Digital Rights Weekly | February 10 - 14

Mon Feb 17 15:58:25 CET 2025

Hello Digital Rights Defenders!

Here is your weekly update on digital rights around the world for the 
week of February 10 - 14. As a reminder, you can submit your news for 
the newsletter here:
https://www.digitalrights.community/weekly-newsletter

NOTE: We are temporarily changing the placement of specific sections in 
the newsletter to better respond to members’ current needs. What is in 
this issue:

Team CommUNITY
Community News
NEW Job Opportunities
Community Resources
Digital Rights in the Wider World
Statements from our Community
Events Calendar
Grants, Fellowships, & Awards

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### Team CommUNITY (TCU News) ###
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1. Help Us Plan the 2025 Global Gathering - Fill Out a 4 MInute Survey

While Team CommUNITY has been impacted by the recent USG funding freeze  
- we have decided to move forward with hosting the 2025 Global Gathering 
(GG), which will take place on September 8, 9, and 10 in Portugal.  More 
than ever, we strongly believe it's important for the digital rights 
community to gather and mobilize around challenges.

However, for this to happen, we need your help. Please fill out this 
survey, which should take less than five minutes to complete.

https://digitalrights.formstack.com/forms/2025_global_gathering

2. Upcoming February Digital Rights Town Halls and Regional Meetups

Feb 18 | Digital Rights Asia Meetup
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=February_18_2025,_Asia_Meetup

Feb 19 | Digital Rights LATAM Meetup
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=19_de_Febrero,_2025_LATAM

Feb 20 | Supporting Furloughed Employees Town Halls (Glitter Meetup)
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=February_20_2025_GM

Feb 26 | Digital Rights Africa Meetup
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=February_26_2025,_Africa_Meetup

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### Community News ###
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1. European Union to Mobilise €200 Billion for AI investment

Europe will mobilize €200 billion (around $209 billion USD) for 
investment in artificial intelligence. 10% of this money will be 
earmarked for AI gigafactories, which, according to the European 
Commission, is needed to allow for “collaborative development” of the 
most complex AI models.
https://www.euronews.com/next/2025/02/11/eu-to-mobilise-200-billion-for-ai-investment

2. Call for Concept Notes: Civic Space Monitoring for Connect, Defend, Act!

With support from the Norwegian government, Hivos is implementing a 
five-year project called ‘Connect, Defend, Act!’. The project aims to 
counter shrinking civic space and amplify civil society-led action in 
Colombia, Indonesia, Malawi and Palestine (oPt) by supporting civil 
society actors in their efforts to defend and expand civic space. 
Deadline to apply: March 4, 2025.

https://hivos.org/call/call-for-partners-to-implement-community-of-action-grant/

3. OSV Fellowships & Grants 2025
The O’Shaughnessy Fellowships & Grants program aims to bring 
researchers, builders, and creatives from all over the world to 
discover, build, and spread innovative ideas. Deadline: February 28, 2025.
https://forms.osv.llc/fellowships2025

4. The Tony Elumelu Foundation Opens Applications for 2025 
Entrepreneurship Programmes

Aspiring and existing entrepreneurs from across Africa are invited to 
apply for the Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) 2025 Entrepreneurship 
Programmes. Selected applicants will have the chance to receive 
world-class training, expert mentoring, and non-refundable seed capital 
funding to scale their businesses. Deadline to apply: March 1, 2025.

To apply: https://www.tefconnect.com/all-program

More info: 
https://www.tonyelumelufoundation.org/press-releases/the-tony-elumelu-foundation-opens-applications-for-2025-entrepreneurship-programmes

5. Global Fund for Community Foundations

The Global Fund for Community Foundations offers small grants to support 
the development of community philanthropy organizations globally. These 
grants address complex local issues like social cohesion, environmental 
concerns, and women’s and youth rights, among others. Applications are 
accepted on a rolling basis:

https://globalfundcommunityfoundations.org/what-we-do/grants/apply-for-a-grant/

6. Call for 2025-26 Institute for the Cooperative Digital Economy 
Applications

The Institute for the Cooperative Digital Economy (ICDE) at The New 
School is accepting applications for the 2025-2026 Fellowship Program. 
This program offers a unique opportunity for researchers examining the 
intersection of cooperatives, unions, and the solidarity economy in the 
digital age. Deadline to apply: February 28, 2025.

https://platform.coop/blog/open-call-for-applications-for-the-2025-2026-icde-fellowship-program/

7. Reports from Our Community

a) Targeted Threats Research - South & North Korea, a Breakdown of 3 
Years of Civil Society Threat Research

This research paper provides an analysis of three years of data from 
five civil society organizations (CSOs) in South Korea. The findings 
show that social engineering was the primary initial attack vector, with 
spear-phishing links to malware payloads being the most common method of 
initial access.

https://www.0x0v1.com/targeted-threats-research-south-north-korea/

b) Emerging Issues in Digital Rights in Africa: A Discussion Paper for 
the African Declaration on Internet Rights and Freedoms Coalition

