Digital Rights Weekly | November 11 - 15

[Team CommUNITY]

Hello Digital Rights Defenders!

Here is your weekly update on digital rights around the world for the
week of November 11 - 15. As a reminder, you can submit your news for
the newsletter here:
https://www.digitalrights.community/weekly-newsletter

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### Team CommUNITY (TCU) ###

1. Give us Your Feedback to Improve this Newsletter!

Every week, at
the top of the newsletter, we will include a link to the following
Riseup Pad, where you can leave comments and suggestions anonymously
on how we can make this service more valuable to you:

https://pad.riseup.net/p/TCUFeedback-keep


2. TCU Events in November: Regional Meetups, Town Halls, and More!

Nov. 20 | Digital Rights LATAM Meetup
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=20_de_Noviembre,_2024_LATAM

Nov. 21 | Digital Rights Africa Meetup
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=November_21_2024,_Africa_Meetup
Nov. 21 | What is Happening in Digital Rights Around the World? (Glitter Meetup)
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=November_21_2024_GM

Nov. 27 | Digital Rights MENA Meetup
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=November_27_2024,_MENA_Meetup


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### Digital Rights in the Community ###

1. Funding Opportunity: The Prototype Fund

The Prototype Fund is a funding program for independent developers and
small teams creating innovative open-source software. The fund
provides tech-savvy civil society with access to the resources and
processes needed for developing user-centered, innovative software
projects.
Deadline to apply: January 2, 2025.

https://new.prototypefund.de/en/


2. Call for Participation: Inclusive Web Devroom at FOSDEM

FOSDEM is a free event for software developers to meet, share ideas
and collaborate. Every year, thousands of developers of free and open
source software from all over the world gather in Brussels. The 2025
edition will take place on February 1 - 2.  They are currently looking
for session proposals on areas related to privacy, accessibility,
localization, and inclusivity on the web, Deadline: November 30, 2024.

https://github.com/Inclusive-Web-Devroom/fosdem-2025/blob/main/CFP.md


3. Conference “The Color of Surveillance: Surveillance / Resistance”

“Color of Surveillance: Surveillance / Resistance” is happening in
Washington, D.C.
on November 18, 2024. Participants can join in person
or online. The event, started by the Center on Privacy & Technology,
puts racial and economic justice at the center of conversations about
digital era surveillance. Register:

https://www.law.georgetown.edu/privacy-technology-center/events/the-color-of-surveillance-surveillance-resistance/



4. TCU Staff and other Community Members Interviewed for Report on
Building Safety and Inclusion in Broadband

A recent report takes a deep dive into the expansion of broadband
access in the USA, highlighting  the importance of building safety and
cybersecurity into digital inclusion efforts.
Author Greta Byrum
interviewed TCU staff for the report, which provides recommendations
to state and territory broadband offices regarding what they can do to
mitigate potential harms. Read “Building Safety Into Digital Inclusion
Efforts: Risks and Opportunities in the Digital Equity Act”:

https://www.digitalrights.community/blog/building-safety-into-digital-inclusion-key-takeaways-from-the-report-on-the-usas-digital-equity-act


5. Signal Unveils New Features

Check out the Signal’s new call features, available in the latest
versions of Signal for Android, iOS, and Desktop. Some updates include
creating call links to let anyone on Signal quickly join a call,
raising the hand button, use emoji reactions in calls, and more.

https://signal.org/blog/call-links/


6. Digital Futures Symposium "Sovereignty and Agency in the Age of AI"

The 2024 Digital Futures Symposium will bring together a diverse group
of technologists, policy makers, scholars, and ethicists to carry out
scenario-based policy research into the global impacts of the AI
transition and the various legislative and policy efforts to
strengthen digital sovereignty, especially in the majority world.
"Sovereignty and Agency in the Age of AI" will take place on November
20. Public participation will be available virtually. Register:

https://www.newamerica.org/planetary-politics/events/online-on-sovereign-ai/


7. Calls from Our Community

a) UN: Take Action on Case of British-Egyptian Activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah

ARTICLE 19 and 26 other human rights organizations have appealed to
the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention on behalf of
writer and activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah, who remains arbitrarily
detained in Egypt.

https://www.article19.org/resources/un-take-action-on-case-of-british-egyptian-activist-alaa-abd-el-fattah/


b) #KeepItOn: Authorities in Kenya Must Restore Access to Telegram &
Protect People’s Rights

The #KeepItOn coalition wrote a letter to seek clarification on the
ongoing disruption of the digital communications application Telegram
in Kenya. The coalition, made up of over 334 organizations from 105
countries, are calling for authorities to restore access to the
message app.

https://www.accessnow.org/press-release/authorities-in-kenya-must-restore-access-to-telegram/


8. Reports from Our Community

a) Tech Workers Share Stories of Suppression of Palestinian Advocacy
in the Workplace

