws=38&rid=2181

✎ Technical Advisor on Gender & Marginalized Groups | Internews
+ Remote
https://phf.tbe.taleo.net/phf04/ats/careers/v2/viewRequisition?org=INTERNEWS&cws=38&rid=2229

✎ Website Design & Development | CIVICUS
+ Remote
https://www.civicus.org/index.php/get-involved/work-with-us/6501-tor-open-call-for-web-developers

✎ Open Call for Web Developers | CIVICUS
+ Remote
https://www.civicus.org/index.php/get-involved/work-with-us/6501-tor-open-call-for-web-developers

✎ Head of Digital Programme | ARTICLE 19
+ UK or USA
https://article.peoplehr.net/Pages/JobBoard/Opening.aspx?v=6fccb075-87fb-455c-bad2-9e4ecbf76cd2

✎ Associate Director | Knight-Georgetown Institute
+ Washington, DC, USA
https://kgi.georgetown.edu/work-with-us/318-2/

✎ Policy Analyst | Knight-Georgetown Institute
+ Washington, DC, USA
https://kgi.georgetown.edu/work-with-us/312-2/

✎ Systems Administrator | Personified Tech
+ Remote
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1tueVUoHT7BJA38G_RV0xaupGnA3vGtM0e17SZDVMEew/edit

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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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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