Digital Rights Weekly | June 3 - 7

[Team CommUNITY]

Hello Digital Rights Defenders!

Here is your weekly update on digital rights around the world for the
week of June 3 - 7.  As a reminder, you can submit your news for the
newsletter here: https://www.digitalrights.community/weekly-newsletter

____________________________________________

### Team CommUNITY (TCU) ###

1. The Tor Project: Making the Internet Accessible, Without Tracking
and Surveillance

The Tor Project is the next featured organization in our monthly
community series, and one of the most celebrated projects in the
digital rights ecosystem. They advance human rights by creating and
deploying free and open source anonymity and privacy technologies. We
talked with Tor’s Executive Director Isabela Bagueros, and Tor’s
Communications Director Pavel Zoneff to learn more about the project’s
work, how to get involved in their community, and the importance of
the project this year when 2 billion are heading to the election
polls.
https://www.digitalrights.community/blog/the-tor-project-getting-to-know-the-most-important-project-making-the-internet-accessible


2. Join the Digital Rights Weekly Town Halls on Mattermost (Glitter Meetups)!

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

June 27: Rosenpass – Securing Cryptographic Applications Against
Quantum Computer Attacks
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=June_27_2024_GM

____________________________________________

### Digital Rights in the Community ##


1. Call for Creatives: #DataFestAfrica2024 Create-a-thon!

Check out the #DataFestAfrica Create-a-thon, a competition for African
artists to explore data and technology through a feminist lens. This
event aims to foster artistic expression while raising awareness about
the importance of feminist data and technology in Africa. Themes
include Artificial Intelligence, the Gig Economy, and online safety.
Winning submissions will be showcased at DataFest Africa. Deadline:
June 30, 2024. Submit your work here:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfX_zyWndL9S_Xk5AAfvqZol-V7AFw4ChxewDWmMqhfA7NUZQ/viewform


2. FIFAfrica24: Call for Session Proposals and Travel Support Applications

The Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern
Africa (CIPESA) invites interested parties to submit session proposals
to the 2024 edition of the Forum on Internet Freedom in Africa
(FIFAfrica24), which will take place in Dakar, Senegal, on September
25-27. Successful submissions will help to shape the agenda of the
event, which will gather hundreds of policymakers, regulators, human
rights defenders, journalists, academics, private sector players,
global information intermediaries, bloggers, and developers.
Deadline to submit: June 17, 2024.

https://internetfreedom.africa/now-open-call-for-session-proposals-and-travel-support-applications/


3. Solicita Admisión Para la Escuela Virtual de Gobernanza de Internet
en Español

Completa el siguiente formulario para solicitar admisión para el curso
de primavera Grupo G a ofrecerse del 2 de agosto al 25 de septiembre
de 2024. Fecha límite para postular: 28 de julio de 2024.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdK-10SQo99_xoTX_dAKe1kyw-wbSmVj5ol02SuHxi6YigH1Q/viewform


4. Open Letter to YouTube & Google: Stop Helping Russia’s Media
Regulator Censor Internet

Several civil society organizations (CSOs) are calling on YouTube and
its parent company, Google, to take clear and decisive action in
response to the blocking requests and orders issued by Russian
authorities. The CSOs  are calling on the tech companies to assess
blocking requests for compliance with international human rights
standards and to explore avenues for challenging the blocking orders.

https://roskomsvoboda.org/ru/analysis/open-letter-to-google-about-russian-authorities/


5. Joint Statement: Dangers of May 2024 EU Scanning Proposals

The Belgian Presidency continues to advocate using scanning
technologies for encrypted messaging services, without addressing the
security and rights concerns raised by experts. Civil society
organizations are calling on EU’s Ministers in the Council to reject
all scanning proposals that are inconsistent with the principle of
end-to-end encryption, including client-side scanning and upload
moderation, and to guarantee the protection of digital rights
throughout the proposal. You can also sign the petition here:

https://www.globalencryption.org/2024/05/joint-statement-on-the-dangers-of-the-may-2024-council-of-the-eu-compromise-proposal-on-eu-csam/


7. Reports from Our Community

a) Southern Africa Digital Rights Issue #4: A Call to Action for Stakeholders

The 4th issue from Southern Africa Digital Rights assesses the degree
to which countries in the region are living up to their responsibility
to promote and protect the right to freedom of expression, access to
information, right to privacy and cybersecurity in the digital age. It
also  highlights the positive developments related to data protection
laws, setting up data protection authorities, promotion of free
expression online, and amendment of access to information laws.

