Digital Rights Weekly | October 6 to 10

Thu Oct 9 18:28:02 CEST 2025

Hello Digital Rights Defenders!

Here is your weekly update on digital rights around the world for the 
week of October 6 to 10. 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. New Section for Emergency Grants and Relocation/Resettlement Support 
Added to Fundraising Page on Wiki

The TCU Digital Rights wiki has tools, manuals, fundraising 
opportunities, and tons of insights into the digital rights and security 
space that both seasoned experts and folks new to the space will benefit 
from. We just added a section to the fundraising opportunities section 
for emergency grants and relocation/resettlement support. Have a tool, 
opportunity, or resource to add? Send it our way!

https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=Fundraising_Opportunities

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### Community News ###
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1. Open Call for Proposals: Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation 
(NORAD)

NORAD has an open call for proposals, inviting civil society 
organizations to propose initiatives that protect and strengthen human 
rights defenders worldwide. The call focuses on three outcomes: 
protection and emergency support; strengthened systems and institutions, 
and mobilization, visibility and advocacy. Organizations can apply for 
project or core support. Deadline: November 18th, 2025.

https://grants.mfa.no/#call/4421/main

2. UN Women: Call for Proposal to Roll out a Global Feminist Technology 
and Innovation Lab

UN Women is in the process of identifying one or more programme partners 
(Responsible Parties)  to develop and roll out a Global Feminist 
Technology and Innovation Lab for women’s rights organizations and 
activists. The lab will foster cross-sectoral collaboration and bolster 
skills and capacities of women’s rights organizations and activists. 
Deadline October 15, 2025

https://www.unwomen.org/en/what-we-do/ending-violence-against-women/act

3. Defending Digital Campaigns Session for High-Risk Users

Two “how to” sessions for high-risk users will take place on October 15 
and 22. Participants will learn about simple and free tools individuals 
can use to protect themselves and their organization. They will walk 
through how to use "Results about you", Dark Web Monitoring, how to 
enable Google's Advanced Protection Program and more practical tools.

https://defendcampaigns.org/events

4. Jigsaw and ASL19 Event: October 14

Jigsaw and ASL19 are gathering content and media app creators who are 
looking to expand their reach to audiences under censorship for an 
online meetup on October 14. Hear about the latest updates to VPN 
services, including Outline Mobile Proxy, Outline App Maker, Outline 
Network as a Service, and BeePass campaigns. Register here:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdlUAIfHFX22juj-fr-GawL3ZhtXjXEQj2wZ47a55lKhko_1A/viewform

5. Dash Chat Event on October 29: Secure Chat with or Without Internet

Dash Chat is a secure messenger that runs on regular internet, internet 
shutdowns, and bridges between them. It can also work across a wide 
variety of local networks (WiFI, Bluetooth, and national Internet), and 
can even bridge in and out of shutdowns by satellite connections.  Join 
them on October 29 to see an app demo, ask questions about how it works, 
case studies, and how to get involved. Note, the app is in pre-alpha. 
Register:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdmESNJukuw32YO3TaitAvCx8aH6Sx2Yjy_Lqg0NoEPvFPSFA/viewform?usp=dialog

6. Archiving as a Form of Resistance in Asia-Pacific

When repression silences voices, how do communities make sure their 
stories survive? When protests erupt, who decides what gets remembered 
and what is erased? These were the urgent questions shaping our 
conversations at DRAPAC25, the Digital Rights Assembly in Asia-Pacific, 
organized by EngageMedia.

https://blog.witness.org/2025/10/human-rights-archiving-and-documentation-as-a-form-of-resistance-in-asia-pacific/

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### NEW Job Opportunities  ###
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You can access the following jobs by visiting our job board: 
https://www.digitalrights.community/job-board

✎ Finance Manager, Paradigm Initiative
+ Senegal, Cameroon, Kenya, Zambia, Zimbabwe

✎ Policy Counsel, Free Press
+ Washington, D.C.

