Digital Rights Weekly | March 17 - 21

[Team CommUNITY]

Hello Digital Rights Defenders!

Here is your weekly update on digital rights around the world for the 
week of March 17 - 21. 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. 2025 Global Gathering Applications Are Now Open!

Applications for the 2025 Global Gathering (GG) are now open! Join us in 
Estoril, Portugal, from September 8–10, for three days of networking and 
collaboration on the most urgent technology-related challenges affecting 
human rights, civil society, and journalists at local, regional, and 
global levels. With participants from over 144 countries and 1,000 
organizations, the GG aims to foster collaboration and solidarity across 
disciplines. In 2025, the event will adopt a more self-organized format, 
with a focus on innovative grassroots approaches to technology, secure 
communications, and organizational sustainability. Learn more about it 
and apply:

https://www.digitalrights.community/blog/2025-global-gathering-application


2. JOSA: Getting to Know Their Work on Open Technology and Privacy in Jordan

The Jordan Open Source Association (JOSA) works toward a better Jordan 
through openness in technology, believing the Internet should remain 
open and accessible to everyone, with no technical, legal, or physical 
barriers to devices, networks, or content. We spoke with their Senior 
Program Officer in Internet Freedom, Haitham Dahboor, and their Program 
Officer in Digital Social Innovation and Research, Yara Alrafie, to 
learn more about their projects, such as Aman Raqami and Nuha, as well 
as the most important digital rights challenges in Jordan.

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


3. Join TCU’s Community Skill Sharing Webinars:

The Community Knowledge Share workshops are back! These webinars are 
designed to deepen your knowledge in specific areas and connect you with 
others interested in the same topics. RSVP using the links below:

April 16 | Tech, Policy & Support: SMEX's Work in Action
RSVP: https://digitalrights.formstack.com/forms/lessons_from_mena_april_2025

April 30 | Digital Rights Organizational Analysis: Lessons from Gambia
RSVP: 
https://digitalrights.formstack.com/forms/lessons_from_gambia_april_2025


4. Upcoming Digital Rights Town Halls and LATAM Regional Meetup:

March 27 | Target Threats Research: A Breakdown of 3 Years of Civil 
Society Threat Research in South & North Korea (Glitter Meetup)
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=March_27_2025_GM

April 3 | What is Happening in Digital Rights Around the World? (Glitter 
Meetup)
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=April_3_2025_GM

April 10 | Network Measurements - How to Gather and Use Evidence of an 
Internet Shutdown Happening in Your Country? (Glitter Meetup with OONI)
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=April_10_2025_GM

April 17 | The Social Networking Glitter Meetup
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=April_17_2025_GM

April 23 | Digital Rights LATAM Meetup
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=23_de_Abril,_2025_LATAM

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### Community News ###
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1. Innovation Call: Short Innovation Projects 2025

EIT Culture & Creativity invites consortiums from two different EU 
member states or HE-associated countries to submit proposals for the 
2025 Short Innovation Projects, supporting high-impact initiatives that 
address pressing challenges in the Cultural and Creative Sectors and 
Industries. The goal is to accelerate commercialization and address 
issues like globalization, digital transformation, AI, and 
sustainability. Deadline: April 11, 2025.

https://eit-culture-creativity.eu/short-innovation-projects-2025/


2. VinFuture Prize Nomination

The VinFuture Foundation is accepting nominations for the 2025 VinFuture 
Prize award season. The prize was established to honor scientific 
research and breakthrough technological innovations that can make a 
significant difference in the daily lives of millions of people. The 
awards recognize outstanding inventors and researchers from 
universities, academies, and research labs around the world, as well as 
inventors in professional research environments.
Deadline for nomination: April 17, 2025.

https://vinfutureprize.org/vinfuture-prize-nomination/


3. CryptoRave 2025 in São Paulo, Brazil

CryptoRave is an annual, open, and free event that brings together a 
variety of activities focused on security, encryption, hacking, 
anonymity, privacy, and network freedom, spanning 24 hours. CryptoRave 
2025 will take place on May 16 and 17, 2025, in São Paulo, Brazil. 
Registration is open and applications will be accepted until March 28, 2025.

