From team at digitalrights.community Thu Feb 5 21:03:30 2026 From: team at digitalrights.community (Team CommUNITY) Date: Thu, 5 Feb 2026 15:03:30 -0500 Subject: Digital Rights Weekly | February 2 to 6 Message-ID: Hello Digital Rights Defenders! Here is your weekly update on digital rights around the world for the week of February 2 to 6. As a reminder, you can submit your news for the newsletter here: https://www.digitalrights.community/weekly-newsletter ___________________ What is in this issue: TCU Community News NEW Job Opportunities Community Resources Digital Rights in the Wider World Events Calendar Grants, Fellowships, & Awards __________________________________________ ### TCU ### __________________________________________ 1. Help Us, Help You! This year, the Global Gathering is more important than ever, providing us with a space to connect and strategize. To ensure we can vet your application in a timely manner and ensure the security and safety of the event, please apply as soon as possible. Not sure if you can attend? Apply anyway - you can always cancel at a later date! The Global Gathering will take place in Portugal from September 4 to 6. https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=Global_Gathering_2026 Additionally, the Equity Fund applications for the Global Gathering are being processed on a rolling basis. Please apply to the GG soon, so we can then send you the EF application, which is incredibly simple to fill out. If you encounter any issues, feel free to reach out to us at team at digitalrights.community. https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=Global_Gathering_2026 2. February 19: Monthly Digital Rights Social The next Digital Rights Social will take place on February 19 on the TCU Mattermost. Connect with digital rights defenders from around the world. Mark your calendars! https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=January_22,_2026_Digital_Rights_Social __________________________________________ ### Community News ### __________________________________________ 1. DSA Human Rights Alliance Publishes New Report A new report published this week by the DSA Human Rights Alliance, The Principles for a Human Rights-Centred Application of the DSA: A Global Perspective, outlines practical steps to ensure that the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA) implementation is informed by diverse perspectives and grounded in international human rights standards. https://www.liberties.eu/en/stories/dsa-human-rights-alliance/45591 2. Call for Collaborators to Develop Learning Resources and Training for Investigators Tactical Tech is looking for experienced investigators and media professionals to collaborate on producing learning resources (investigation guides, method tutorials, workshop curricula) and to conduct training for journalists and media on a range of investigation methods and topics. Deadline is March 20, 2026. https://exposingtheinvisible.org/en/news/call-for-content-contributors-2026 3. Phishing Education Platform Shira Now Available The phishing-education platform, Shira, helps digital security educators create realistic phishing quizzes tailored to their organization or community. It is available now for anyone to use! Horizontal, the organization behind the platform, is actively looking for feedback. https://shira.app 4. Human Rights Watch Director Quits Over Spiked Report on Israel?s ?Crime Against Humanity? Human Rights Watch (HRW) has spiked its own report describing Israel?s treatment of Palestinians as a ?crime against humanity?. The report analysed fieldwork in refugee camps in Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria. Despite passing successfully through all HRW?s checklist stages, new executive director Philippe Bolopion shelved it. https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/02/04/human-rights-watch-spike/ 5. Navigating Child Online Protection in Indonesia: International Norms, Local Realities, and the TikTok Factor This paper examines child online protection (COP) initiatives in Indonesia, focusing on normative implications and methodological challenges for computational social science. It analyzes how international norms influence Indonesia?s legal framework and policy development, particularly in the context of China?s growing digital influence through platforms like TikTok. The study reveals significant gaps in awareness and implementation of COP measures, exacerbated by the popularity of Chinese-owned apps among Indonesian youth. It highlights the need for enhanced digital literacy, targeted regulations, and interdisciplinary research approaches. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s44206-025-00244-0 6. IFF?s First Read of India?s National Economic Survey from a Digital Rights Perspective The Internet Freedom Foundation has published an analysis of India?s 2025-26 National Economic Survey from a digital rights perspective. Among their concerns is that NES?s call to ?re-examine? the Right to Information Act risks further shirking transparency by carving out internal records and widening exemptions about public officials? service information. https://internetfreedom.in/first-read-of-the-national-economic-survey-on-digital-rights/ _________________________________________ ### NEW Job Opportunities ### __________________________________________ These are new jobs we have received in the past week. You can access these and other jobs by visiting our job board: https://www.digitalrights.community/job-board ??+ Operations & IT bilingual Assistant, Paradigm Initiative - Senegal, Cameroon, Kenya, Zambia, Zimbabwe ??