Digital Rights Weekly | November 3 to 8

Fri Nov 7 17:56:05 CET 2025

Hello Digital Rights Defenders!

Here is your weekly update on digital rights around the world for the 
week of November 3 to 8. As a reminder, you can submit your news for the 
newsletter here:
https://www.digitalrights.community/weekly-newsletter

What is in this issue:

Community News
NEW Job Opportunities
Community Resources
Digital Rights in the Wider World
Events Calendar
Grants, Fellowships, & Awards

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### Community News ###
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1. Applications are Open for a New Round of Africa Digital Rights Funding

CIPESA  is calling for proposals to support digital rights work across 
Africa. The fund provides rapid response and flexible grants to 
organizations and networks to implement activities that promote digital 
rights and digital democracy, including advocacy, litigation, research, 
policy analysis, skill development and movement building. Grant amounts 
range from 5,000 to 25,000 USD. The deadline is November 17.

https://cipesa.org/2025/10/applications-are-open-for-a-new-round-of-africa-digital-rights-funding

2. Moldova: Apply for a Digital Security Training for CSOs and Media 
Professionals

Are you a civil society representative, human rights defender, activist, 
or media professional in Moldova interested in enhancing your safety 
online? Apply for a comprehensive two-day in-person training organised 
by ARTICLE 19 Europe and regional digital security experts. Learn how to 
strengthen your organisation’s and personal digital hygiene, privacy, 
and safety practices. Apply by November 27, spots are limited.

https://www.article19.org/resources/moldova-apply-for-a-digital-security-training-for-csos-and-media-professionals/

3. Report: Journalism in Latin America

The 2024 annual report from Voces del Sur, a coalition of 17 Latin 
American groups, found that  journalism in the region faced its most 
hostile environment in decades. Governments remain the aggressor against 
the press, while exile have surged, particularly in Cuba, Nicaragua, and 
Venezuela, where journalists face harassment, threats, and imprisonment.

https://latamjournalismreview.org/articles/as-attacks-on-journalists-in-latin-america-decline-self-censorship-and-exile-rise/ 

4. Paradigm Initiative: Tanzania’s Internet Blackout Cost Over US $238 
Million

Paradigm Initiative states that the recent Internet shutdown during the 
just-concluded elections in Tanzania cost the country over over $238 
Million in lost productivity, trade and services. They have been calling 
on the government to end future digital restrictions.

https://www.the-star.co.ke/news/2025-11-06-rights-group-challenges-tanzanias-internet-shutdown-during-polls

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### NEW Job Opportunities  ###
__________________________________________

You can access these and other jobs by visiting our job board: 
https://www.digitalrights.community/job-board

✎ UX & UI Generalist (Product and Learning Designer), BoxTribute
+ Remote (CET +/-2 hours preferred)

✎ AI and Immigration System Consultant, Open Rights Group
+  UK

✎ + Various roles at Evitble including Chief of Staff, Communications 
Associate, Operations Associate / Head of Operations
+ San Francisco Bay Area

✎ Various roles at ICO including  Principal Policy Adviser – AI (Policy 
& Compliance teams), Principal Policy Adviser – AI and ADM Code of Practice
+ UK

✎ Digital Information Security Consultant / Bilingual in English and 
Spanish, Open Briefing
+  Global

✎ Director, Programs and Policy (California), Omidyar Network
+  California

✎ Consultoría México, Rise Up Together
+  Mexico

✎ Director, AI Opportunity, MacArthur Foundation
+  Chicago, Illinois

✎ Senior Security Engineer, Google Public Sector and AI Protection
+  Reston, Virginia,  +  Seattle, Washington

✎ Senior Director, Strategic Communications, The Leadership Conference 
on Civil and Human Rights
+  Washington D.C.

✎ Vice President, Technology Solutions and Services, Internet Society 
Foundation
+  Remote

✎ Programme Assistant, Regional Europe Programme, Belgium, The 
International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance
+  Brussels, Belgium

✎ Various roles at Wikimedia Foundation including Communications 
Specialist, Senior Software Engineer, Director of Data, Senior UX 
Prototyper (Contract)
+  Remote

✎ Staff Secuirty Engineer, Mozilla Corporation
+  Remote Canada, Remote U.S.