✎ Senior Project Manager, Boxtribute
+ Remote (CET+/- 2 hours preferred)

✎ Content Creator - Social Media Specialist, ASL19
+ Toronto, Canada/ Remote

✎ Associate for Resilient Tech, The Engine Room
+ Remote

✎ EU Policy and Research Officer (Security, Surveillance, & Human Rights 
Programme), CDT
+Brussels, Belgium

✎ Campaign Director,  Institute of Free Technology
+Remote (Worldwide)

✎ Trustees: Treasurer | Vice-Chair | Fundraising Lead, Glitch
+ Remote

✎ Managing Director, The Public Knowledge Project at Simon Fraser University
+ Canada

✎ Project Director, Speech Privacy & Technology, ACLU
+New York, NY

✎ Technology for Liberty Fellow, ACLU of Massachusetts
+Boston, MA

✎ Technology Policy Associate, American Association of People with 
Disabilities (AAPD)
+Washington, DC

✎ Advocacy Director, Glitch
+ Remote

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### Community Resources  ###
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1. Scientists Accidentally Create a Tiny “Rainbow Chip” that Could 
Supercharge the Internet

Researchers at Columbia have created a chip that turns a single laser 
into a “frequency comb,” producing dozens of powerful light channels at 
once. Using a special locking mechanism to clean messy laser light, the 
team achieved lab-grade precision on a small silicon device. This could 
drastically improve data center efficiency and fuel innovations in 
sensing, quantum tech, and LiDAR.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/10/251007081823.htm

2. Specialized Services Cannot Be the Excuse to Break the Internet

People who want to rewrite net neutrality laws are arguing that 
‘specialized services’ require near-zero latency and rock-solid 
reliability. Specialized services go beyond general Internet access to 
deliver specific information, functions, and programs that require a 
higher-quality connection. But here’s the thing: not every network has 
to be the Internet. So why rewrite net neutrality rules for the entire 
Internet just to accommodate niche cases? That’s like redesigning all of 
the public roads to allow for Formula 1 cars—when racetracks already exist.

https://www.internetsociety.org/blog/2025/10/specialized-services-cannot-be-the-excuse-to-break-the-internet/

3. Video: How AI and Surveillance Capitalism are Undermining Democracy

Suresh Venkatasubramanian directs the Center for Technological 
Responsibility, Reimagination, and Redesign with the Data Science 
Institute at Brown University. In this video, Venkatasubramanian 
explains why once you start collecting data, “you’re almost never going 
to stop,” and how that impulse can be used to control citizens and 
undermine democracy. The only way to limit these negative outcomes is to 
treat AI like other dangerous technologies: by creating well-designed 
regulation to emphasize safety and social well-being.

https://thebulletin.org/2025/10/video-how-ai-and-surveillance-capitalism-are-undermining-democracy/

4. In the US, Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act 
to be Debated, Again

Soon, the US Congress will once again debate whether to reauthorize 
Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act — a law that 
was supposed to target foreign threats but has become a domestic 
dragnet. Lawmakers need to keep their mitts off our bits. This is not a 
partisan issue. It’s a constitutional issue. The Fourth Amendment 
doesn’t say “except when it’s digital.” It doesn’t say “unless you’re 
using Google.” It says the government must get a warrant — period.

https://thehill.com/opinion/technology/5543090-congress-must-defend-privacy/

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### Digital Rights in the Wider World ###
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1. Weber State University Censors,Then Cancels Censorship Conference

Weber State University conference on censorship was cancelled after 
organizers received communication from university officials to remove 
content. The irony was not lost on the faculty: the university was 
censoring its own conference about censorship.

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/faculty-issues/academic-freedom/2025/10/08/weber-state-censors-then-cancels-censorship

2. Russia Blocks Mobile Internet for Foreign SIM cards, Citing Drone Threats

Russia is taking steps to temporarily block mobile internet for foreign 
SIM cards — its latest move to tighten control over communications under 
the guise of national security and anti-drone measures. The new rule 
imposes a mandatory 24-hour mobile internet blackout for anyone entering 
Russia with a foreign SIM card. Mobile operators in neighboring Belarus 
and Kazakhstan have warned travelers that roaming services, including 
mobile internet and SMS, will be unavailable for the first 24 hours 
after connecting to a Russian network.

https://therecord.media/russia-blocks-mobile-internet-foreign-sim-cards

3. Social Media Content Restricted in Afghanistan, Taliban Sources Confirm

Restrictions have been placed on content on some social media platforms 
in Afghanistan, Taliban government sources told BBC Afghan. Filters have 
been applied to restrict certain types of content on sites including 
Facebook, Instagram and X, the sources at the Ministry of Communications 
and Information Technology said. It is not clear exactly what sort of 
posts are subject to filtering. Some social media users in Kabul told 
the BBC that videos on their Facebook accounts are no longer viewable, 
while access to Instagram has also been restricted.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgrq8d0jpdwo

