Digital Rights Weekly | September 29 to October 3.
Team CommUNITY
team at digitalrights.community
Thu Oct 2 21:28:54 CEST 2025
Hello Digital Rights Defenders!
Here is your weekly update on digital rights around the world for the
week of September 29 to October 3. 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
Events Calendar
Grants, Fellowships, & Awards
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### Team CommUNITY (TCU News) ###
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1. Digital Rights Primer for General Public
We have updated our primer covering both digital rights and the field
that supports them, geared for the general public. More than ever we
believe it's important to educate the world about the digital rights
community, and why investment in this field is so critical for the
future of rights worldwide. Check it out and let us know if there is
anything that we missed.
https://www.digitalrights.community/blog/what-are-digital-rights
2. Collective Fundraising Research and Emergency Grant Section Added
TCU maintains a living document of current funding opportunities. We
just added a section on emergency grants and relocation and resettlement
support specifically for HRDs.
In your research, please send any opportunities our way so we can help
promote it in the space. Collectively, its important we support each
other through this current reality.
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=Fundraising_Opportunities
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### Community News ###
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1. Iran’s ‘Stealth Blackout’: A Multi-stakeholder Analysis of the June
2025 Internet Shutdown
A comprehensive and detailed report on the technical aspects and the
socio-political context of the InternetShutdown during the 12-day war
between Israel and Iran has been published. Authored by The Miaan Group,
ASL19, and IODA, with amazing contributions from the Open Observatory of
Network Interference (OONI) and individuals like Doug Madory and David
Belson, The Tor Project, eQualitie, Lantern and Psiphon Inc.
https://filter.watch/english/2025/10/02/irans-stealth-blackout-a-multi-stakeholder-analysis-of-the-june-2025-internet-shutdown/
2. Applications Now Open for Civic Innovation Fund
The Civic Innovation Fund (CIF), hosted by The CIVICS Innovation Hub
with support from the Robert Bosch Stiftung, is now open! Young civic
education organizations can apply for €10,000 in funding to pilot,
incubate, or scale projects over 12 months. Projects should focus on
civic education that build democratic skills to foster participation,
social cohesion, and resilience. Deadline is October 20.
https://app.guestoo.de/public/event/fd6abb4e-3e9e-4eb5-87ac-3a1319151dfe?lang=EN
3. Input on UN Working Group: AI and Gender Equality
This is an opportunity to input into the UN Working Group on
Discrimination against Women and Girls report on the impact of AI on
gender equality. Your feedback will inform the working group’s report on
the digital space and artificial intelligence’s existing and potential
impact on substantive gender equality, which it will present to the
Human Rights Council in June 2026. Deadline is October 31, 2025.
https://www.ohchr.org/en/calls-for-input/2025/call-inputs-2026-thematic-report-gender-equality-digital-space-and-age
4. Oct 14 EFF Event in Washington State: How Surveillance Targets Women
and Gender-Queer People
On October 14, join the EFF at the University of Washington for the
event “ How Surveillance Targets Women and Gender-Queer People.” The
event will feature both EFF staff and a panel of local experts.
https://www.eff.org/event/how-surveillance-targets-women-and-gender-queer-people
5. Balkan Insight: AI and Growing Uncertainty Over What’s Real Online
In Albania, Prime Minister Edi Rama made international headlines by
announcing the appointment of an Artificial Intelligence, AI, system
named Diella as a government minister. This move was framed as a leap
toward digital governance, increased efficiency, and transparency.
https://balkaninsight.com/2025/09/25/digital-rights-review-ai-and-growing-uncertainty-over-whats-real-online/
6. Chat Control: What is Actually Going On?
A major vote is planned for 13 or 14 October in the EU. Governments will
decide whether to endorse or reject a mass surveillance,
encryption-breaking and anonymity-ending law: the EU CSA Regulation.
