Digital Rights Weekly | March 4 - 8
Team CommUNITY
team at digitalrights.community
Mon Mar 11 16:27:49 CET 2024
Hello Digital Rights Defenders!
Here is your weekly update on digital rights around the world for the
week of March 4 - 8. 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 - Deadline: April 15!
We highly encourage you to apply for a Global Gathering’s ticket as
soon as possible, as we are already seeing a huge demand. The
gathering will take place September 27, 28, and 29 in Estoril,
Portugal, and we have increased capacity to 1,000 folks.
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
Do you want to start to plan your trip?
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=Planning_Your_Trip
2. March 14: Open Data and Civic Tech to Circumvent Government
Censorship and Disinformation in LATAM (Glitter Meetup)
Join us to talk about how open data and civic tech improves people's
access to information, and institutions and authorities
accountability. We will learn about Abrimos.info, a new Latin American
organization based in México, focused on generating knowledge from
open data.
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=March_14_2024_GM
3. Regional Meetups in March - Starting on Tuesday 12 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:
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. Register for the Virtual School of Internet Governance
The Virtual School of Internet Governance (VSIG) is a free multi
module Massive Open Online Courseware dedicated to the key pillars of
Internet Governance. Their program includes weekly live sessions with
invited guest speakers. Discussion forums are part of the enriched
conversations they sustain to increase networking. Sign up for the
VSIG Group K running from September 9 to November 29:
https://forms.gle/uSQjWyRqD1r14e9b9
2. Grant Funding List from Least Authority
Check out the extended funding list that Least Authority’s team
compiled! Least Authority provides security consulting services
dedicated to empowering projects to be more secure.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1c8koZCI-GLnD8MG-eFcXPOBCNu1v8-aXIfwAAvc7AMc/edit#gid=0
Read more about Least Authority here:
https://leastauthority.com
3. Urgent Action Fund’s Rapid Response Grants
Urgent Action Fund’s Rapid Response Grants are a unique, flexible, and
short-term financing model created by the Urgent Action Fund (UAF) to
provide timely and strategic support for actions for the protection of
a diversity of women, trans and non-binary activists and their
organizations when they are at risk or under threat. UAF also supports
actions that respond to strategic opportunities to defend and promote
women's and LBTIQ+ rights:
https://sigueme.fondoaccionurgente.org.co
4. Türkiye: Big Tech Should Protect Free Speech and Resist State Censorship
Ahead of Türkiye’s municipal elections on 31 March 2024, ARTICLE 19,
Human Rights Watch, and 19 rights groups and journalists’
organizations jointly call on social media platforms to uphold the
free expression rights of their users and resist state censorship.
They should also fully disclose all government requests to restrict
accounts or content, and be transparent about informal government
pressure to restrict content on their platforms.
https://www.accessnow.org/press-release/turkiye-big-tech-municipal-elections/
5. Join the Palestine Digital Activism Forum 2024 on Artificial
Intelligence: Revolutionary Promises & Discriminatory Realities
Happening on June 4 and 5 this year, the eighth edition of the
Palestine Digital Activism Forum (PDAF 2024) aims to open a platform
for discussion, dialogue, and suggestion of policy and practical
proposals on AI and Palestinian digital rights. Activities during the
forum days will vary between sessions, workshops, and roundtable
discussions to exchange thoughts and ideas and coordinate work to
advocate for Palestinian digital rights and build the capacity of
activists and workers in digital rights.
https://2024.pdaf.net/about-theme-en
7amleh invites you to submit an event proposal in the AI and
Palestinian digital rights axis for the Palestine Digital Activism
Forum. Deadline: March 17th, 2024.
https://2024.pdaf.net/invitation
6. Data Must be Protected at Home and Abroad: Access Now Calls for
Legislation Following U.S. Executive Order
Access Now welcomes U.S. President Joe Biden’s Executive Order (EO)
restricting data sales to foreign countries but calls for
Congressional action. The EO aims to safeguard bulk sensitive personal
data of U.S. persons, refugees, and others, in addition to U.S.
government-related data from foreign governments.
https://www.accessnow.org/press-release/access-now-calls-for-a-more-inclusive-us-executive-order/
7. Reports from Our Community
a) Prevent & The Pre-Crime State: How Unaccountable Data Sharing is
Harming a Generation
Open Rights Watch looked at case studies, policies and guidance
supplied in the public domain and through freedom of information
requests and outlined a snapshot of how data is retained, stored, and
shared under Prevent, which is the arm in UK’s counter-terrorism
strategy. Prevent operates in the pre-crime space, in which no offense
has taken place. From the information gathered, it appears that the
retention of referee’s data lacks a policing purpose and the cases are
left on the systems for at least six years, and 100 years at most.