https://www.apc.org/en/pubs/southern-africa-digital-rights-issue-number-4-call-action-stakeholders


b) Exiled, Then Spied on: Civil Society in Latvia, Lithuania, & Poland
Targeted With Pegasus Spyware

Read the latest report on how at least seven more Russian, Belarusian,
Latvian, and Israeli journalists and activists have been targeted with
NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware within the EU. The report was compiled by
Access Now and the Citizen Lab

https://www.accessnow.org/publication/civil-society-in-exile-pegasus/

________________________________________________

### Community Resources ###


1. How to  Choose a Password Manager

Check out the Freedom of the Press manual on how to choose a password
manager, and how to set up two-factor authentication for beginners.
https://freedom.press/training/choosing-a-password-manager
https://freedom.press/training/2fa-beginners

________________________________________________

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


1. Tech Brain Drain Fuels Philippines’ Cybersecurity Skills Gap

Nurses, engineers, doctors - now cybersecurity experts. As the
Philippines counts the cost of brain drain, a surge in malicious cyber
activity has highlighted the country's digital security skills gap.

https://www.context.news/digital-rights/tech-brain-drain-fuels-philippines-cybersecurity-skills-gap


2. China Turns to Private Hackers as it Cracks Down on Online
Activities on Tiananmen Square Anniversary

Every year ahead of the June 4 commemoration of the Tiananmen Square
massacre, the Chinese government tightens online censorship to
suppress discussion of the event. Now, there are indications that the
Chinese government may be outsourcing its cyber operations to a
patchwork army of private-sector hackers who offer their services for
profit.

https://theconversation.com/china-turns-to-private-hackers-as-it-cracks-down-on-online-activists-on-tiananmen-square-anniversary-230510

The number of Chinese websites is shrinking. Posts are being removed
and censored, raising fears about what happens when history is erased.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/04/business/china-internet-censorship.html


3.  361 Million Stolen Accounts Leaked on Telegram Added to Data
Breach Notification Service

A massive trove of 361 million email addresses from credentials stolen
by password-stealing malware, in credential stuffing attacks, and from
data breaches. These emails were added to the Have I Been Pwned data
breach notification service, allowing anyone to check if their
accounts have been compromised.
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/361-million-stolen-accounts-leaked-on-telegram-added-to-hibp/#google_vignette


4. Are You Chatting With a Pro-Israeli AI-Powered Superbot?

Lebanese researchers Ralph Baydoun and Michel Semaan, from research
and strategic communications consulting firm InflueAnswers, decided to
monitor how what seemed like “Israeli” bots have behaved on social
media since October 7. Early on, Baydoun and Semaan said,
pro-Palestinian accounts dominated the social media space. Soon, they
noticed, pro-Israeli comments increased vastly.

https://www.aljazeera.com/features/longform/2024/5/22/are-you-chatting-with-an-ai-powered-superbot


5. UK Government Censorship Unit Witnessed a 95% Fall in ‘Flagged’
Online Content

Is the tide turning against the censorship-industrial complex?
According to this research, weeks after the UK Government said it will
no longer fund the Global Disinformation Index - a non-profit which
aimed to mitigate spread of disinformation - the number of ‘flagged’
online speech cases are drastically decreasing. This article suggests
some reasons:

https://bigbrotherwatch.org.uk/blog/unherd-government-censorship-unit-sees-95-fall-in-flagged-online-content/


6. Zoom’s CEO Wants AI Clones in Meetings

Eric Yuan, the Zoom founder and CEO, has ambitions for the software,
including letting your AI-powered ‘digital twins’ attend meetings for
you.

https://www.theverge.com/2024/6/3/24168733/zoom-ceo-ai-clones-digital-twins-videoconferencing-decoder-interview


7. Is AI-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence the Next Pandemic?

Deepfakes pose a direct threat to information integrity, which also
undermines women’s voices:

https://www.theregreview.org/2024/05/06/de-silva-de-alwis-vialle-is-ai-facilitated-gender-based-violence-the-next-pandemic/