Stakeholders have identified a wide range of emerging digital rights 
issues with both global significance and specific relevance to Africa. 
These include challenges such as algorithmic bias, data sovereignty, 
equitable access to digital infrastructure, and safeguards against 
surveillance abuses. To address these complexities, there is a growing 
consensus on the need to update the African Declaration on Internet 
Rights and Principles.

https://africaninternetrights.org/en/node/2604

c) Network Security Issues in RedNote

Citizen Lab analyzed the social networking and e-commerce platform 
RedNote on Android and iOS for network security issues and found that 
all versions fetch viewed images and videos over HTTP, allowing network 
eavesdroppers to access the content users are browsing. Read the report 
to learn more about the findings and recommendations.

https://citizenlab.ca/2025/02/network-security-issues-in-rednote/

d) Advancing Digital Rights in 2025: Trends, Challenges and 
Opportunities in the UK, EU and Global Landscape

This report—produced in collaboration with Demos and supported by the 
Government of the Republic of South Korea—examines the evolving digital 
rights landscape in the UK, the EU, and beyond. It assesses the current 
challenges and new approaches to advancing digital rights governance, 
providing the backdrop for a united call for the UK government to 
develop and adopt a UK Declaration of Digital Rights & Principles.

https://www.oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk/publications/advancing-digital-rights-in-2025-trends-challenges-and-opportunities-in-the-uk-eu-and-global-landscape

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### NEW Job Opportunities  ###
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✎ Director of AI for Individual Rights | Human Rights Foundation
+ San Francisco Bay Area/New York City + Remote
https://hrf.org/career/director-of-ai-for-individual-rights/?mc_cid=a9b86b4baa&mc_eid=bb03ff98d9

✎ Project Manager | Open Society
+ Nairobi, Dakar, Johannesburg
https://osfglobal.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/OSF/job/Nairobi/Program-Manager_JR-0003667?source=LinkedIn

✎ Postdoctoral Researcher in OSINT & Information Disorder | Social Media 
for Democracy (SoMe4Dem), University of Amsterdam
+ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
https://werkenbij.uva.nl/en/vacancies/postdoctoral-researcher-in-osint-information-disorder-netherlands-13781

✎ Program Manager | World Press Institute
+ Minneapolis/St. Paul, USA (open to hybrid)
https://worldpressinstitute.org/news/were-hiring/

✎ Systems and Security Technical Lead | The Citizen Lab
+ Toronto, Canada
https://jobs.utoronto.ca/job/Toronto-Systems-and-Security-Technical-Lead-ON/589050117

✎ State Engagement Lead | Center for Democracy & Technology
+ Hybrid in Washington, DC, USA
https://cdt.org/job/state-engagement-lead/

✎ Chief of Staff | Benetech
+ Remote
https://www.paycomonline.net/v4/ats/web.php/jobs/ViewJobDetails?job=173566&clientkey=826D80A7D25FCF45C6D864B22F38D060

✎ Technical Programs Project Manager | Personified Tech
+ Remote in USA
https://personified-tech.breezy.hr/p/7fb577b8a613-technical-programs-project-manager

✎ Senior Digital Security Trainer | Freedom of the Press Foundation
+ Brooklyn, NY or Remote in USA
https://freedom.press/careers/job/?gh_jid=4526817005

Want to see more jobs? OR have a job opening you want us to promote? 
https://www.digitalrights.community/job-board

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### Community Resources  ###
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1. Podcast Episode: Don’t Leave AI Reporting to the Experts

This month Lighthouse Reports discusses how journalists can investigate 
the ways AI is shaping the world around us and push for accountability 
from the companies and governments responsible for its use. They discuss 
tips on how to incorporate AI reporting into your beat, how to frame AI 
investigations, and identify leads.

https://www.lighthousereports.com/dont-leave-ai-reporting-to-the-experts/

2. Controlling YouTube Shows That Russia is Getting Better at Online 
Censorship

Russia’s throttling of YouTube is a milestone in the country’s 
long-running battle over internet control. As governments worldwide 
embrace digital sovereignty and the global internet fragments, the space 
for Russia’s critical voices is ever shrinking.

https://carnegieendowment.org/russia-eurasia/politika/2025/02/russia-youtube-block-attempt?lang=en 

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### Digital Rights in the Wider World ###
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1. Tired of Spotty Internet, Bolivians Are Smuggling in Starlink

Bolivia’s internet comes from a Chinese-built satellite, and 
connectivity is patchy. Demand for contraband Starlink kits has grown 
since the company was denied a license last year. The telecoms authority 
said it is considering easing regulations for low-orbit satellites.

https://restofworld.org/2025/bolivians-smuggle-starlink-to-escape-china-backed-internet/

2. Plans to Monitor Social Media for Threats and Negative Comments About ICE

USA's Immigration and Customs Enforcement is planning to increase its 
online monitoring initiatives to observe any negative sentiments people 
make online and collect information on individuals who make threats 
against ICE personnel or facilities. According to their 15 page 
statement of objectives, they are seeking companies who can help monitor 
comments online, as well as the dark web, and use geolocation, facial 
recognition, and create psychological profiles.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/ice-monitor-social-media-negative-b2697219.html