However, there remain many democratic checks-and-balances in the EU
lawmaking system that mean we still have a strong chance to stop
measures that would amount to Chat Control.
https://edri.org/our-work/chat-control-what-is-actually-going-on/
7. The EU Project on Digital Rights Launched in Tashkent Alongside a
Training Programme for Lawyers
On 25 September, the presentation of the Uzbekistan Digital Rights Media
Initiative (UDRMI) project was held in Tashkent for representatives of
government bodies, international organizations, and the legal community,
followed by a two-day training programme for lawyers
https://www.eeas.europa.eu/delegations/uzbekistan/eu-project-digital-rights-launched-tashkent-alongside-training-programme-lawyers-0_en
8. India-Specific Guides on Online Harassment and Fraud
The Bachchao Project has released a series of guides tailored to the
Indian context, offering practical digital security advice, an overview
of relevant laws and resources, and guidance on how to support loved
ones experiencing online harassment.
https://thebachchaoproject.org/embrace-learnning-guides/
9. Reports from Our Community
a. Human Rights in the Digital Context in Rwanda
Checkout the summary of the submission by APC and CIPESA to the 51st
session of the Universal Periodic Review at the UN Human Rights Council
on digital rights in Rwanda.
https://www.apc.org/en/pubs/human-rights-digital-context-rwanda
b. Human Rights in the Digital Context in Lebanon
Checkout the Summary of the submission by APC and SMEX to the 51st
session of the Universal Periodic Review at the UN Human Rights Council
on digital rights in Lebanon.
https://www.apc.org/en/pubs/human-rights-digital-context-lebanon
__________________________________________
### NEW Job Opportunities ###
__________________________________________
You can access the following jobs by visiting our job board:
https://www.digitalrights.community/job-board
✎ Program Weaver / Senior Programs Coordinator, Numun Fund
+ Remote
✎ Campaign Director, Institute of Free Technology
+ Remote (worldwide)
✎ Part-Time System Administrator, APC
+ Remote
✎ Senior Technologist, The Knight-Georgetown Institute
+ Washington, D.C. or remote
✎ Digital Ethicist in Data & Technology, IKEA
+ Sweden
✎ Full Stack Developer, McGovern Foundation
+ Remote, USA
✎ Program Manager, DT Institute
+ Remote
✎ Digital Communications Pod Director, Zinc Collectives
+ Remote
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### Community Resources ###
______________________________________
1. Interview with Cory Doctorow on His New Book and Why the Internet
Sucks Now
Writer, activist and journalist Cory Doctorow coined the term
“enshittification” as a means of explaining the state of the digital
world (or the “Enshitternet”) and how it came to be. In his new book
“Enshittification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What to Do
About It,” Doctorow details the policy choices that brought the Internet
to what it is today, and how organizing and joining a movement is our
path forward.
https://www.cambridgeday.com/2025/09/28/cory-doctorow-on-why-the-internet-sucks-now/
2. Q&A-Africa's Internet Shutdowns Double in Less than a Decade
Internet shutdowns across Africa have doubled in less than a decade,
plunging millions into digital darkness and limiting access to jobs,
education and health services, according to a new book launched on
Thursday. In total, 41 African countries imposed more than 193 internet
shutdowns over a period of eight years, with Ethiopia, Sudan and Algeria
recording the highest numbers.
https://www.context.news/digital-rights/q-and-a-africas-internet-shutdowns-double-in-less-than-a-decade
3. Yes to California’s “No Robo Bosses Act”
Algorithmic decision-making is a growing threat to workers. Bosses are
using AI to assess the body language and voice tone of job candidates.
They’re automating choices about who gets fired. And these employment
algorithms often discriminate based on gender, race, and other protected
statuses. Fortunately, many advocates are resisting. EFF has joined
dozens of labor, digital rights and other advocates in support of the
“No Robo Bosses Act.”
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2025/09/yes-californias-no-robo-bosses-act
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### Digital Rights in the Wider World ###
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1. Microsoft’s Moves to Block Israeli Military Unit’s Access to its Mass
Surveillance Technology
Microsoft has reportedly ended the use of some of its Azure Cloud
storage technology by the Israeli military Unit 8200 in mass
surveillance of Palestinians following a joint investigation by the
Guardian, Israeli-Palestinian publication +972 Magazine and the
Hebrew-language media outlet Local Call. Microsoft’s own statement
confirmed that they supply other products to the Israeli Ministry of
Defense, including for security and military purposes. Amnesty is asking
that the company investigate all its contracts, sales and transfers of
surveillance, artificial intelligence and related equipment to Israel
and ensure that they are not being used in connection with Israel’s
human rights violations against Palestinians.
