Digital Rights Weekly | February 26 - March 1
Team CommUNITY
team at digitalrights.community
Sun Mar 3 12:35:39 CET 2024
Hello Digital Rights Defenders!
Here is your weekly update on digital rights around the world for the
week of February 26 - March 1. As a reminder, you can submit your news
for the newsletter here:
https://www.digitalrights.community/weekly-newsletter
### Team CommUNITY (TCU) ###
1. Apply for your Global Gathering Ticket Soon!
The 2024 Global Gathering will double in size to 1,000 participants.
However, we highly encourage you to apply for a ticket as soon, as we
are already seeing a huge demand for various reasons. The good news:
the form takes no more than 7 minutes to fill out. Deadline is April
15.
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
2. March 7: What Is Happening in Digital Rights Around the World?
(Glitter Meetup)
Join digital rights defenders for the weekly text-based town hall. On
March 7, share and learn about existing and emerging and digital
rights conversations happening in regions throughout the world. Share
your thoughts about development in your country; cool facts about a
new tool; Or simply help brainstorm around specific issues.
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=March_7_2024_GM
3. Five Regional Meetups in March
Regional Meetups are virtual gatherings, happening every two months,
that provide individuals from (or working on) a specific region with
the space to support each other, and collectively share updates so as
to better understand what is happening in their part of the world.
Check out the five we will be hosting in March, including the new
formed Francophone Africa and MENA meetup.
March 12 | Asia Meetup:
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=March_12_2024,_Asia_Meetup
March 14 | Francophone Africa and MENA Meetup:
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=March_14_2024,_Digital_Rights_in_Francophone_Africa_and_MENA_Meetup
March 20 | MENA Meetup:
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=March_20_2024,_MENA_Meetup
March 20 | LATAM Meetup:
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=20_de_Marzo,_2024_LATAM
March 21 | Africa Meetup:
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=March_21_2024,_Africa_Meetup
____________________________________________
### Digital Rights in the Community ###
1 . Major Victory for Digital Rights Activists, the US Finally
Sanctions Sandive Technology Used by Dictators to Censor the Internet
After years of lobbying from digital rights activists, the US
Department of Commerce added Sandvine to its Entity List, effectively
blacklisting it from doing business with American partners. Sandive
sells above-board technology to Internet Service Providers and telecom
companies to help them run their networks. However, it has often sold
that technology to regimes that have abused it, using it to censor,
shutdown, and surveil activists, journalists, and political opponents.
Sandvine has been known in digital rights circles for years, but
historically has floated below the eyeline of lawmakers and
regulators. The recent sanction is a major victory for digital rights
activists, showing companies cannot avoid responsibility when selling
dangerous products to bad actors.
https://www.wired.com/story/sandvine-us-sanctions-egypt-internet-censorship/
(paywall)
2. Signatures Sought by Coalition: Demand Meta Refrain from Censoring
Criticism Of Zionism
A coalition of 73+ international organizations have written to Meta
regarding a proposed revision of the company's hate speech policy
regarding the term “Zionist” and the potential to treat it as a proxy
for Jewish and/or Israeli. The letter shares that Zionist cannot be
separated from the political ideology of “Zionism” and both terms are
explicitly unique and different from Jewish and/or Israeli identities.
They share that Treating “Zionist” as a proxy will further silence
criticism of the Israeli military, government and Zionism itself, and
do little to impact actual antisemitism happening online.
An online
petition has also been launched, and individuals from around the
globe are being asked to sign it, to strengthen the demand that Meta
not further censor speech during the Israeli government’s genocidal
war on Gaza. Currently, over 47,000 signatures have been collected.
Petition:
https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/meta-we-need-to-talk-about-genocide
Letter:
https://7amleh.org/2024/02/11/a-coalition-of-international-organizations-demands-that-meta-refrain-from-censoring-criticism-of-zionism-on-its-platforms
3. Call for Applications for CRD’s Service Provider Incubator
The Center for Digital Resilience is inviting applications for the
second edition of their Service Provider Incubator program, a hands-on
development program designed to upskill and accelerate the development
of individuals motivated by supporting the digital safety of civil
society groups and human rights groups. It is open to applicants at
all technical levels and career states - advanced digital security
skills are not required. However, applicants should have a strong
interest in developing and improving their digital security knowledge
and skills, and be motivated by the opportunity to apply these skills
directly to supporting digital safety of at-risk CSOs HR groups.
Deadline is March 6 2024.
https://bit.ly/3OKDSJm
4. SMEX Launches Digital Rights Fund for West Asia and North Africa (WANA)
SMEX is launching the Digital Rights Fund for WANA, aimed at
empowering individuals, groups, and entities to effectively counter
digital rights threats and violations online. The grant has a maximum
of $10,000 USD, with focus areas being: Surveillance, Spyware and
Cybercrime; and Internet Censorship and Content Moderation. Applicants
must reside in the WANA.
https://smex.org/digital-rights-fund/
5. Reports from the Community:
a) Digital Dictatorship in Southeast Asia: Findings to be Shared on March 12
The ASEAN Regional Coalition to #StopDigitalDictatorship launched a
report which documents the ever-evolving digital landscape and its
profound impact on diverse identities, including marginalized
communities, in Southeast Asia. The report outlines how Southeast Asia
is plagued by digital authoritarianism that poses a severe threat to
fundamental human rights like freedom of speech, information, and
privacy. It calls for government accountability, legislature
safeguards, and tech company responsibility to counteract digital
authoritarianism in the region.