✎ Director, Security Architecture and Engineering, ACLU
+  New York

✎ Independent Evaluator: Requests for proposal, Global Witness
+  Remote

✎ Intelligence and Risk Analyst, Pinterest
+  San Francisco or Los Angeles

✎ Program Manager, Free Software Foundation
+  Massachusetts

✎ Junior Data Engineer (d/w/m), OpenSanctions
+  Germany

✎ Head of Business Development Partnerships, Aleph Pro, OCCRP
+  Remote / UTC +0 to UTC +4

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### Community Resources  ###
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1. Innovative, Global Connectivity Efforts for Gaza that Have 
Strengthened Resilience

This recent article showcases efforts and campaigns that have been 
successful in connecting Palestinians and supporting their resistance - 
from building local connectivity networks  to challenging algorithmic 
bias and organizing global tech boycotts.

https://bianet.org/yazi/resistance-to-digital-colonialism-in-palestine-313213

2. Louvre's Video Surveillance Password? 'LOUVRE' and Some Systems Still 
on Windows 2000

The Louvre Museum used the password “LOURVE” for its video surveillance 
system and was still using outdated systems like Windows 2000. This case 
illustrates how organizational neglect of security basics can lead to 
dramatic consequences.

https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/cyber-security/louvre-heist-reveals-glaring-security-weaknesses-previous-reports-say-museum-used-louvre-as-password-for-its-video-surveillance-still-has-workstations-with-windows-2000

3. EU Data Protection Board to Focus on Transparency in 2026

The European Data Protection Board has announced that its 2026 
coordinated enforcement action will focus on transparency and 
information obligations — specifically compliance with Articles 12, 13 
and 14 of the GDPR - which require organizations to clearly explain how 
they collect, use and share personal data.

https://www.insideprivacy.com/eu-data-protection/edpb-to-focus-on-transparency-in-2026-enforcement/

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### Digital Rights in the Wider World  ###
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1. New Dante Spyware Linked to Rebranded Hacking Team, Now Memento Lab

Kaspersky researchers uncovered an attack campaign utilising the new 
‘Dante’ spyware developed by Memento Labs, the rebranded Hacking Team. 
The attacks used a Chrome zero-day vulnerability and COM hijacking for 
persistence, confirming the continued deployment of advanced 
surveillance tools by the controversial firm.

https://hackread.com/dante-spyware-hacking-team-memento-labs/

2. How an Internet Blackout Affected Tanzania's Election

A five-day internet shutdown during Tanzania's recent disputed election 
and the protests that followed was meant to silence dissent and control 
the narrative, digital activists said, warning the blackout may have 
fuelled abuses by security forces. The government restricted internet 
access nationwide on Oct. 29 when polling stations opened.

https://www.context.news/digital-rights/how-an-internet-blackout-affected-tanzanias-election 

3. USG Seeks Vast Expansion of Biometrics Collection for Immigration 
Benefits

The US Department of Homeland Security wants to ramp up its collection 
of biometrics of individuals applying for immigration benefits, 
proposing a rule this week that would expand the agency’s authority to 
take in fingerprints, DNA, facial and iris scans, and other data.

https://fedscoop.com/dhs-biometrics-collection-us-citizenship-immigration-services/

4. Myanmar Group Warns of Gendered “Digital Dictatorship” Fuelled by AI 
Surveillance

Human Rights Myanmar (HRM) has accused Myanmar’s junta of transforming 
the digital space into a gendered battlefield where women face targeted 
repression through surveillance, online abuse, and the weaponized AI. In 
a new submission to the UN Working Group on Discrimination Against Women 
and Girls, HRM said the junta has built a “digital dictatorship” since 
the 2021 coup, combining internet controls, data surveillance, and 
AI-powered technologies to silence dissent – particularly that of women 
and girls.

https://eng.mizzima.com/2025/11/06/27966

5. Weil Gotshal Lawyer Invested Millions in Fund that Owned Pegasus 
Spyware Maker

Gerhard Schmidt, co-managing partner of Weil Gotshal’s German office, 
invested $5 million in a fund that acquired the NSO Group, the maker of 
Pegasus spyware, used to hack and target journalists, activists and 
human rights defenders. Weil Gotshal is considered one of the world’s 
most prestigious law firms.

https://www.ft.com/content/a5d2b90d-40e2-491b-881d-60d3668f22c9

6. From Signalgate to Spyware — the Undoing of American Security

Starlink has been installed inside the White House complex, raising 
alarms for government security experts. Starlink is owned by Elon Musk, 
and is considered far less secure than the government systems already in 
place. WTOP National Security Correspondent takes a look at what the 
future holds if these threats continue unchecked, drawing on dozens of 
high-level interviews with national security officials.

