Digital Rights Weekly | May 27 - 31

[Team CommUNITY]

Hello Digital Rights Defenders!

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

____________________________________________

### Team CommUNITY (TCU) ###

June 6: The Social Networking Glitter Meetup
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=June_6_2024_GM

June 13: Kwanele's Journey Navigating Ethical Tech for GBV Justice
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=June_13_2024_GM

June 20: What is Happening with Digital Rights Around the World?
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=June_20_2024_GM

____________________________________________

### Digital Rights in the Community ##

1. Global Fellowship Program on AI & Market Power

The European Artificial Intelligence and Society Fund supports civil
society organizations to build their capacity for policy and advocacy
on AI through funding, learning and collaboration. The Fund is calling
for applications for a new fellowship programme on Artificial
Intelligence and market power. The program will award fellowships of
up to $70,000 to individual investigators/researchers or
interdisciplinary teams of up to 3 with complementary skills.
Deadline: July 8, 2024.

https://europeanaifund.org/newspublications/call-for-proposals-global-fellowship-programme-on-ai-market-power/


2. The Digital Democracy Initiative Call for Proposals

The Digital Democracy Initiative (DDI) is a program aimed at
safeguarding inclusive democracy and human rights in the digital age,
particularly to local civil society in the Global South. They are
calling for proposals falling under the following 3 umbrellas:
combatting technology facilitated gender-based violence; leveraging
digital technologies for climate activism; and strengthening youth
engagement in the digital democratic space. The available budget for
this call is a maximum of 147 million Danish Kroner (approximately 20
million Euro). Each applicant / consortium should submit a proposal
for funding of minimum 30 mill DKK. Deadline to submit concept notes:
June 17, 2024.

https://digitaldemocracyinitiative.net/


3. Webinar on Open Mapping & Climate Action for a Sustainable Future

Tune into this webinar hosted by the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team
this World Environment Day on June 4 at 4 pm UTC! Listen in on how
local and regional actors are using open and participatory data
initiatives to tackle climate change. The event will be live-streamed.
To secure your spot, register here:

https://streamyard.com/watch/9U4XPwUC7Cqh


4. Philippines: Joint Statement on Continued Blocking of 27 Websites

On February 5, 2024, leaders of people’s organizations and the
editors-in-chief of two alternative news media organizations wrote the
National Telecommunications Commission urging it to rescind its order
to block access in the Philippines to 27 websites.

https://ifex.org/philippines-joint-statement-on-continued-blocking-of-27-websites/


5. Reporters Without Borders: Concern About Russia’s Media Regulator
Experiments with AI Use in Censorship

Roskomnadzor - the Russian telecommunications and mass media regulator
- is experimenting with the use of artificial intelligence (AI)  to
control and censor online information. Reporters Without Borders (RSF)
are concerned that these experiments could open the way to new online
censorship methods that are reinforced by AI. There is an urgent need
to regulate the commercialization of AI technologies so that they are
not used to stifle the free flow of reliable news and information, RSF
says.

https://rsf.org/en/rsf-concerned-about-russia-s-media-regulator-experiments-ai-use-censorship


6. Civil Society to YouTube: Stop Helping Russia Suppress Free Speech

Through an open letter, Access Now and over 20 Russian and
international civil society organizations are urging YouTube and its
parent company Google to not help the Kremlin censor Russian
independent media and human rights organizations. Since February 2024,
YouTube has blocked several anti-war videos about military service
evasion.

https://www.accessnow.org/press-release/youtube-russia-stop-supressing-free-speech/


7. Statement: Google Must drop Project Nimbus and End its Retaliatory
Actions Against Workers Protesting It

Several civil society organizations are standing in support of the
Google employees who protested Project Nimbus as part of the “No Tech
for Apartheid” campaign. They condemn Google’s retaliatory actions
against its employees and reiterate their demand for an immediate
cessation of the company’s involvement in Project Nimbus, given
Israel’s current war on Gaza and its human rights violations in the
West Bank.

https://aadr.network/en/2024/05/21/no-tech-for-genocide-google-must-drop-project-nimbus-and-end-its-retaliatory-actions-against-workers-protesting-it/


8. Guinea’s Media Under Continued Repression

There have been numerous cases in which Guinea’s media regulatory
body, The Haute Autorite de la Communication (HAC), represses the
media - from deporting journalists to suspending news agencies and
blocking news sites. The Media Foundation for West Africa strongly
condemns the wanton suspension of media houses and journalists in
Guinea and calls on the HAC to apply that sanction in extreme cases.