https://www.openrightsgroup.org/app/uploads/2024/02/ORG-Prevent-Report-Final-1UP.pdf
With access to personal data and no oversight, the revamped Prevent
could also pre-criminalise Palestine solidarity, targeting Muslims
opposing Israel’s war on Gaza.
https://www.newarab.com/opinion/prevent-tories-go-after-digital-rights-and-palestine
b) Resilience Technologies Report on Digital Resilience in Sub-Saharan Africa
Resilience Technologies released a report documenting findings and
insights from their digital resilience assessment programme for CSOs
in Sub-Saharan Africa. Their program evaluated the true state of
digital resilience of 8 civil society organizations across six
countries in the region, all of which work in different thematic
areas. They proposed the “Resilience Model” as a solution, a
Resilience Technologies’ model for designing and implementing true
digital resilience interventions for civil society organizations.
https://rtafrica.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/RT-10-Report.pdf
c) Filter Watch Report on Iran’s VPN Digital Policy: Prohibited but
not Criminalized
Filter Watch published an investigative report aiming to shed light on
the ambiguities surrounding the VPN filtering resolution and its
potential impact on internet governance and user rights in Iran. The
report looks at the resolution from Iran’s Supreme Concil of
CyberSpace titled 'Exploring Solutions to Increase the Share of
Domestic Traffic and Counteract Anti-Censorship Tools,' which includes
a contentious clause 6 that prohibits the use of VPNs.
https://filter.watch/en/2024/03/04/the-use-of-vpns-is-prohibited-but-not-criminalized/
d) Online Campaign Targeted Egyptian Economist After His Death in Custody
To mark the second anniversary of the death of prominent Egyptian
economist and government critic Ayman Hadhoud while in state custody,
the Digital Forensic Research Lab (DFRLab) reviewed Facebook and X
posts from 2022 to examine how a campaign exhibiting signs of
inauthentic coordination attempted to undermine Hadhoud’s reputation
posthumously. More than a dozen accounts posted identical or almost
identical text, often within a short span of time, to amplify a
government narrative that claimed, without evidence, that Hadhoud was
mentally ill before his sudden death.
https://dfrlab.org/2024/03/04/online-campaign-targeted-late-egyptian-economist/
________________________________________________
### Digital Rights Community Resources ###
1. Zoom Series: Free Palestine 101 for Tech Workers
Check out "Free Palestine 101 for tech workers", a four part zoom
series for tech workers and activists, organized by tech workers
including Google employees protesting Project Nimbus ($1.2B Israeli
military contract with Google). The info sessions target tech workers
and activists who don’t want to be complicit in – and instead
contribute to ending – Israeli oppression of the Palestinian people.
There are three more sessions happening on March 14, 21, and 28:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_n9bsPH1mSPuX97vsaZR3dg#/registration
2. The Security Planner Redesign is Now Live!
Use the Security Planner to cut down on data collection and protect
your sensitive personal information, health data, and geolocation.
Answer a few simple questions to get customized recommendations to
help you safely back up files, reduce online tracking, avoid phishing
scams, and prevent identity theft! The new design has a streamlined
and simplified layout, and new graphics:
https://securityplanner.consumerreports.org/
________________________________________________
### Digital Rights in the Wider World ###
1. Internet Shutdowns: Are We Likely to See More in 2024? And Chad’s
Internet Currently Down
Since the start of 2024, there have been 13 internet shutdowns,
compared to two cases over the same period last year. Digital rights
activists fear more blackouts as governments seek to control people’s
actions and what they see online. People in Sudan, Senegal, Comoros,
Pakistan and India are some of those who witnessed these blackouts.
https://www.context.news/digital-rights/internet-shutdowns-are-we-likely-to-see-more-in-2024
The Internet is currently being shut down in Chad. Although the
documentation showing the government has a history of internet
shutdowns.
https://pulse.internetsociety.org/shutdowns/internet-connectivity-disrupted-in-chad-amidst-unrest
2. European Court of Human Rights Confirms: Weakening Encryption
Violates Fundamental Rights
In a landmark judgment—Podchasov v. Russia—the European Court of Human
Rights has ruled that weakening of encryption can lead to general and
indiscriminate surveillance of the communications of all users and
violates the human right to privacy.
