Digital Rights Weekly | July 28 - August 1

[Team CommUNITY]

Hello Digital Rights Defenders!

Here is your weekly update on digital rights around the world for the week of July 28 - August 1. 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. IFEX: Getting to Know Their Work in Freedom of Expression

IFEX is a global network of over 100 member organizations across 70 countries, dedicated to promoting and defending freedom of expression as a fundamental human right. We talked with their Executive Director, Rachael Kay, to learn more about their history, members, and key initiatives.

https://www.digitalrights.community/blog/community-series-ifex

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### Community News ###
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1. Montreal Group Takes Campaign to Restore U.S. Foreign Aid to Times Square

A Montreal-based organization promoting democracy and digital rights is using a billboard in New York’s iconic Times Square to urge Americans to resist cuts to U.S. foreign aid. The director of eQualitie shared “A retreat by the United States will mean that the weight balances in favour of digital authoritarianism…”

​​https://meadowlakenow.com/2025/07/25/montreal-group-takes-campaign-to-restore-u-s-foreign-aid-to-times-square/


2. CinemataCMS 2.0 Is Launching on July 31!
  
After four years of supporting video advocacy in the Asia-Pacific, Cinemata.org is going fully open-source. This new release—CinemataCMS 2.0—offers a community-driven alternative to Big Tech platforms, purpose-built for filmmakers, human rights defenders, educators, and environmental advocates. Learn more about the project:

https://engagemedia.org/2025/cinematacms-launch/


3. Join the SASHA Beta Test - An Image Protection App

This is your chance to try the SASHA app early to help ensure it works as intended and share valuable feedback before the official launch. Sasha is a new solution focused on helping users discover and track the misuse of their photos online. You can download the version for your device here:


- iOS (iPhones): https://testflight.apple.com/join/YCT5YAKa
​- Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=eu.sasha.app

They are also asking that users complete a short questionnaire after testing to help them improve the app:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSedyiEAMrhtoLCG9fZlxDKidxW6rlcIhSmLhGs9xWaGVEq7tw/viewform?usp=dialog


4. Happy Birthday to EFF, that Turns 35

Check out reflections from EFF executive director, Cindy Cohn, and what's ahead, sharing that there is still a lot to do.

https://www.theregister.com/2025/07/24/eff_turns_35/

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### NEW Job Opportunities  ###
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✎ Product Engineer (Front-end focus, mid-level) | OneProject.org
+ Remote
http://oneproject.org/job/?id=6642173003

✎ Executive Director | Media Democracy Fund
+ Remote (East Coast, US Preferred)
https://www.npag.com/mdf-ed

✎ Feminist Digital Security and Holistic Protection Training | Equality Fund
+ Remote
https://equalityfund.bamboohr.com/careers/103

✎ Programme Lead, FOC Support Unit | Global Partners Digital
+ UK
http://apply.workable.com/global-partners-digital/j/70F1120BE0/

✎ Operations Officer | Global Partners Digital
+ UK
http://apply.workable.com/global-partners-digital/j/809B2FB68D/

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### Community Resources  ###
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1. Siegel Family Awards Nearly $17 Million in Grants

The Siegel Family Endowment, a foundation focused on shaping the impact of technology on society, announced nearly $17 million in grants to organizations pioneering innovative approaches to learning, work, and community-centered infrastructure design. This comprehensive funding cycle reflects the Foundation's ongoing commitment to ensuring communities can actively shape and benefit from technological transformation, rather than simply adapt to it.

