Digital Rights Weekly | July 14 - 18

[Team CommUNITY]

Hello Digital Rights Defenders!

Here is your weekly update on digital rights around the world for the week of July 14 - 18. As a reminder, you can submit your news for the newsletter here:
https://www.digitalrights.community/weekly-newsletter

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. Upcoming Digital Rights Town Halls and Community Knowledge Shares:

July 24 | What is Happening in Digital Rights Around the World?
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=July_24_2025_GM

July 30 | Cybersecurity with Chinese Characteristics (Digital Rights Asia Meetup)
https://digitalrights.formstack.com/forms/lessons_from_asia_july_2025

July 31 | The Power and Relevance of Humanizing Tech and Digital Rights Through Storytelling
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=July_31_2025_GM

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### Community News ###
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1. Mass Firings at the US State Department Begin: Among them are DRL, Internet Freedom Personnel

USA's Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, has begun mass firings at the State Department, with over 1,100 civil servants and 250 foreign service officers receiving notifications. However, nearly 3,000 employees are expected to leave the department. This includes individuals that were part of the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL), which housed the Internet Freedom program. Under the current administration’s new reorganization plan, 132 offices will be removed, and 137 offices will be folded within the department. Earlier this month, the end of USAID was formalized.

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5397578-rubio-mass-firings-state-department/


2. How Amnezia VPN is Fighting Internet Censorship with Open-Source Technology

Check out a recent interview with Amnezia VPN’s Founder, Mazay Banzaev, and Ana D, Amnezia VPN’s Product Manager published by the leading Indian tech outlet Medianama. In the interview, Amnezia VPN’s team discusses how they are fighting internet censorship and globally using open-source technology. The material also highlights the launch of Amnezia VPN’s free version specifically for Indian users.

https://www.medianama.com/2025/07/223-how-amnezia-vpn-bypasses-ai-censorship/


3. Join the Recently Launched Friends of 7ameleh Network

The Friends of 7amleh network has been launched. For a commitment of $10 a month, members will gain exclusive access to conversations with digital rights experts and receive a bi-monthly newsletter, featuring deeper insights into 7ameleh advocacy efforts and future plans, including those focused on defending Palestinian digital rights.

https://7amleh.org/donate


4. Reports From Our Community:

a) TRIED: Truly Innovative and Effective AI Detection Benchmark

WITNESS released its new report, TRIED: Truly Innovative and Effective AI Detection Benchmark, a groundbreaking framework to evaluate and improve AI detection tools amid the rising threat of generative AI and deceptive synthetic media. Based on case submissions from WITNESS’ Deepfake Rapid Response Force’s, the expertise of its AI detection specialists, as well as global consultations with journalists, fact-checkers and leading technologists, WITNESS endeavours to shape the AI detection space for effectiveness and innovation.

https://www.witness.org/ai-detection-global-benchmark-witness-2/


b) YouTube Traffic as a Democracy Barometer in Belarus

The team at Factcheck.by, an independent fact-checking initiative from Belarus, published an in-depth data analysis of YouTube traffic trends across independent and state-controlled Belarusian channels, using public data from the Google Transparency Report. The report covers the period from 2020 through mid-2025, including waves of protests, elections, and intensifying political repression in Belarus, focusing on how audiences respond to political events and state-controlled messaging.

https://factcheck.by/eng/news/youtube-traffic-democracy-barometer/


c) New Research Shows Online Platforms use Manipulative Design to Influence Users Towards Harmful Choices

New research by Bits of Freedom investigated social media platforms Facebook, Snapchat and TikTok, and e-commerce platforms Shein, Zalando and Booking.com for their use of manipulative design. The worrying findings indicate that these platforms continue to influence the choices of users to their detriment despite being prohibited by laws.

https://edri.org/our-work/new-research-shows-online-platforms-use-manipulative-design-to-influence-users-towards-harmful-choices/