3. Telecom Outages Impact Livelihoods in Myanmar’s Rakhine

Telecommunications outages in western Myanmar’s Rakhine state have 
persisted for nearly 100 days, impinging on its more than 3 million 
residents' right to information and livelihoods.

https://www.rfa.org/english/myanmar/2025/02/12/myanmar-rakhine-telecom-outage/ 

4. X Blocked Access to 126 Accounts in Turkey

Social media platform X blocked access to 126 accounts following the 
February 5 ruling of an Ankara judge that cited the need for “protection 
of national security and public order”.

https://www.turkishminute.com/2025/02/12/x-blocked-access-to-126-accounts-in-turkey-rights-watchdog/ 

5. UN Accused of Censoring Criticism of Saudi Arabia at Flagship 
Internet Conference

United Nations officials removed criticisms of the Saudi government from 
the official record of a UN-organized internet governance conference in 
Riyadh in December 2024, and retaliated against civil society organizations

https://www.hrw.org/news/2025/02/06/un-censors-criticism-saudi-arabia-internet-conference 

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### Recent Statements from our Community ###
____________________________________________

1. China: Draft Internet ID Measure Threatens to Tighten Online Censorship

Chinese Human Rights Defenders (CHRD) and ARTICLE 19 issued an analysis 
of the proposed Internet ID Measure in China. Although not yet adopted, 
if enacted, the measure will further restrict online freedom of 
expression and access to information, hinder the work of human rights 
defenders, breach international human rights standards, and risk adding 
to increasingly repressive internet governance norms internationally.

https://www.article19.org/resources/china-draft-internet-id-measure-tightening-online-censorship/ 

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### Events Calendar ###
__________________________________________

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

Digital Rights Asia Meetup
Team CommUNITY
February 18, 2025
7am EST / 12pm UTC
Online
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=February_18_2025,_Asia_Meetup

Digital Rights LATAM Meetup
Team CommUNIY
February 19, 2025
5:30pm EST / 10:30pm UTC
Online
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=19_de_Febrero,_2025_LATAM

The New Empire of AI: The Future of Global Inequality
New America
February 19, 2025
10:30am ET
Online
https://events.newamerica.org/thenewempireofaithefutureofglo

10th Festival of Innovation and Social Technology
February 20, 2025
Bogota and Online
https://www.fits.ong/

Supporting Furloughed Employees Town Halls (Glitter Meetup)
Team CommUNITY
February 20, 2025
9am EST / 2pm UTC
Online
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=February_20_2025_GM

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

Digital Rights Africa Meetup
Team CommUNITY
February 26, 2025
9am EST / 2pm UTC
Online
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=February_26_2025,_Africa_Meetup

The Hong Kong Accountability Archive (Glitter Meetup)
Team CommUNITY
February 27, 2025
9am EST / 2pm UTC
Online
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=February_27_2025_GM

Check out a list of our virtual events here:
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=Calendar_of_Events

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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 

Research Fellow
Digispace Africa
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe4SnxLAjP3OYBDhMQRZlLMXBWuZVDpqy2tVqM_fRawQuP2cg/viewform

Digital Freedom Fund
Deadline: February 17, 2025
https://digitalfreedomfund.org/grants/

Information Controls Fellowship Program
Open Technology Fund
Deadline: February 28, 2025
https://www.opentech.fund/fellowships/icfp/

Tarbell Fellowship for AI Reporting
Tarbell Center for AI Journalism
Deadline: February 28, 2025
https://www.tarbellfellowship.org/programme

The Institute for the Cooperative Digital Economy
The New School
Deadline: February 28, 2025
https://platform.coop/blog/open-call-for-applications-for-the-2025-2026-icde-fellowship-program/

O’Shaughnessy Fellowships & Grants
Deadline: February 28, 2025
https://forms.osv.llc/fellowships2025

2025 Entrepreneurship Programmes
The Tony Elumelu Foundation
Deadline: March 1, 2025
https://www.tefconnect.com/all-program

Strengthening Independent Public Interest Journalism in Europe
Civitates
Deadline: March 2, 2025, 23:59 (CET)
https://civitates-eu.org/funding-opportunity/call-for-proposals-strengthening-independent-public-interest-journalism-in-europe/

The Sepal Fund
The Calyx Institute
Deadline: March 3, 2025
https://calyxinstitute.org/projects/the-sepal-fund

Cross-Border Media Literacy Projects
Deadline: March 6, 2025
https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/funding/call-proposals-cross-border-media-literacy-projects

NGI Zero Commons Fund
Reclaim the Public Nature of the Internet
Deadline: April 1, 2025
https://nlnet.nl/commonsfund/

Are you looking for grants, fellowships and funds open on a rolling 
basis? We curate a long list of opportunities on our wiki: 
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=Fundraising_Opportunities

__________________________________________

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(((Hugs & light)))

--
Team CommUNITY at ARTICLE 19
www.digitalrights.community
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