4. OpenAI Bans Suspected China-Linked Accounts for Seeking Surveillance 
Proposals

OpenAI said on Tuesday it has banned several ChatGPT accounts with 
suspected links to the Chinese government entities after the users asked 
for proposals to monitor social media conversations. In its latest 
public threat report, OpenAI said some individuals had asked its chatbot 
to outline social media "listening" tools and other monitoring concepts, 
violating the startup's national security policy.

https://www.reuters.com/world/china/openai-bans-suspected-china-linked-accounts-seeking-surveillance-proposals-2025-10-07/

5. Hong Kong Plans Big AI-powered Surveillance Boost

Surveillance in Hong Kong is set to intensify.  A new web of 60,000 
cameras with AI facial-recognition software could be online by 2028. The 
South China Morning Post reported in July that police could begin using 
real-time facial recognition as early as the end of this year. 
Currently, the city already uses artificial intelligence to monitor 
crowds and read license plates.

https://www.rfa.org/english/china/2025/10/03/hong-kong-surveillance-cameras-ai/

6. ICE Plans to Boost its Surveillance on Social Media Using Contractors 
in Vermont

According to federal contracting records, which were first reported by 
the technology magazine Wired, ICE plans to hire at least a dozen 
contracted workers for the effort at its National Criminal Analysis and 
Targeting Center, which is located in an unassuming business park in 
Williston. In addition, the agency would hire at least 16 contracted 
workers at a similar intelligence-gathering facility in Santa Ana, Calif.

https://vtdigger.org/2025/10/06/ice-plans-to-boost-its-surveillance-on-social-media-using-contractors-in-vermont/

7. Kids Deserve Safety, Not Surveillance

 From hidden cameras to bathroom trackers, there has been a 
proliferation of EdTech surveillance in Wisconsin schools and across the 
US. In 2021, K-12 schools and colleges in the U.S. spent an estimated 
$3.1 billion on EdTech surveillance technologies. However, it's an 
unproven privacy nightmare - Omnilert, a gun detection system, failed to 
spot the firearm that ended up being used in a fatal shooting, and Evolv 
system triggered more than 3,200 alerts in one Illinois district, 99% of 
which turned out to be calculators, lunchboxes, staples, and other 
ordinary objects.

https://www.aclu-wi.org/news/our-kids-deserve-safety-not-surveillance/

In California, new organizations and digital rights groups are urging a 
federal appellate court to preserve a block on California's 
Age-Appropriate Design Code -- a 2022 law that, if allowed to take 
effect, could result in the widespread use of online age verification. 
The law "should be struck down in its entirety because its 
age-verification scheme violates the First Amendment rights of all 
internet users," the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Wikimedia and other 
digital rights groups say in a friend-of-the-court brief filed with the 
9th Circuit Court of Appeals.

https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/408549/news-organizations-digital-rights-groups-blast-ca.html?edition=

8. California Sues City Over Surveillance Data, Warns it Can Be Shared 
with Federal Agencies

California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit today against the 
City of El Cajon, accusing its police department of repeatedly violating 
state law by sharing automated license plate reader (ALPR) data with law 
enforcement agencies in more than two dozen states. Currently, 
California limits how police store and share data they collect with 
automated license plate readers to protect residents’ privacy.

https://calmatters.org/justice/2025/10/el-cajon-police-license-plate-data/

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### Events Calendar ###
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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/

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

Jigsaw and ASL19 Event for Content and Media App Creators
  October 14
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdlUAIfHFX22juj-fr-GawL3ZhtXjXEQj2wZ47a55lKhko_1A/viewform

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/

Dash Chat: Secure Chat with or Without Internet
October 29
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdmESNJukuw32YO3TaitAvCx8aH6Sx2Yjy_Lqg0NoEPvFPSFA/viewform?usp=dialog

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/

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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

UN Women
Deadline October 15, 2025
https://www.unwomen.org/en/what-we-do/ending-violence-against-women/act

Civic Innovation Fund
Deadline October 20
https://app.guestoo.de/public/event/fd6abb4e-3e9e-4eb5-87ac-3a1319151dfe?lang=EN

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

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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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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