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### NEW Job Opportunities  ###
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✎ Operations Manager | Glitch
+ Remote in the UK
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1g_lp5-mazxTEJ4e4Cz2OVLBjuaSwH7jjGIG523ILURA/edit?tab=t.0

✎ Research Consultant - Human Rights and AI | Privacy International
+ Not Specified
https://privacyinternational.org/opportunities/5619/research-consultant-human-rights-AI

✎ Cybersecurity Program Manager | Associated Press
+ NYC, NY, USA
https://careers.ap.org/job/New-York-Cybersecurity-Program-Manager-NY-10281/1307672700/

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### Community Resources  ###
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1. Russian Edition: New Recommendations to Setup Outline Websockets + Nginx On Your Server

Check out this article, written in Russian, which explains how to reconfigure connection using the new recommended method - websockets + Outline. The guide walks you through the process step by step.

https://codepoetry.ru/post/nastraivaiem/


2. Meta AI’s Darker Side

What distinguishes Meta AI is its deep integration into social media and messaging apps that users are already embedded in. Rather than being accessed through a separate platform, Meta AI appears directly within the user interface on Meta’s apps, often alongside the search bar or message threads.

https://smex.org/meta-ais-darker-side/


3. RSVP for July 23: Cybersecurity Q&A for Nonprofits

RipRap Security, a firm dedicated to helping nonprofits, B Corps, and purpose-driven organizations protect their staff, data, reputation, and mission, is offering a free cyber security Q&A for nonprofits on July 23, 2025, at 3pm EDT/ 7pm UTC. You will get the chance to ask a progressive cyber security professional any questions you have and hear what others ask too. This is a free service. Register:

https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/W_i5J5OxThqbDnXSORbeXA#/registration


4. Inside Africa’s Internet Shutdown Economy: Why And Who Pays The Price?

Internet shutdowns, state-backed policies that deliberately cut off access to the internet or mobile networks, are increasingly common in Africa. Access Now and the #KeepItOn coalition documented 21 shutdowns across 15 African countries in 2024 alone, surpassing previous years. Africa’s internet shutdown economy is a paradox: governments claim to champion digital transformation while severing the very connectivity that drives it. This creates a vicious cycle, deepening digital poverty and stalling Africa’s progress toward inclusive growth.

https://technext24.com/2025/07/11/inside-africas-internet-shutdown-economy/


5. Old Tricks, New Tech: How Legacy Media Capture Fuels Today’s Digital Authoritarianism

Authoritarian regimes are adapting old media-capture tactics to the digital age—using state broadcasters, oligarch-owned outlets, and Big Tech platforms to suppress dissent and spread disinformation. This article unpacks how legacy strategies now fuel digital authoritarianism, and why public-interest media and stronger safeguards are urgently needed.

https://www.techpolicy.press/old-tricks-new-tech-how-legacy-media-capture-fuels-todays-digital-authoritarianism/

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### Digital Rights in the Wider World ###
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1. EFF’s New Court Filing: IRS’s Data-Sharing Deal with ICE will Lead to ‘Dangerous’ Mistakes

The EFF is pushing back on the IRS’s data-sharing agreement with the Department of Homeland Security, writing in a new court filing that the pact violates federal tax code and fails to take into account the real-world consequences of bulk data disclosure. An amicus brief was filed by EFF this past Tuesday in the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit. EFF also made the case for why the bulk disclosure of taxpayer information — in this case to Immigration and Customs Enforcement — is especially harmful due to “record linkage errors” that set the stage for “an increase in mistaken and dangerous ICE enforcement actions against taxpayers.”

https://fedscoop.com/irss-data-sharing-deal-with-ice-will-lead-to-dangerous-mistakes-digital-rights-group-argues/


2. Former Mexican President Investigated Over Allegedly Taking Bribes From Spyware Industry

Mexican Attorney General Alejandro Gertz Manero announced Tuesday that he has launched a probe into allegations that former Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto took bribes from Israeli businessmen who allegedly paid him as much as $25 million to secure government contracts for spyware and other technology.