https://cpa.cryptorave.org/cryptorave-2025/cfp


4. Call for Contributions: Navigating Digital Power in Asia

Common Edge Asia is calling for contributions that examine the deepening 
grip of digital power, the forces sustaining it, and the movements 
working to reclaim it. Submissions may take the form of essays, 
research, case studies, investigative analysis, or creative and 
speculative works. Deadline: April 14, 2025.

www.commonedge.asia/digitalpower/


5. Webinar: Pioneering New Approaches to AI Through Participation

The webinar aims to advance the practice of participatory AI in Africa 
by convening researchers and practitioners of participatory methods in 
AI, in addition to defining the continent's participatory needs for AI 
and establishing a community of Africans who can formulate a shared 
vision for policy action. When? March 31, 2025, from 1 pm to 3 pm 
Central African Time. This webinar is happening ahead of the Global AI 
Summit on Africa taking place in Kigali. Read more and register:

https://pairs25.notion.site/PAIRSx-Africa-Pioneering-new-approaches-to-AI-through-Participation-1b4260e24e1a80ffa143e3f5533d7907



6. Google’s Summer 2025 U.S. Google Public Policy Fellowship

The Google Public Policy Fellowship program offers students interested 
in Internet and technology policy the opportunity to spend a semester 
working on these issues at public interest organizations based in 
Washington, D.C. They're looking for majors and degrees students who are 
passionate about technology, and want to spend the semester diving 
headfirst into Internet policy. Deadline: April 4, 2025.

https://www.google.com/policyfellowship/usa/faq/


7. Reports from Our Community

Virtue or Vice? A First Look at Paragon’s Proliferating Spyware Operations

The first Citizen Lab investigation into Israel-based spyware company 
Paragon Solutions reveals multiple threads linked to the proliferation 
of its mercenary spyware operations across the globe. This four-section 
report includes an infrastructure analysis of Paragon’s spyware product, 
Graphite; a forensic analysis of infected devices belonging to members 
of civil society; and a closer look at the use of Paragon spyware in 
Canada and Italy.

https://citizenlab.ca/2025/03/a-first-look-at-paragons-proliferating-spyware-operations/

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### NEW Job Opportunities  ###
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✎ Developmental Research Lecturer in AI, Government, & Policy | Oxford 
Internet Institute
+ Oxford, UK
https://www.oii.ox.ac.uk/people/vacancies/

✎ Director of Development | WITNESS
+ Remote in Brussels, Belgium
https://witness.bamboohr.com/careers/60

✎ Phd Position: Health-Related (Mis)Information on Social Media | 
Technical University of Munich
+ Flexible (Munich/Remote)
https://portal.mytum.de/jobs/wissenschaftler/NewsArticle_20250310_150608

✎ Technology Researcher | SMEX
+ Lebanon, Beirut
https://daleel-madani.org/civil-society-directory/smex/jobs/technology-researcher

✎ WordPress-Joomla Consultant | CIVICUS
+ Remote
https://civicus.org/index.php/component/content/article/7532-terms-of-reference-wordpress-joomla-civicus-lens-integration-project

✎ Conseiller.ère, Gouvernance de l'IA | Mila
+ Hybrid in Montreal, Canada
https://apply.workable.com/mila-2/j/6891AC08AF/

✎ Communications and Media Officer | EDRi
+ Brussels, Belgium
https://edri.org/take-action/careers/edri-is-looking-for-a-communications-and-media-officer-permanent/

✎ Junior or Senior Technology Assessor | Stitching NLnet
+ Hybrid in Amsterdam, The Netherlands
https://edri.org/take-action/careers/nlnet-is-hiring-for/
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### Community Resources  ###
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1. The Future of the Internet is Likely Smaller Communities, With a 
Focus on Curated Experiences

A new survey from The Verge and Vox Media addresses this moment of 
internet fragmentation. The goal of the work was to redefine what online 
communities will be in a post-social media era of emerging AI and Google 
Zero. And as brands look to hold onto the internet of the past, the term 
“community” will become a loaded word, with brands and platforms trying 
to use it more often to reach their ideal consumer.

https://www.theverge.com/press-room/617654/internet-community-future-research 



2. Back to Cash: Life Without Money in Your Pocket is Not the Utopia 
Sweden Hoped

Nordic countries were early adopters of digital payments. Now, 
electronic banking is seen as a potential threat to national security.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/mar/16/sweden-cash-digital-payments-electronic-banking-security 