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/siegel-family-endowment-awards-nearly-17-million-in-grants-to-advance-future-ready-learning-workforce-development-and-community-centered-innovation-302515855.html


2. Guide: How to Access Funding from the EU (Even if You’re Based in an LMIC or the USA)

The European Union is one of the world’s largest public donors, but navigating its ecosystem can be daunting. Applications are often consortium-based, highly structured, have strict guidelines and processes, and require smart strategy and planning. This guide breaks it down: how it works, who can apply, what they fund, and how to position your organization to access EU support — even if you’re based far from Brussels.

https://impactfunding.substack.com/p/how-to-access-funding-from-the-eu


3. Citizen Lab On New Season of CBC’s Understood

Ron Deibert, director of the Citizen Lab, discusses the history of digital threats on a new season of CBC’s “Understood. In episode, “Who broke the internet,” he shares that despite progress in public policy, such as a past US executive order to restrict mercenary spyware, there is a grim future ahead, as the current US administration is coming after academic watchdog groups and universities.

https://www.cbc.ca/listen/cbc-podcasts/1353-the-naked-emperor/episode/16157907-introducing-click-here-or-citizen-lab-is-still-chasing-shadows


4. US Administration New Policies and Tech Visions: Student Visas and Social Media, and Artificial Intelligence Action Plan

The US administration’s new policy is a dangerous expansion of existing social media collection efforts. In 2019, the State Department required that visa applicants disclose their social media handles—a policy EFF has consistently opposed. The new policy is making a new requirement for applicants of student and exchange visas. They must set all social media accounts to “public” for government review. If applications refuse to unlock their accounts or otherwise don’t maintain a social media presence, the government may interpret it as an attempt to evade requirements or hide activity.

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2025/07/you-shouldnt-have-make-your-social-media-public-get-visa

Meanwhile, the administration has released a long-awaited action plan on artificial intelligence that called for slashing regulations and hastening US deployment of the technology. The 28-page roadmap, “Winning the AI Race: America’s AI Action Plan,” recommends a raft of policies spanning federal procurement, research and development, infrastructure, energy, and more. It was accompanied by a trio of executive orders that target “woke” AI systems with “ideological biases,” support the export of a US AI stack overseas, and accelerate data center projects. Here are the topline takeaways from the moves:

https://www.techpolicy.press/unpacking-trumps-ai-action-plan-gutting-rules-and-speeding-rollout/


5. Why Freedom of Expression Must Be the Centerpiece of Systemic Risk Assessments

Meta's Oversight Board published a new paper on why it believes it is crucial that human rights, particularly freedom of expression, are placed at the center of systemic risk assessments – in order to safeguard speech, rather than to restrict it.

https://www.oversightboard.com/news/why-freedom-of-expression-must-be-the-centerpiece-of-systemic-risk-assessments/

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### Digital Rights in the Wider World ###
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1. Microsoft Shareholders Take Action on Reported Links to Gaza Attacks

A cohort of Microsoft investors has filed a shareholder resolution calling for the tech giant to assess its human rights due diligence processes on the back of reports its technologies are being used to harm Palestinians. At least sixty shareholders have co-filed the resolution, representing more than $80m in Microsoft shares, with the resolution slated to go to a vote at the company’s AGM later this year.

https://investment-international.com/News/microsoft-shareholders-take-action-on-reported-links-to-gaza-conflict/


2. Russia: Internet Shutdown 650 Times in June


According to Russian internet monitoring project Na Svyazi, authorities shut down the internet more than 650 times in June alone, most frequently in the cities of Nizhny Novgorod, Saratov, Tula, Omsk, and Rostov. Meanwhile in Moscow, internet shutdowns intensified during May’s Victory Day celebration. Now Russian authorities look set to tighten their iron grip over the internet even further, by potentially blocking WhatsApp across the country in a bid to push people onto highly surveilled, government-controlled messaging services instead.

https://www.accessnow.org/russias-record-war-on-connectivity/


3. Iran: Internet Shutdown, Cyber Attacks, and New Proposed Cyber Law

Amid the fallout from the recent war between Israel and Iran, Iran’s already fragile digital economy has taken a severe hit. With the regime shutting down internet access across large parts of the country, the damage to online businesses has been catastrophic. According to Sattar Hashemi, the regime’s Minister of Communications, the sector has suffered losses amounting to 15 trillion tomans.