https://blogs.microsoft.com/on-the-issues/2025/09/25/update-on-ongoing-microsoft-review/
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2025/09/microsoft-block-israel-military-unit-from-using-its-technology/
2. UK: Keir Starmer to Set Out Plan for Millions to Require Digital ID Cards
By 2029, all UK workers will need digital identity cards, which will
live on their mobile phones and become a mandatory check for employers
hiring staff. These ID cards will also be necessary to access services
such as tax records, childcare, and welfare.
https://www.context.news/digital-rights/uks-digital-id-cards-immigration-crackdown-or-privacy-threat
Human rights, civil liberties, digital rights, and racial justice
organisations have written to the Prime Minister urging him to abandon
plans for a mandatory digital ID. Groups say this will endanger the
marginalized and invade people’s privacy.
https://bigbrotherwatch.org.uk/press-releases/rights-groups-urge-starmer-to-abandon-plans-for-mandatory-digital-id/
3. Lawmakers, Activists Call for Action after AP Reveals US Tech Role in
China’s Surveillance State
Lawmakers and activists across the political spectrum called on American
tech firms to stop selling surveillance equipment to Chinese police and
for Congress to examine the issue after The Associated Press reported
that U.S. technology had played a far greater role than previously known
in enabling human rights abuses by Beijing.
https://apnews.com/article/chinese-surveillance-silicon-valley-uyghurs-tech-xinjiang-60df0358dff99e326c16c9ea48dae82c
4. The U.N. Mission Appeals to the Taliban to Restore Internet Access in
Afghanistan
The United Nations mission in Afghanistan urged the Taliban on Tuesday
to restore internet and telecommunications access across the country,
saying the blackout imposed by the government in Kabul has left the
nation almost entirely cut off from the outside world.
https://www.npr.org/2025/09/30/g-s1-91258/the-un-mission-appeals-to-the-taliban-to-restore-internet-access-in-afghanistan
5. Vodafone Makes World's First Satellite Video Call Using Standard
Smartphone
Vodafone said it had made the world's first video call via satellite
using a standard smartphone from a remote location, and it plans to roll
out the technology for its users across Europe later this year and in 2026.
https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/vodafone-makes-worlds-first-satellite-video-call-using-standard-smartphone-2025-01-29/
6. Inside Amazon’s Aggressive Push To Get US Law Enforcement to Use AI
Surveillance
At closed door conferences and parties with local and federal law
enforcement, Amazon has been promoting its own surveillance offerings
and an expanding array of partner tools that run on its vast cloud
infrastructure. This includes Flock Safety car tracking, AI for
piecing together massive datasets with billions of records on US
citizens from Lucidus Tech, now owned by Flock, a collection of apps
designed to be used in surveillance hubs, gun detection software from
ZeroEyes, AI software from Abel Police and Mark43 that can help write
police reports, various technologies from Veritone that makes AI that
can identify and track individuals in surveillance footage posted to
social media, and a Leo Technologies’ Verus product which monitors and
transcribes prison inmate calls in “near-real-time” for AI-powered analysis.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/2025/10/01/inside-amazons-aggressive-push-to-get-cops-using-ai-surveillance/
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### Events Calendar ###
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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/
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/
How Surveillance Targets Women and Gender-Queer People
October 14, 2025
Washington State, USA
https://www.eff.org/event/how-surveillance-targets-women-and-gender-queer-people
Reproducible Builds Summit
October 28-30
Vienna, Austria
https://reproducible-builds.org/events/vienna2025/
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/
RightCon 2026
May 5-8
Lusaka, Zambia
https://www.rightscon.org/
__________________________________________
### 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
Civic Innovation Fund
Deadline October 20
https://app.guestoo.de/public/event/fd6abb4e-3e9e-4eb5-87ac-3a1319151dfe?lang=EN
ACLS Digital Justice Grants
November 20, 2025
https://www.acls.org/programs/acls-digital-justice-grants
AI Reporting Grant Program
December 31, 2025
https://pulitzercenter.org/grants-fellowships/opportunities-journalists/ai-reporting-grants
WSA Young Innovators Award 2025
Deadline: October 31, 2025
https://wsa-global.org/wsa_categories/wsa-young-innovators/
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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They can sign up here:
https://www.digitalrights.community/weekly-newsletter
### Want to partner with us?###
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)))
--
Team CommUNITY at ARTICLE 19
www.digitalrights.community
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