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2024/03/european-court-human-rights-confirms-undermining-encryption-violates-fundamental
The decision may ease pressure on U.S. social media companies to
provide workarounds that would let law enforcement review encrypted
messages.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/03/05/encryption-eu-human-rights-privacy-ruling/
3. US: Spyware Ruling a Welcome Step Towards Accountability for Those
Targeted with NSO Spyware
A U.S. district court has ordered Israeli spyware firm, NSO Group, to
disclose documents and code, related to its notorious Pegasus spyware,
to WhatsApp. The order is part of an ongoing lawsuit in which WhatsApp
alleges that NSO Group’s spyware was used to target 1,400 of its
users. This follows similar news in recent weeks in Poland and Spain
where parliamentary and judicial investigations are seeking to uncover
the truth behind numerous forensically documented cases of Pegasus
spyware misuse against political opponents.
https://www.amnestyusa.org/press-releases/us-spyware-ruling-a-welcome-step-towards-accountability-for-those-targeted-with-nso-spyware/
4. Critical Junctures: Digital Rights in Mexico, Civil Society in
Venezuela, and Respect for Human Rights in El Salvador
In Mexico, an upcoming Supreme Court decision poses a critical
juncture for digital rights and freedom of expression.
Venezuela’s controversial NGO bill threatens to further constrict
civic space, endangering the operations of organizations vital for
maintaining checks on power.
El Salvador’s recent elections foreshadow more challenges to press
freedom and democratic norms.
https://ifex.org/critical-junctures-digital-rights-in-mexico-civil-society-in-venezuela-and-respect-for-human-rights-in-el-salvador/
_________________________________________________
### 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
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
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
Localizing Security in a Box (Glitter Meetup:)
Team CommUNITY
March 21, 2024
9am EDT / 1pm UTC
Online
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=March_21_2024_GM
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
✎ Lead Mobile Developer | OpenArchive
+ Remote
https://open-archive.org/jobs/lead-developer
✎ Daniel Ellsberg Chair on Government Secrecy | Freedom of the Press Foundation
+ Remote or Hybrid in Washington DC or NYC, USA
https://freedom.press/jobs/?gh_jid=4358954005
✎ Senior Associate | Center on Privacy & Technology at Georgetown Law
+ Hybrid in Washington DC, USA
https://www.law.georgetown.edu/privacy-technology-center/opportunities/
✎ Grant Writer (seeking rapid support) | Center for Intimacy Justice
+ Remote
https://intimacyjustice.org/careers
✎ Research Manager Identity & Migration | Caribou Digital
+ Remote
https://caribou-digital.breezy.hr/p/9182c44b6092-research-manager-identity-and-migration
✎ Research Project Admin | Fairwork
+ Oxford, UK
https://fair.work/en/fw/blog/fairwork-is-hiring-a-research-project-administrator/
✎ HR & Office Manager | Bits of Freedom
+ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
https://www.bitsoffreedom.nl/2024/02/26/vacature-we-zoeken-een-hr-office-manager/
✎ Senior Grant Accountant | Lantern
+ Remote
https://lanternio.applytojob.com/apply/br2xttx9pf/Senior-Grant-Accountant
✎ AI Policy Program Manager | Mozilla Foundation
+ Germany, US, Canada, UK
https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/careers/position/gh/5779626/
✎ Partnership Development Consultant (Russia, Belarus, Ukraine) | Lantern
+ Remote
https://tinyurl.com/RUConsultant
✎ Executive Director | Access Now
+ San José, Costa Rica; New York, USA; Brussels, Belgium; or Berlin, Germany
https://accessnow.bamboohr.com/careers/201?source=aWQ9MjA%3D
✎ Investigations Editor | The Gecko Project
+ Remote (Between UTC and UTC+8)
https://thegeckoproject.org/articles/we-re-hiring-apply-to-be-our-new-investigations-editor/
✎ Program Manager | Belongg
+ Bangalore, India
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/belongg_belongg-roles-inclusive-tech-innovation-activity-7154009037229936640-m-FU
✎ Campaign DigiDem - Digital Mobilization | DigiDems/ Zinc Collective
+ Various Locations in USA
https://jobs.lever.co/zinccollective/0ce8f5d0-0ca2-4880-8810-0ad8f1b7e0dc
✎ Campaign DigiDem - Digital Comms | DigiDems/ Zinc Collective
+ Various Locations in USA
https://jobs.lever.co/zinccollective/57061f2e-86b3-470b-9f6b-c778377e0d21
✎ Campaign DigiDem - Data | DigiDems/ Zinc Collective
+ Various Locations in USA
https://jobs.lever.co/zinccollective/281d4bca-1278-4226-97ca-864e3c475cbb
✎ Data Fellow | Dalberg Data Insights
+ Nairobi, Kenya
https://hvi07sddb4m.typeform.com/to/furUHyGE
✎ Cataloguing Team Coordinator | Hong Kong Accountability Archive
+ Remote in USA
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZX7feKiYcaj_zO_O7tL_0us-QPgvyRIk/view
✎ Data Management Specialist | Hong Kong Accountability Archive
+ Remote in USA
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZX7feKiYcaj_zO_O7tL_0us-QPgvyRIk/view
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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