3. Podcast Episode: What Do We Lose When We Use Terms Like 'Seggs' Online?

While it's a testament to human creativity and the malleability of 
language to adapt to new forms and social norms, the rise of algospeak 
could also be seen as evidence of our evolving relationship with the 
concept of free speech. Internet culture writers Rebecca Jennings & 
Noelle Perdue discuss how censorship affects online relationships

https://www.cbc.ca/arts/commotion/what-do-we-lose-when-we-use-terms-like-seggs-online-1.7482596 



4. RedNote Walks China’s Digital Tightrope

After TikTok was banned, Chinese-owned lifestyle app RedNote became 
unexpectedly popular with US users, fostering a unique cross-border 
connection between US and Chinese netizens. As authorities in China 
debate balancing censorship rules with the app's international reach, 
some suggest an adaptive regulatory approach might be undertaken.

https://eastasiaforum.org/2025/03/18/rednote-walks-chinas-digital-tightrope/ 



5. Explicit or Educational: Is Big Tech Censoring Women’s Health?

 From women's health start-ups to reproductive healthcare groups, many 
say their social media posts are being censored, online paid 
advertisements rejected and digital accounts suspended.

https://www.context.news/big-tech/advocates-say-online-erasure-of-womens-health-is-dangerous 



6. The Consequences of Digital Violence Against Women

Online attacks against women are getting worse, according to the UN, 
causing lasting damage that can spill over into real world violence. 
Leading activists from Spain and Latin America met at UN Headquarters to 
rally women and share strategies on fighting back.

https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/03/1161076


7. ‘Kids Can Bypass Anything If They’re Clever Enough!’ How Tech Experts 
Keep Their Children Safe Online

 From hacking screen time settings to bypassing website restrictions, 
young people make responsible parenting in the age of tech feel like a 
game of whack-a-mole. Here’s some additional ways to do it:

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/mar/16/how-tech-experts-keep-their-children-safe-online 



8. Official Review of Nepal’s Social Media Bill 2081: Upholding Freedom 
of Expression in the Digital Age

UNESCO published its official review of Nepal’s Social Media Bill 2081, 
a comprehensive analysis conducted at the request of the Federal 
Parliament Secretariat of Nepal.
  https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/official-review-nepals-social-media-bill-2081-upholding-freedom-expression-digital-age

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### Digital Rights in the Wider World ###
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1. Calls Grow For Digital Inheritance Rights in Korea

As societal consensus on digital inheritance remains elusive, voices 
advocating for at least granting "account access rights" to heirs are 
gaining traction in Korea.

https://www.koreaherald.com/article/10442519


2. China’s AI Frenzy: DeepSeek is Already Everywhere -- Cars, Phones, 
Even Hospitals

Chinese companies are racing to build services on top of the homegrown 
AI model that has taken the world by storm since January. DeepSeek is 
now embedded in a wide range of products and government services in the 
country. Some officials have warned about overreliance on DeepSeek.

https://restofworld.org/2025/china-embeds-deepseek-ai-in-everything/


3. UK Starlink Users Switch Off Over Musk’s Political Machine

Numbers using the Starlink satellite broadband systems have been 
growing, but users are having second thoughts due to Musk’s role in 
Donald Trump’s administration.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/mar/16/deeply-uncomfortable-uk-starlink-users-switch-off-over-musks-political-machinations


4. RSF Collateral Freedom Project Restores Access to BBC News in 
Countries Where It Is Blocked

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has restored access to the British 
Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) website in countries where it has 
previously been censored, through its Collateral Freedom mirroring project.

https://rsf.org/en/world-day-against-cyber-censorship-rsf-collateral-freedom-project-restores-access-bbc-news


5. Telegram Founder Returns to Dubai As Inquiry Continues

French authorities allowed Pavel Durov to leave France, where he is 
under investigation over criminal activity on the messaging app.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/mar/17/telegram-founder-returns-to-dubai-as-french-inquiry-continues 



6. Italian Newspaper Says It Has Published World’s First AI-Generated 
Edition

Il Foglio, an Italian daily newspaper, says Artificial Intelligence was 
used in its special edition ‘for everything – the writing, the 
headlines, the quotes… even the irony.’ The articles were structured, 
straightforward and clear, with no obvious grammatical errors. However, 
none of the articles published in the news pages directly quote any 
human beings.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/mar/18/italian-newspaper-says-it-has-published-worlds-first-ai-generated-edition