https://www.mfwa.org/issues-in-focus/guineas-media-groaning-under-continued-repression/


9. Reports from Our Community

a) Navigating the Digital Landscape in Chaos | Digital Rights Report 2023

The Foundation for Media Alternatives (FMA) released the latest
iteration of its Digital Rights Report titled “Internet Rights on the
Edge: Navigating the Digital Landscape in Chaos,” which delved deep
into how technology, especially the Internet, responded to the urgent
crises that defined the year 2023.  From the ongoing genocide in Gaza
to the power struggle unfolding in the Philippines, the Digital Rights
Report 2023 detailed how these local and international events affected
the way we live our lives on the digital sphere.

https://fma.ph/fma-releases-digital-rights-report-2023-looks-into-the-future-of-ai/


b) Tech Harms During Elections in Africa

This paper seeks to highlight the prevalent tech harms witnessed
during elections in Africa, how they manifest from country to country
and proposes solutions and recommendations that platforms can take to
protect electoral integrity and social media users. It draws on a
targeted survey and expert interviews, the insights will serve as a
basis for engaging policymakers and big tech companies as part of a
broader campaign on tech accountability.

https://yearofdemocracy.org/tech-harms-during-elections-in-africa/

________________________________________________

### Digital Rights Community Resources ###


1. How to Fight Biometric Mass Surveillance after the AI Act: A Legal
& Practical Guide

The EU's Artificial Intelligence Act has been adopted, laying out what
should be a ban on live mass facial recognition and other public
biometric surveillance by police. However, the wide exceptions to this
ban may pave the way to legitimize the use of these systems. This
living guide, for civil society organizations, communities and
activists, charts a human rights-based approach for how to keep
resisting biometric mass surveillance practices now and in the future.

https://edri.org/our-work/how-to-fight-biometric-mass-surveillance-after-the-ai-act-a-legal-and-practical-guide/


2. Surveillance Technology at the U.S.-Mexico Border: An EFF Zine

EFF has compiled a zine to serve as an illustrated guide to border
security technology. As surveillance technology becomes ubiquitous
along the U.S.-Mexico border, the equipment is still sometimes unknown
or invisible to even the activists, humanitarians, researchers, and
journalists working everyday in the borderlands. EFF's aim is to help
folks living in and serving border communities to spot, identify, and
understand the surveillance systems they might encounter on the
ground, on the road, and in the air.

In English: https://www.eff.org/files/2024/05/06/borderzine-2024-5-6-en.pdf

En español: https://www.eff.org/files/2024/05/06/borderzine-2024-5-6-es.pdf

________________________________________________

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

1. Malawi: WhatsApp Comment Concludes in Cybercrime Spamming Charges

The Malawi Police Service is intensifying the use of the country's
cybersecurity law to restrict the voice and agency of journalists and
citizens.

https://malawi.misa.org/2024/05/23/man-convicted-fined-for-insulting-malawi-president-on-whatsap/


2. YouTube Deletes Iranian Foreign Ministry Account

YouTube has removed the account of Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs
following the release of a video against Israel.

https://www.iranintl.com/en/202405288341

The YouTube deletion is part of a broader trend where major social
media platforms have acted against accounts linked to Iran for
violations related to spreading disinformation and breaking platform
rules.

https://www.iranintl.com/en/202310051043


3. X Appoints Representative in Turkey, Bowing to Government Pressure

Turkey’s Transport and Infrastructure announced that X, formerly known
as Twitter, appointed a representative in Turkey, in compliance with
Turkish authorities’ demands. Turkey banned Turkish citizens and
companies from placing ads on X in July 2023 after the social media
platform failed to obey a new law and appoint an official
representative. The Minister said that if X failed to appoint a
representative, the company would have faced more sanctions.

https://balkaninsight.com/2024/05/23/x-appoints-representative-in-turkey-bowing-to-govt-pressure/


4. Opinion: The Ugly Truth Behind ChatGPT - AI is Guzzling Resources
at Planet-eating Rates

Large language models such as ChatGPT are some of the most
energy-consuming technologies. Research suggests, for instance, that
about 700,000 liters of water could have been used to cool the
machines that trained ChatGPT-3 at Microsoft’s data facilities.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/may/30/ugly-truth-ai-chatgpt-guzzling-resources-environment