https://wtop.com/j-j-green-national/2025/11/from-signalgate-to-spyware-the-undoing-of-american-security/ 

7. NewsFemale Health Focused Brands Report Experiencing Censorship Online

The Centre for Intimacy Justice and Origin has issued a report on the 
difficulties faced by femtech startups such as censorship on social 
media platforms. The report surveyed 60 companies that are focused on 
areas of female health and wellness such as menopause, pelvic pain, 
menstrual health and sexual wellness. The non-profit, pelvic floor 
start-up found that Facebook blocks or censors adverts around women’s 
health citing violation of ‘adult product’ policies.

https://www.femtechworld.co.uk/features/female-health-focused-brands-report-experiencing-censorship-online/ 

8. Denmark’s Chat Control Revival: Voluntary Scans Mask Enduring Privacy 
Perils

Denmark has withdrawn its proposal for mandatory scanning of private 
messages under the Chat Control initiative in the EU, instead moving to 
a “voluntary” regime for platforms to detect child abuse imagery. 
However, privacy advocates warn that this shift still poses serious 
risks, as it still threatens encryption, bans under-16s from apps, and 
ends anonymity.

https://www.webpronews.com/denmarks-chat-control-revival-voluntary-scans-mask-enduring-privacy-perils/

9. US Space Force Deploying Ground-Based Jammers to Counter Chinese, 
Russian Surveillance

The US Space Force is preparing to field two new ground-based systems 
designed to jam Chinese and Russian spy satellites. The new jammers are 
smaller, more mobile, and can be controlled remotely from anywhere in 
the world. According to the US Department of Defense, China has 
approximately 510 satellites used for intelligence, surveillance, and 
reconnaissance.  The new systems will not destroy satellites but rather 
block or interfere with them, unlike Russia’s nuclear-based system, 
capable of producing high-altitude electromagnetic pulses.

https://thedefensepost.com/2025/11/06/us-ground-satellite-jammers/

10. Belgium Moves to Improve Airspace Surveillance After Drone Incursions

Belgium will work to improve surveillance of its airspace following 
repeated sightings of drones over its airports and military bases. 
Belgium's Brussels and Liege airports were closed for hours after drone 
sightings, diverting many incoming planes and preventing others from 
taking off.

https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/belgium-moves-improve-airspace-surveillance-after-drone-incursions-2025-11-06/

11. Bookstores on Edge as Kremlin Sets Sights on Policing Books

Restrictions on publishers and sellers have grown more severe. Volumes 
are being pulled from shelves or redacted like secret documents, but 
bookstores remain important sources of community in Russia.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/05/world/europe/russia-bookstores-refuge-censorship.html

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### Events Calendar ###
______________________________________

Did you know you could submit your events for inclusion in our 
newsletter? It takes a few minutes to submit: 
https://www.digitalrights.community/weekly-newsletter

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/

European Young Innovators Festival
November 26 to 28
https://wsa-global.org/events/european-young-innovators-festival/

SplinterCon 2025
December 8–10, 2025
Paris, France
https://splintercon.net/paris/

RightCon 2026
May 5-8
Lusaka, Zambia
https://www.rightscon.org/

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### Grants, Fellowships, & Awards ###
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Malaysia: Financial Support to Young Women Human Rights Defenders
Deadline: November 10, 2025.
https://www.article19.org/resources/malaysia-financial-support-to-young-women-human-rights-defenders/

CIPESA Africa Digital Rights Funding
Deadline: November 17
https://cipesa.org/2025/10/applications-are-open-for-a-new-round-of-africa-digital-rights-funding

Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation
November 18th, 2025.
https://grants.mfa.no/#call/4421/main

ACLS Digital Justice Grants
November 20, 2025
https://www.acls.org/programs/acls-digital-justice-grants

NLnet Zero Commons Fund
Deadline: December 1
https://nlnet.nl/commonsfund/

NLnet Fediversity Programme
Deadline: December 1
https://nlnet.nl/fediversity/

John S. Knight Journalism Fellowship
Deadline: December 3
https://jsk.stanford.edu/become-a-fellow#why-apply

AI Reporting Grant Program
December 31, 2025
https://pulitzercenter.org/grants-fellowships/opportunities-journalists/ai-reporting-grants

InDiCo-Global. Deadline
Deadline: June 30, 2026
https://indico-global-grants.eu/indico-global-third-open-call

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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like-minded organizations and people.

(((Hugs & light)))

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