https://therecord.media/former-mexican-president-investigated-spyware-bribes


3. Russia Moves to Centralize Mobile Internet Shutdowns Amid Rise in Ukrainian Drone Attacks

Russia is preparing nationwide regulations that would centralize the authority to shut down mobile internet access as outages due to Ukrainian drone attacks have become a regular occurrence across the country, the pro-Kremlin daily Izvestia reported Tuesday, citing government and telecom industry sources.

https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/07/15/russia-moves-to-centralize-mobile-internet-shutdowns-amid-rise-in-ukrainian-drone-attacks-a89824


4. Rights Groups Say the Ban of YouTube Channels in Pakistan is an Attack on Press Freedom

The current government in Pakistan has been accused of cracking down on all forms of dissent and political opposition in the country by misusing state institutions. Right groups call a Pakistan court’s order to shut down over two dozen YouTube channels belonging to opposition parties, critical independent journalists, and others an assault on press freedom and critical voices and demand its immediate withdrawal.

https://peoplesdispatch.org/2025/07/10/rights-groups-say-the-ban-of-youtube-channels-in-pakistan-is-an-attack-on-press-freedom/


5. Exclusive: Evidence of Cell Phone Surveillance Detected at Anti-ICE Protest

Mobile network anomalies consistent with cell phone surveillance were detected at a July 4 protest at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office in Washington state. Those anomalies, according to an independent analysis by Straight Arrow News, suggest that a device known as an IMSI catcher may have been used to collect identifying information on cell phones at the protest site.

https://san.com/cc/exclusive-evidence-of-cell-phone-surveillance-detected-at-anti-ice-protest/


6. Turkey Blocks Grok Content, Becoming First Country to 'Censor' the AI Chatbot

A Turkish court decided to block some content from Grok, the artificial intelligence tool developed for the social media platform X, after it allegedly insulted both the Turkish president and Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey. “Turkey has become the first country to censor Grok,” said Yaman Akdeniz, a legal expert on censorship, in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/turkey-blocks-grok-content-censor-xs-ai-chatbot


7. How Meta Platforms Ireland Ltd. May Have Violated EU Sanctions and Channeled Money to RT, Sputnik and Other EU-sanctioned Entities

Facebook pages affiliated with RT, Sputnik and other EU sanctioned entities were among Meta’s active partner-publishers for months after being subject to EU financial sanctions. Some of these partnerships remain active as of June 2025.

https://www.whattofix.tech/publications/bankrolling-sanctioned-entities/


8. Italy’s Piracy Shield sparks EU scrutiny over digital rights

The EU is examining whether Italy’s ew anti-piracy system, Piracy Shield, complies with the Digital Services Act and Open Internet rules. The tool, launched by the Italian communications regulator AGCOM, allows authorities to block suspicious websites within 30 minutes. However, its speed and lack of judicial oversight have raised legal concerns. Critics argue that individuals are denied the right to defend themselves before action. Another point of contention is governance - SP Tech, the company managing the system, directly benefits from anti-piracy enforcement.

https://dig.watch/updates/italys-piracy-shield-sparks-eu-scrutiny-over-digital-rights


9. Swiss AI For Public Good: A ProSocial AI Blueprint For The World?

Current Artificial intelligence development resembles a high-stakes race between tech giants. But Switzerland has chosen a different path. The Swiss AI Initiative's forthcoming large language model represents more than just another technological milestone, it embodies a transformative vision of how AI can be systematically designed, deployed and governed to serve humanity's highest aspirations.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/corneliawalther/2025/07/14/swiss-ai-for-public-good-a-prosocial-ai-blueprint-for-the-world/

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### Statements from Our Community ###
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1. Exigimos Investigación a Fondo Sobre Red de Empresas Intermediarias Vinculadas en la Compra y Uso Ilegal de Pegasus

Las organizaciones ARTICLE 19, Red en Defensa de los Derechos Digitales (R3D) y SocialTIC expresan su condena ante las recientes revelaciones sobre la presunta corrupción, lavado de dinero y delitos fiscales relacionados con la adquisición del software espía Pegasus durante el gobierno de Enrique Peña Nieto.