A new report by 7amleh features testimonies from current and former
employees of major technology companies, revealing how their advocacy
for Palestinian rights has affected their workplaces. Workers from
organizations such as Meta, Google, PayPal, Microsoft, LinkedIn, and
Cisco also shared insights into corporate efforts to suppress freedom
of expression on this issue.

https://7amleh.org/2024/11/11/tech-workers-testimonies-stories-of-suppression-of-palestinian-advocacy-in-the-workplace-en


b) AI-powered Welfare System in Denmark Fuels Mass Surveillance &
Risks Discriminating Against Marginalized Groups | Amnesty Report:

The Danish welfare authority, Udbetaling Danmark (UDK), risks
discriminating against people with disabilities, low-income
individuals, migrants, refugees, and marginalized racial groups
through its use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools to flag
individuals for social benefits fraud investigations.

https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2024/11/denmark-ai-powered-welfare-system-fuels-mass-surveillance-and-risks-discriminating-against-marginalized-groups-report/

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### Community Resources  ###

1. The Images of Spain’s Floods Weren’t Created by AI. The Trouble Is,
People Think They Were

The rapid growth of content created by artificial tools, known as AI
slop, is starting to warp our perception of what is, or could be,
real. A recent photograph of a street in Valencia capturing damage
caused by massive flooding was mistaken for an AI-generated image.
This rise of AI-created content is eroding trust in real photos, while
the growing dependency for AI-generated content threatens to further
reduce the quality of social media.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/nov/09/the-images-of-spains-floods-werent-created-by-ai-the-trouble-is-people-think-they-were

2. Silicon Valley’s Right Wing Notches Victories Nationwide & in California

While Elon Musk spent election night alongside Donald Trump, venture
capitalists like Marc Andreessen, Joe Lonsdale, and executives at
Peter Thiel’s venture fund celebrated Trump’s win, which they predict
would usher in a new anti-woke, light-on-regulation regime that will
be a boon for the tech industry.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2024/nov/07/silicon-valley-tech-election-victories-musk-trump

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


1. Russia’s Blocks Thousands of Websites That Use Cloudflare's Privacy Service

On October 6, Russia’s media censor, Roskomnadzor, blocked thousands
of local websites using Cloudflare’s Encrypted Client Hello (ECH), an
encryption feature that protects user information during the initial
stages of a secure connection, and makes it more difficult for third
parties to track which sites users are visiting.

https://therecord.media/russia-blocks-thousands-of-websites-that-use-cloudflare-service


2. ‘Foreign Agent’ Laws Target Online Media in Eastern and Southeast Europe

Countries in Eastern and Southeast Europe pushed forth legislation
against foreign-funded NGOs and media. In Hungary, the newly
established Sovereignty Protection Office has branded groups and
investigative outlets as "foreign agents," accusing them of
manipulating public opinion and serving foreign interests. Meanwhile,
in Turkey, the ruling AKP party is pushing for a controversial
"foreign agents law" that would impose prison sentences on individuals
accused of producing foreign-backed propaganda. Check out the October
edition of Balkan Insights, which monitors digital rights violations
in the region.

https://balkaninsight.com/2024/11/12/digital-rights-review-foreign-agent-laws-target-online-media/


3. As Israel Destroys Infrastructure, Will Lebanon Be Cut Off From the
Outside World?

Lebanon could be on the brink of an internet blackout, the government
has warned, as Israel's brutal assault destroys vital
telecommunications infrastructure and leaves hundreds of transmission
towers out of service.To deal with this, the government is in talks
with two European companies to establish an alternative
satellite-based Internet system, saying they could not wait for the
outcome of talks with Elon Mus’s SpaceX and its Starlink service to
finalize.

https://www.newarab.com/news/will-lebanon-face-internet-blackout-war-damages-telecoms


4. One Million New Members Join Bluesky as Users Flee X After US election

Social media platform Bluesky has picked up more than 1 million new
users since the US election, as users seek to escape misinformation
and offensive posts on X. The influx, largely from North America and
the UK, has helped Bluesky reach nearly 15 million users worldwide, up
from 9 million in September, the company said.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2024/nov/12/us-election-bluesky-users-flee-x-twitter-trump-musk


5. French Newspapers Sue X Over Allegedly Running Their Content Without Payment

Several leading French newspapers have said they are suing the social
media platform X, accusing it of running their content without
payment. The joint action against the company run by the US
billionaire Elon Musk is being led by several daily newspapers – Le
Figaro, Les Echos, Le Parisien and Le Monde – and includes other
titles such as the culture magazine Telerama, Courrier International,
HuffPost, Malesherbes Publications and the Nouvel Obs news weekly.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/nov/12/french-news-titles-sue-x-over-allegedly-running-their-content-without-payment

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### 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

Breakout Program
eQualitie
Deadline: November 17, 2024
https://splintercon.net/breakout/

Palestinian Journalist Fellowship
Deadline: November 27, 2024
https://logicmag.io/palestinian-journalist-fellowship/