Finding will be shared on March 12
via an event, which you can join either via livestream or in-person.
Report:
https://www.manushyafoundation.org/post/launch-of-joint-report-series-by-the-asean-regional-coalition-to-stopdigitaldictatorship-dawn
Event RSVP:
bit.ly/RegLaunchEvent
b) 10 Million Instances of Violent Content Directed Against
Palenstinians in 2023
7amleh, the Arab Center for the Advancement of Social Media, has
released a new comprehensive report on the disturbing surge of hate
speech and incitement to violence directed at Palestinian people and
their advocates on online platforms in 2023. After October 7, every
minute saw an average of 23 violent or hateful content published
against Palestiians. The report also offers actionable
recommendations.
https://7amleh.org/2024/02/26/racism-and-incitement-index-7amleh-documents-10-million-instances-of-violent-content-in-hebrew-throughout-the-year-2023
c) Surveillance of Journalists and Blocking VPN Services in Russia, Belarus
Check out some of the findings of Privacy Day 2024, an online
conference organized by DRC Group and Privacy Accelerator. Experts
examined the recent trend of journalist surveillance through spyware,
illustrating specific case studies in places like Russia and Belarus.
They also addressed the blocking of VPN services and the extent of
their viability in regions with high levels of censorship.
https://roskomsvoboda.org/ru/analysis/pd-2024-surveillance/
e) Mozilla’s Elections Casebook
In the landscape of global elections, the commitment of tech giants to
safeguard electoral integrity remains in question. In this analysis of
public-facing announcements and interventions announced by large tech
platforms, Mozilla determined that platforms are consistently
unprepared for election cycles and under-resource election
interventions in the Global Majority.
https://foundation.mozilla.org/en/research/library/global-elections-casebook/casebook/
f) Access Now: Meta Systematically Censoring Palestinian Voices
Access Now reports how Meta is systematically silencing the voices of
both Palestinians and those advocating for Palestinians’ rights. They
delve into the roots of this censorship, highlighting how the company
must overhaul its rights-violating and discriminatory content
moderation policies and take action to avoid complicity in alleged war
crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide.
https://www.accessnow.org/publication/how-meta-censors-palestinian-voices/
g) SMEX Report on the Telecom Sector in Lebanon
SMES’s report “Searching for a Signal – The State of the Telecom
Sector in Lebanon” looks back at the roots of Lebanon's
telecommunication sector, its evolution, and how the industry evolved
along with its barriers to improvement. This research is a thorough
investigation of the telecom sector's history and how overlapping
challenges led to the state it is in today.
https://smex.org/research-searching-for-signal-lebanons-telecom-project/
________________________________________________
### Digital Rights Community Resources ###
1. AI Tool to Help Investigative Journalists Find Stories in Audit Reports.
Filipino journalist Jaemark Tordecilla created a custom GPT to advance
watchdog journalism, specifically how to find stories in audit
reports. He shares how he did, why it matters, and why he hopes to
inspire colleagues in other countries.
https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/news/i-created-ai-tool-help-investigative-journalists-find-stories-audit-reports-heres-how-i-did-it
2. Impact of Digitalization on Work in Developing Economies
New research from the International Labour Organization (ILO) points
to technology limitations in promoting development and structural
transformation. The report looks at work undertaken through digital
labour platforms – roles such as delivery couriers, drivers and care
workers – and tasks carried out on web-based platforms, including
professional services such as software programming.
https://www.ilo.org/global/about-the-ilo/newsroom/news/WCMS_914725/lang--en/index.htm
3. The Intersection of Digital Literacy with Regulation, Children’s
Wellbeing & Rights
To thrive in the ever-evolving digital environment children and young
people must gain digital literacy. But what difference does digital
literacy make to children’s wellbeing and rights? Check out what
researchers have to say.
https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/medialse/2024/02/22/unlocking-tomorrow-the-intersection-of-digital-literacy-wellbeing-and-childrens-rights/
________________________________________________
### Digital Rights in the Wider World ###
1. Iran Unveils Plan for Tighter Internet Rules to Promote Local Platforms
A new regulatory directive from Iran’s top internet governing body
shows how authorities hope to steer Iranians away from foreign
platforms and turn them towards local ones. The new rules have
wide-ranging ramifications for the country’s already constrained
Internet landscape, including further criminalizing the use of VPNs.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/2/24/iran-unveils-plan-for-tighter-internet-rules-to-promote-local-platforms
2. Pakistan X Disruption Continues: Rights Activists Say Free Speech
‘Critically Under Threat’
Pakistan continues to experience disruption of social media platform
X, despite a high court ruling to immediately restore it. The platform
went down on the night of February 17, when a senior government
official made a public admission of vote manipulation in the February
8 national election, which was marred by a mobile network outage and
delays in release of constituency results. Nighat Dad, a digital
rights activist, said while the disruption of X was a “blatant
violation of civil liberties,” it had sent out a message to the world
that Pakistan might not be a “good market” for them.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2466301/pakistan
3. Data of Almost 80 K Facebook Users Leaked
In 2019, Facebook experienced a significant data leak that affected
533 million users. Now, just a few years later, the social media
platform has experienced another data leak, this time affecting nearly
80k of its users. The ramifications of this breach can be severe.