https://socialtic.org/blog/exigimos-investigacion-a-fondo-sobre-red-de-empresas-intermediarias-vinculadas-en-la-compra-y-uso-ilegal-de-pegasus/

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### Events Calendar ###
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South-to-South AI Accountability CoLab
The Pulitzer Center
June - July, 2025
https://pulitzercenter.org/south-south-ai-accountability-colabs-peer-learning-circle

Cybersecurity Q&A for Nonprofits
July 23, 2025
3pm EDT/ 7pm UTC
Online
https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/W_i5J5OxThqbDnXSORbeXA#/registration

What is Happening in Digital Rights Around the World? (Glitter Meetup)
Team CommUNITY
July 24, 2025
9am EDT /1pm UTC
Online
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=July_24_2025_GM

2025 Oxford Media Policy Summer Institute
Jesus College, Oxford
July 28 - August 8, 2025
https://www.law.ox.ac.uk/oxford-media-policy-summer-institute

Cybersecurity with Chinese Characteristics (Digital Rights Asia Meetup)
Team CommUNITY
July 30, 2025
4pm Taiwan Time / 8am UTC
Online
https://digitalrights.formstack.com/forms/lessons_from_asia_july_2025

The Power and Relevance of Humanizing Tech and Digital Rights Through Storytelling (Glitter Meetup)
Team CommUNITY
July 31, 2025
9am EDT /1pm UTC
Online
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=July_31_2025_GM

HOPE_16
August 15 - 17, 2025
St. John's University in Queens, New York City, and online
https://hope.net/

The Digital Rights Asia-Pacific Assembly (DRAPAC)
August 26 - 27, 2025
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
https://drapac.net/25/

Online Course: Threat Sharing and Digital Forensics from a Feminist and Human Rights Perspective
Digital Defenders Partnership
September - December, 2025
https://www.digitaldefenders.org/online-course-threat-sharing-and-digital-forensics-from-a-feminist-and-human-rights-perspective/

Global Gathering 2025
Team CommUNITY
September 8 - 10, 2025
Estoril, Portugal
https://www.digitalrights.community/blog/2025-global-gathering-application

MyData 2025 Conference
Helsinki
September 24 - 26, 2025
https://conference.mydata.org/2025

Hold Before You Send It
Digihub Africa 2025
October 8 - 9, 2025
Johannesburg, South Africa
https://www.digihubafrica.org/events/

SEEDIG Youth School 2025
October 10 - 11, 2025
Athens, Greece
https://seedig.net/youth-school/

Bread&Net
SMEX
October 29 - 31
Beirut, Lebanon
https://breadandnet.org/

Mozilla Festival 2025
November 7 - 9, 2025
In Barcelona, Spain
https://www.mozillafestival.org/en/

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 ###
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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

African Women in Data Science Fellowship
African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD)
Deadline: July 31, 2025
https://awardfellowships.org/news/call-for-applications-now-open-for-the-inaugural-cohort-of-the-african-women-in-data-science-fellowship-2025/

Pulitzer Center’s AI Accountability Fellowships
Deadline: August 11, 2025
https://pulitzercenter.org/blog/open-call-proposals-pulitzer-centers-ai-accountability-fellowships-2025-2026

Imperial College Research Fellowships
Deadline: August 18, 2025
https://www.imperial.ac.uk/research-and-innovation/research-office/funder-information/research-fellowships/icrf/

Connecting the Unconnected Funding Program
Internet Society
Deadline: August 27, 2025
https://www.internetsociety.org/funding-areas/connecting-the-unconnected

Digital Democracy Centre x TrygFonden Fellowship Program
Deadline: September 15, 2025
https://www.sdu.dk/en/forskning/forskningsenheder/samf/digitaldemocracycentre/ddcxtrygfonden-fellowship-call-2026

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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www.digitalrights.community
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