5. A Comic That Illustrates the Fight to Protect Free Speech on Campus

Nowhere is free speech more important than on university campuses.
Check out these comics from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
that explore why student activism must be protected from censorship
and government interference.

https://www.aclu.org/news/free-speech/a-comic-that-illustrates-the-fight-to-protect-free-speech-on-campus


6. Opinion: Everyone’s So Intolerant Online. Am I Right to Stay Silent?

Call-out culture has left many of us afraid of posting. Africa Brooke,
author of “The Third Perspective: Brave Expression in the Age of
Intolerance”, offers suggestions for navigating online hostility.

https://www.theguardian.com/wellness/article/2024/may/22/cancel-culture-social-media

_________________________________________________

### 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

NGI Zero Commons Fund - Reclaim the Public Nature of the Internet
Deadline: June 1, 2024, 12:00 CEST (noon)
https://nlnet.nl/commonsfund

Digital Democracy Initiative Call for Proposals
Deadline to submit concept notes: June 17, 2024
https://digitaldemocracyinitiative.net/

Digital Rights & Commons Initiatives
Deadline: June 28, 2024
https://4d.cat/convocatoria/en/home/

Global Fellowship Program on AI & Market Power
European Artificial Intelligence & Society Fund
Deadline: July 8, 2024
https://europeanaifund.org/newspublications/call-for-proposals-global-fellowship-programme-on-ai-market-power/

Digital Freedom Fund
Grant for strategic litigation to advance digital rights
Deadline: July 15, 2024
https://digitalfreedomfund.org/grants/

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 ###

Palestine Digital Activism Forum (PDAF 2024)
7amleh
June 4 & 5, 2024
https://pdaf.net/

Open Mapping & Climate Action for a Sustainable Future
June 4, 2024
4pm UTC
Online
https://bit.ly/WED-H24

Social Networking Glitter Meetup
Team CommUNITY
June 6, 2024
9am EDT / 1pm UTC
Online
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=June_6_2024_GM

SplinterCon
equalitie
June 12 & 13, 2024
Brussels
https://splintercon.net/participate-brussels/

Kwanele's Journey Navigating Ethical Tech for GBV Justice (Glitter Meetup)
Team CommUNITY
June 13, 2024
9am EDT / 1pm
Online
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=June_13_2024_GM

What is Happening in Digital Rights Around the World? (Glitter Meetup)
Team CommUNITY
June 20, 2024
9am EDT / 1pm UTC
Online
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=June_20_2024_GM

Digital Rights in the Asia-Pacific Assembly
EngageMedia
August 18 & 19 2024
Taipei, Taiwan
Deadline: June 15, 2024
https://engagemedia.org/2024/drapac24-taipei/

2024 Digital Rights Summer School
August 25 - 31, 2024
Perast, Montenegro
https://www.sharefoundation.info/en/apply-for-the-2024-digital-rights-summer-school/

13th Edition of RightsCon
Access Now
February 2025
East Asia and online
Deadline: June 2, 2024
https://www.rightscon.org/program/

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

✎ Strategic Partnerships Lead | Boxtribute
+ Remote within Central European hours
https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vRSeQyEuj88xIAv0G5WSlJK8ZMlG2j_vFjT9X2K6BkY2yFm8T9OO3LlwdfADPPoX79q7VJ2pYlJgMkZ/pub

✎ Senior Software Engineer | New_Public
+ Remote in USA or Canada
https://newpublic.org/jobs/software-engineer-psi

✎ Project Manager | Fairwork - Oxford Internet Institute
+ Oxford, UK
https://my.corehr.com/pls/uoxrecruit/erq_jobspec_version_4.display_form?p_company=10&p_internal_external=E&p_display_in_irish=N&p_process_type=&p_applicant_no=&p_form_profile_detail=&p_display_apply_ind=Y&p_refresh_search=Y&p_recruitment_id=173063

✎ English Editor | Social Media Exchange (SMEX)
+ Beirut, Lebanon (Hybrid, Remote)
https://smex.org/opportunities/full-time-english-editor/

✎ UX Engineer | Syria Justice and Accountability Center
+ Remote
https://syriaaccountability.org/ux-engineer/

If you feel like sending some digital glitter our way, or need further
assistance, feel free to reply to this message.
_________________________________________________

### Know someone that wants to subscribe to our newsletter? ###

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

You can now submit your news for the Digital Rights weekly directly.
To post your job opportunities, submit your opportunities to our Job Board.