A study found that 98% of deepfake videos online are pornographic and
that 99% of those targeted are women or girls:

https://www.homesecurityheroes.com/state-of-deepfakes/

One famous example is the virality of Taylor Swift’s deepfake images,
which was seen over 45 million times on social media earlier this
year. It showed the potential impact of this technology on women’s
online safety and integrity.

https://techcrunch.com/2024/01/30/the-taylor-swift-deepfake-debacle-was-frustratingly-preventable/


8. Artist Used Humorous Artwork to Challenges Censorship & Hyper-sexualisation

Artist Claudia Chanhoi explores the sexual objectification of women
with artistic humor in pieces that cleverly circumvent online
censorship. Read the interview with the artist here:

https://www.creativeboom.com/features/claudia-chanhoi/

_________________________________________________

### 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

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

FIFAfrica24: Call for Session Proposals and Travel Support Applications
Deadline: June 17, 2024
https://internetfreedom.africa/now-open-call-for-session-proposals-and-travel-support-applications/

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

Escuela Virtual de Gobernanza de Internet (Español)
2 de agosto - 25 de septiembre, 2024
Fecha límite para postular: 28 de julio, 2024
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdK-10SQo99_xoTX_dAKe1kyw-wbSmVj5ol02SuHxi6YigH1Q/viewform

#DataFestAfrica2024
Create-a-thon
Deadline: June 30, 2024
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfX_zyWndL9S_Xk5AAfvqZol-V7AFw4ChxewDWmMqhfA7NUZQ/viewform

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 ###

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

Asia Meetup: Pranav’s Open Source Messaging Tool
Team CommUNITY
June 13, 2024
8am EDT / 12pm
Online
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=June_13_2024,_Asia_Meetup

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

Rosenpass – Securing Cryptographic Applications Against Quantum
Computer Attacks (Glitter Meetup)
June 27, 2024
9am EDT / 1pm UTC
Online
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=June_27_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

✎ Digital Marketing Officer | Development Assistance Roadmap Portal in
the Middle East
+ Not Specifed
https://darpe.me/digital-marketing-officer/

✎ Senior Software Engineer | Science & Design, Inc.
+ Remote
http://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/3939406944/?refId=FR29Qz7nS2eFMbbniE8G0w%3D%3D&trackingId=FR29Qz7nS2eFMbbniE8G0w%3D%3D

✎ Research Support Intern (AI & the MENA region) | Middle East
Institute
+ Remote or Washington D.C.
https://docs.google.com/document/u/0/d/e/2PACX-1vSMPu5FgVGJu4IOekO5Eaxpkj0Sz4SHUfUcGnkwyO4aa4SaTwFyC1NR9F-YtJWkq3tpPElEF-MBL90U/pub?pli=1

✎ Associate, Engagement and Support (Sub-Saharan Africa) | The Engine
Room
+ Remote in Southern/ West/ East/ Central Africa
https://www.theengineroom.org/engagement-june2024/

✎ Associate, Engagement and Support (Latin America) | The Engine Room
+ Remote in Latin America
https://www.theengineroom.org/engagement-june2024/

✎ Fellowships Coordinator/Manager | The Tahrir Institute for Middle
East Policy
+ Remote
https://timep.org/2024/05/28/fellowships-coordinator-manager/

✎ Policy & Advocacy Manager - Europe | Access Now
+ Brussels, Belgium
https://accessnow.bamboohr.com/careers/211?source=aWQ9MjA%3D

✎ Technical Support Coordinator | ASL19
+ Remote
https://asl19.org/en/join-us/technical-support-coordinator

✎ SRHR Lexicon Development Consultant (English and Arabic) | Social
Media Exchange (SMEX)
+ Beirut, Lebanon (Hybrid, Remote)
https://daleel-madani.org/civil-society-directory/smex/jobs/srhr-lexicon-development-consultant-english-and-arabic

✎ Institutional Giving Manager | Creative Commons
+ Remote, US or
Canada
https://creative-commons.breezy.hr/p/18ff9d04f9b8-institutional-giving-manager

✎ Technical Community Coordinator | ASL19
+ Toronto, Canada
https://asl19.org/en/join-us/technical-community-coordinator

✎ Communications Manager | Sovereign Tech Fund
+ Germany
https://www.sovereigntechfund.de/jobs/communications-manager

✎ Front-end Software Engineer | HURIDOCS
+ Remote
https://ideali.st/yAdWIB

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
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.