Leaked email addresses and phone numbers can lead to crimes such as
phishing or vishing.
https://surfshark.com/research/chart/facebook-data-leak
4. Suspicious Accounts on X Amplify Allegations against United
Nations Relief and Works Agency
The Digital Forensic Research Lab at the Atlantic Council has
identified more than 130 suspicious X accounts that have the hallmarks
of a coordinated and targeted effort to amplify allegations against
the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) accusing it of
employing members of Hamas. The identified accounts exhibited multiple
indicators coordinated inauthentic behavior, including overlapping
account creation dates; consistent naming conventions; consistent use
of stock images; and verbatim or near-identical text, sometimes
published within the same minute.
https://dfrlab.org/2024/02/14/suspicious-accounts-on-x-amplify-allegations-against-unrwa/
4. Age Verification Tools Approach Won't Make the Internet Safer
Earlier this month, the Irish regulator, Coimisiún na Meán, assumed
new powers under EU’s online safety rules, Digital Service Act (DSA),
which requires online platforms to do more when it comes to policing
illegal content and the spread of disinformation. Ireland will play a
leading role in enforcing the regulations because so many of the big
tech firms have their European headquarters there. Civil society and
tech experts are criticizing requirements for age verification
obligations by platforms as dangerous. Policymakers are failing to
acknowledge the threat to surveillance and the risk to everyone’s
privacy online, and have shown that tools like age verification can
bring more harm to the very children the code aims to protect.
https://www.euronews.com/next/2024/02/08/the-sledgehammer-approach-of-age-verification-tools-wont-make-the-internet-safer
_________________________________________________
### 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
Grant On Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence
The U.S. State Department's Secretary’s Office of Global Women’s Issues
Deadline: March 5, 2024
https://grants.gov/search-results-detail/351666
Postdoctoral Fellowship - Center on Digital Culture and Society
University of Pennsylvania
Deadline: March 15, 2024
https://www.asc.upenn.edu/news-events/news/call-applications-postdoctoral-fellowship-center-digital-culture-and-society
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/
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/
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
What Is Happening in Digital Rights Around the World? (Glitter Meetup)
Team CommUNITY
March 7, 2024
9am EST / 2pm UTC
Online
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=March_7_2024_GM
Asia Meetup
Team CommUNITY
March 12, 2024
8am EDT / 12pm UTC
Online
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=March_12_2024,_Asia_Meetup
Open Data and Civic Tech to Circumvent Government Censorship and
Disinformation in Latin America (Glitter Meetup)
Team CommUNITY
March 14, 2024
9am EDT/ 1pm UTC
Online
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=March_14_2024_GM
Digital Rights in Francophone Africa and MENA Meetup
Team CommUNITY
March 14, 2024
9am EDT/ 1pm UTC
Online
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=March_14_2024,_Digital_Rights_in_Francophone_Africa_and_MENA_Meetup
MENA Meetup
Team CommUNITY
March 20, 2024
10am EDT / 2pm UTC
Online
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=March_20_2024,_MENA_Meetup
LATAM Meetup
Team CommUNITY
March 20, 2024
5:30pm EDT / 9:30pm UTC
Online
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=20_de_Marzo,_2024_LATAM
Africa Meetup
Team CommUNITY
March 21, 2024
11am EDT / 3pm UTC
Online
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=March_21_2024,_Africa_Meetup
The Social Networking Glitter Meetup
Team CommUNITY
March 28, 2024
9am EDT/ 1pm UTC
Online
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=March_28_2024_GM
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
✎ Administration and Operations Manager | Global Voices
+ Netherlands
https://globalvoices.org/2024/02/22/global-voices-seeks-an-administration-and-operations-manager/
✎ Fellow | ARTICLE 19
+ Remote
https://www.article19.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Call-for-Applications-2024-IoR-Fellowship-2.pdf
✎ Online Facilitator with trauma expertise | Chayn
+ Remote
https://c.chayn.co/online-facilitator
✎ Program Manager | Measurement Lab
+ Remote
https://www.measurementlab.net/jobs/2024-02/program-manager/
✎ Internet Freedom Nonprofit Seeks Rust Developer | Tor Project
+
Remote
https://www.torproject.org/about/jobs/rust-developer-network-team/
✎ Manager, Travel and Events Security | New York Times
+ NYC or
Washington, DC, USA
https://nytimes.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/NYT/details/Manager--Travel-and-Events-Security_REQ-016237?q=travel
✎ Communications Officer | The Organized Crime and Corruption
Reporting Project (OCCRP)
+ Remote in Europe or Amsterdam, The
Netherlands
https://www.occrp.org/en/occrp-jobs/communications-officer
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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### 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
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