https://irannewsupdate.com/news/society/irans-digital-economy-crippled-by-internet-shutdown-and-cyber-attacks-amid-12-day-war/

Meanwhile, a new cyber bill has been proposed that would give authorities sweeping new powers to block and punish online content.

https://iranhumanrights.org/2025/07/iran-proposed-cyber-bill-gives-authorities-sweeping-new-powers-to-block-and-punish-online-content/


4. India’s 7 Major Railway Stations to Get AI Surveillance and Facial Recognition
   
Seven major Indian railway stations, including Mumbai's CST and New Delhi Railway Station, are set to receive AI-powered facial recognition surveillance systems. This technological upgrade aims to modernize security measures and enhance passenger safety across these busy hubs, but has raised critics.

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/travel/news/indias-7-major-railway-stations-to-get-ai-surveillance-and-facial-recognition-these-railway-stations-are/articleshow/122820837.cms


5. Denmark Becomes the First Country to Copyright Face and Voice Against AI

Denmark is set to become the world’s first country to let citizens copyright their own face, voice, and likeness to fight AI-generated deepfakes. This groundbreaking amendment to Danish copyright law was proposed on June 26, 2025, and has gained cross-party support.

https://voice.lapaas.com/denmark-first-country-copyright-face-voice-ai/


6. CEO of OpenAI Warns There’s No Legal Confidentiality When Using ChatGPT

ChatGPT users may want to think twice before turning to their AI app for therapy or other kinds of emotional support. According to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, the AI industry hasn’t yet figured out how to protect user privacy when it comes to these more sensitive conversations, because there’s no doctor-patient confidentiality when your doc is an AI.

https://techcrunch.com/2025/07/25/sam-altman-warns-theres-no-legal-confidentiality-when-using-chatgpt-as-a-therapist/


7. EU Commission Presents Template for General-Purpose AI Model Providers to Summarise the Data Used to Train Their Model

The Commission has published a template to help General-Purpose AI (GPAI) providers summarise the content used to train their model. This template is a simple, uniform and effective manner for general-purpose AI providers to increase transparency in line with the AI Act, including making such a summary publicly available.

https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/library/explanatory-notice-and-template-public-summary-training-content-general-purpose-ai-models


8. Meta to Pull Political Ads in EU in Response to New Disinformation Rules

Meta will stop running political advertising in the EU from October, criticising “unworkable requirements” under a new European law designed to increase transparency in digital campaigning.

https://www.ft.com/content/c05bcb1d-f032-46cc-8f6c-c1f29ee0e465

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### Statements from Our Community ###
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1. Sign the Petition: It's Time to Defend Encryption Worldwide

At Mozilla Foundation, their message is simple: Encryption is a global public good. The UK government just proved why this matters globally. Their recent demand wasn’t just about accessing data from UK users — they wanted Apple to create a backdoor to encrypted iCloud data that would compromise users everywhere, regardless of nationality. With recent reports that the UK may back down under international public pressure, they are on the verge of sending a crucial message: these attacks on encryption can be stopped. Sign the Petition: It's Time to Defend Encryption Worldwide:

https://www.mozillafoundation.org/en/campaigns/defend-encryption-worldwide/

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### Events Calendar ###
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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

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

Feminist Digital Security and Holistic Protection Training
Deadline: August 10, 2025
https://equalityfund.bamboohr.com/careers/103

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

Pasantías Para la Seguridad y Resiliencia Digital en América Latina
Derechos Digitales
Cierre de postulaciones: 15 de agosto, 2025
https://www.derechosdigitales.org/25638/nueva-convocatoria-al-programa-de-pasantias-para-la-seguridad-y-resiliencia-digital-en-america-latina/

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

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

WSA Young Innovators Award 2025
Deadline: October 31, 2025
https://wsa-global.org/wsa_categories/wsa-young-innovators/

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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