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### Events Calendar ###
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Target Threats Research - A Breakdown of 3 Years of Civil Society Threat 
Research in South & North Korea
Team CommUNITY
March 27, 2025
9am EDT / 1pm UTC
Online
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=March_27_2025_GM

Pioneering New Approaches to AI Through Participation
March 31, 2025
7am EDT / 11am UTC
Online
https://pairs25.notion.site/PAIRSx-Africa-Pioneering-new-approaches-to-AI-through-Participation-1b4260e24e1a80ffa143e3f5533d7907

What is Happening in Digital Rights Around the World? (Glitter Meetup)
Team CommUNITY
April 3, 2025
9am EDT / 1pm UTC
Online
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=April_3_2025_GM

Network Measurements - How to Gather and Use Evidence of an Internet 
Shutdown Happening in Your Country? (Glitter Meetup with OONI)
Team CommUNITY
April 10, 2025
9am EDT / 1pm UTC
Online
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=April_10_2025_GM

Tech, Policy & Support: SMEX's Work in Action
Team CommUNITY
April 16, 2025
9am EDT / 1pm UTC
Online
https://digitalrights.formstack.com/forms/lessons_from_mena_april_2025

Social Networking Glitter Meetup
Team CommUNITY
April 17, 2025
9am EDT / 1pm UTC
Online
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=April_17_2025_GM

Digital Rights LATAM Meetup
Team CommUNITY
April 23, 2025
5:30pm EDT / 9:30pm UTC
Online
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=23_de_Abril,_2025_LATAM

The Sound of Independence: Building Your Own Music Streaming Service 
(Glitter Meetup with Horizontal)
Team CommUNITY
April 24, 2025
10am EDT / 2pm UTC
Online
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=April_24_2025_GM

Digital Rights Organizational Analysis: Lessons from Gambia
Team CommUNITY
April 30, 2025
10am EDT / 2pm UTC
Online
https://digitalrights.formstack.com/forms/lessons_from_gambia_april_2025

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/

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 ###
__________________________________________

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 


Connecting the Unconnected Funding Program
Internet Society
Deadline 1st window: March 31, 2025
2nd window: from 15 July to 27 August, 2025
https://www.internetsociety.org/funding-areas/connecting-the-unconnected

Mama Cash's Resilience Fund
Deadline: March 31, 2025
https://www.mamacash.org/funds/resilience-fund/

AI at Work: Field Experiments on the Workforce Effects of New AI Tools
Deadline: April 1, 2025
https://www.schmidtsciences.org/ai-at-work/

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

Summer 2025 U.S. Public Policy Fellowship
Google Public Policy Fellowship
Deadline: April 4, 2025
https://www.google.com/policyfellowship/usa/faq/

Metascience & AI Postdoctoral Fellowship
Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
Deadline: April 10, 2025
https://sloan.org/programs/digital-technology/aipostdoc-rfp

Short Innovation Projects 2025
EIT Culture & Creativity
Deadline: April 11, 2025
https://eit-culture-creativity.eu/short-innovation-projects-2025/

Call for Contributions: Navigating Digital Power in Asia
Common Edge Asia
Deadline: April 14, 2025
www.commonedge.asia/digitalpower/

Environmental Justice in Tech Fellowship
The Rooted Futures Lab launched
Rolling application until April 15, 2025
https://www.rootedfutureslab.io/ejit-fellowship

2025 MIT Solve' Global Economic Prosperity Challenge
Deadline: April 17, 2025
https://solve.mit.edu/challenges/2025-global-economic-prosperity-challenge

VinFuture Prize
VinFuture Foundation
Deadline: April 17, 2025
https://vinfutureprize.org/vinfuture-prize-nomination/

Equity-Free Funding Opportunity for Fem Tech Solutions 
UNICEF Venture Fund
Deadline: May 8, 2025
https://www.unicef.org/innovation/FemTechCall

Grants for Democratic Digitalisation Projects
Deadline: May 18, 2025
https://4d.cat/en/award

Effects of the Usage of Digital Technology
The Huo Family Foundation
Deadline: May 23, 2025
https://huofamilyfoundation.org/our-grants/funding-opportunities

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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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)))

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Team CommUNITY at ARTICLE 19
www.digitalrights.community
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