Residential Institute on Frontiers & Frames for a New Digitality 2025
School of Digital Justice, IT for Change and Fair, Green and Global Alliance
5 days in March 2025 (date and time to be confirmed)
Deadline: November 30, 2024
https://itforchange.net/call-for-applications-residential-institute-on-frontiers-and-frames-for-a-new-digitality-2025

Digital Freedom Fund
December 2, 2024 and February 17, 2025
https://digitalfreedomfund.org/grants/

NobleReach Scholar Program
Deadline: December 4, 2024
https://noblereach.smapply.us/prog/2025_noblereach_scholars_program_/

AI-Cybersecurity Essay Prize Competition
Munich Security Conference (MSC) and Binding Hook
Deadline: 2 January, 2025
https://bindinghook.com/ai-cybersecurity-essay-prize-competition/

The Prototype Fund
Deadline: January 2, 2025
https://new.prototypefund.de/en/

European AI & Society Fund
AI Accountability Grants
Deadline: January 6, 2025
https://europeanaifund.org/funding/

Funding Opportunity for Internet Freedom Programs from U.S. Department of State
Deadline for statements of interest: January 9, 2024
https://www.state.gov/bureau-of-democracy-human-rights-and-labor-request-for-statements-of-interest-drl-internet-freedom-annual-program-statement-2/

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

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

Open Tech Fund
Deadline: Rolling
https://apply.opentech.fund

Digital Impact Alliance Fellowship
Deadline: Rolling
https://dial.global/apply-to-our-fellows-program/

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

Apoyos de Respuesta Rápida
Fondo Acción Urgente
Deadline: Rolling
https://fondoaccionurgente.org.co/es/que-hacemos/apoyos-de-respuesta-rapida

Open Briefing’s Responsive Assistance
Deadline: Rolling Basis
https://www.openbriefing.org/support/referral/

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### Events Calendar ###

Digital Investigation Residency
Tactical Tech
November 18 - 22, 2024
Berlin, Germany
Applications closed: August 30, 2024.
https://exposingtheinvisible.org/en/news/call-investigation-institute-2024/

Conference “The Color of Surveillance: Surveillance / Resistance”
Washington, D.C., and online
November 18, 2024
https://www.law.georgetown.edu/privacy-technology-center/events/the-color-of-surveillance-surveillance-resistance/

Digital Rights LATAM Meetup
Team CommUNITY
November 20, 2024
5:30pm EST / 10:30pm UTC
Online
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=20_de_Noviembre,_2024_LATAM

What is Happening in Digital Rights Around the World? (Glitter Meetup)
Team CommUNITY
November 21, 2024
9am EST / 2pm UTC
Online
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=November_21_2024_GM

Digital Rights Africa Meetup
Team CommUNITY
November 21, 2024
10am EST / 3pm UTC
Online
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=November_21_2024,_Africa_Meetup

Fighting Disinformation: Tools and Strategies for Fact-Checking
AMWAJ
November 25, 2024
Online
https://amwaj-alliance.com/tabadul/fighting-disinformation-tools-and-strategies-for-fact-checking/

South Eastern European Dialogue on Internet Governance Youth School 2024
Deadline to apply: September 30, 2024
November 25 - 26, 2024
Belgrade, Serbia
https://seedig.net/youth-school/

Digital Rights MENA Meetup
Team CommUNITY
November 27, 2024
9am EST / 2pm UTC
Online
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=November_27_2024,_MENA_Meetup

2024 Global Voices Summit
December 6 - 7, 2024
Kathmandu, Nepal
https://summit2024.globalvoices.org/

Virtual School of Internet Governance
January 14, 2025 - April 1, 2025
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdxElbmLzzGNUpUuoW3jDieHkNZpvO35hhDDlH9-Ia8jwKNww/viewform

FOSDEM
February 1-2, 2025
https://fosdem.org/2025/

RightsCon
February 24 - 27, 2025
Taiwan
https://www.rightscon.org/registration/

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

✎ Reporter, Middle East | Rest of World
+ Middle East
https://restofworld.org/about/hiring/reporter-middle-east/

✎ Science Residency Program | Astera
+ Emeryville, California
https://astera.org/first-residency-cohort/

✎ Digital Communication Specialist | Institute for War and Peace Reporting
+ Remote / Middle East and North Africa
https://iwpr.bamboohr.com/careers/449

✎ Disinformation Specialist: LGBTQIA+ | Institute for War and Peace Reporting
+ Remote / Middle East and North Africa
https://iwpr.bamboohr.com/careers/444

✎ Project and Research Coordinator | Open Future
+ Remote in Europe (Based in the Netherlands preferred)
https://openfuture.eu/project-and-research-coordinator/

✎ Programmes Weaver | Numun Fund
+ Remote
https://links.numun.fund/programmesweaver

✎ Co-Executive Director | Digital Action
+ Remote
https://digitalaction.co/join-our-team/

✎ Operations and Governance Lead | Transform Health
+ Remote
https://transformhealthcoalition.org/opportunity/operations-and-governance-lead/

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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