+ Gender Specialist Consultant, Global Partners Digital - Remote + Global Security Lead, Frontline Defenders - Remote ______________________________________ ### Community Resources ### ______________________________________ 1. ?Dancing in Shackles?: Interview With Author Yi-Ling Liu Yi-Ling Liu just published his book ?The Wall Dancers: Searching for Freedom and Connection on the Chinese Internet.? Check out this interview where Liu shares the characteristics of the Chinese internet. https://thediplomat.com/2026/02/dancing-in-shackles-chinas-vibrant-but-constrained-internet-culture/ 2. Spain?s Digital Childhood Protection Act: Inside Europe?s Most Aggressive Social Media Age Restriction Framework Spain is implementing what experts characterize as Europe?s most comprehensive age-verification framework for digital services, prohibiting children under 16 from accessing social media platforms without parental consent. The Spanish government?s decision follows mounting concerns about the psychological impact of social media on adolescent development, cyberbullying incidents, and the proliferation of harmful content targeting young users. https://www.webpronews.com/spains-digital-childhood-protection-act-inside-europes-most-aggressive-social-media-age-restriction-framework/ 3. Public Trust in Data Governance is Crucial for Kenya?s Digital Future Kenya?s growing maturity in digital governance, and its six-year-old Data Protection Act remains far superior to any legislation in Africa or those in older digital economies. However, two areas emerged as needing attention: data governance in the security sector and election management. https://www.amnestykenya.org/public-trust-in-data-governance-is-crucial-for-kenyas-digital-future/ 4. Australia?s 3CR Radical Radio Invites Digital Rights Watch?s Lucinda Thorpe to Discuss Palantir 3CR Radio invited Lucinda Thorpe, Privacy Campaigner at Digital Rights Watch, to discuss Palantir and how their technologies are being used across the globe. Thorpe shares the company?s history and track record of human rights abuses, as well as how it's currently impacting communities across the world in dystopian ways. https://www.3cr.org.au/tuesday-breakfast/episode/m%C4%81ori-advocacy-invasion-day-rally-digital-rights-watch-palantir 5. ICE's Surveillance Playbook and your Legal Rights ICE agents in the US are now deploying facial recognition software, social media monitoring, and other digital tools to identify immigrants and surveil protesters. MPR News host Catharine Richert and guests discuss how these technologies work, where the law draws the line, and what the expansion of digital surveillance means for privacy for all citizens. https://www.mprnews.org/episode/2026/02/03/ices-surveillance-playbook-and-your-legal-rights-special-coverage 6. How Right to Compute Laws Could Reshape America?s Technology Future Right to Compute laws are emerging across the US, aiming to protect computational access as a fundamental right. This movement could reshape AI regulation, innovation ecosystems, and the balance between technological freedom and safety oversight. https://www.webpronews.com/the-battle-for-digital-access-how-right-to-compute-laws-could-reshape-americas-technology-future/ 7. How VPN Regulations Could Reshape European Internet Freedom France's Interior Minister has announced VPNs are under evaluation following a social media ban for under-15s, raising concerns about digital privacy and internet freedom across Europe and potentially setting a precedent for restrictive regulations. https://www.webpronews.com/frances-digital-sovereignty-push-how-vpn-regulations-could-reshape-european-internet-freedom/ ___________________________________ ### Digital Rights in the Wider World ### ______________________________________ 1. Myanmar Elections Draw Attention to Its Digital Surveillance Record Myanmar?s widely criticized elections are drawing attention to the country?s digital surveillance systems, which rely on digital ID technology and facial recognition products supplied by Chinese and Indian companies.? The country?s military junta declared victory last week despite human rights groups and some Western countries declaring the election a sham. https://www.biometricupdate.com/202602/myanmar-elections-draw-attention-to-its-digital-surveillance-record 2. Spyware Maker is Hijacking Diplomatic Efforts to Limit Commercial Hacking, Civil Society Warns Civil society groups are warning that makers of spyware tied to human rights abuses are inserting themselves into diplomatic initiatives as a way to whitewash their reputations. The backlash comes in the wake of a ?transparency report? issued by the spyware maker NSO Group on January 7 that trumpeted the company?s participation in the Pall Mall Process ? a diplomatic effort aimed at reining in the misuse of spyware products while recognizing the software is worthwhile when used appropriately to fight crime and terrorism. https://therecord.media/spyware-maker-pall-mall-process-reputation 3. Iran Appears to Ease Internet Blackout As Cost of Shutdown Mounts Iranian authorities appear to have relaxed ? but not removed ? internet restrictions, in what experts say is a sign of the mounting costs of the most severe internet blackout the regime has ever imposed. Data from Cloudflare and Kentik show that an uneven restoration of internet traffic to Iran began last week, reaching about 60% of pre-shutdown levels at one point. Uneven internet traffic patterns may indicate that authorities were likely continuing to throttle connections. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/28/iran-appears-to-ease-internet-blackout Russia allegedly helped Iran shut down the Internet nationwide using advanced tech, according to an Agenstvo Novosti report on January 15. The report said Iran?s technology is based on a network-control architecture developed with Russia?s assistance and built around deep packet inspection (DPI), allowing authorities to go beyond blocking websites by restricting traffic to apps, VPNs, and messengers, and by selectively limiting access to platforms used to coordinate protests. https://united24media.com/latest-news/russia-allegedly-helped-iran-shut-down-internet-nationwide-using-advanced-tech-15044 4. FBI Couldn?t Get into WaPo Reporter?s iPhone Because It Had Lockdown Mode Enabled The FBI has been unable to access a Washington Post reporter?s seized iPhone because it was in Lockdown Mode, a sometimes overlooked feature that makes iPhones broadly more secure, according to recently filed court records. The court record shows which devices and data the FBI was able to access, and which devices it could not, after raiding the home of the reporter, Hannah Natanson, in January as part of an investigation into leaks of classified information. It also provides rare insight into the apparent effectiveness of Lockdown Mode. https://www.404media.co/fbi-couldnt-get-into-wapo-reporters-iphone-because-it-had-lockdown-mode-enabled/ 5. I Mocked the Saudi Leader on YouTube - Then My Phone Was Hacked, and I Was Beaten Up in London YouTuber and comedian Ghanem al-Masarir was making waves as a critic of the Saudi Arabian royal family. He then began to notice that his phones were behaving weirdly. They had become very slow, with the batteries running out quickly. He also noticed seeing the same face appear in different parts of London. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj6w3zgden0o 6. Arsink Spyware Posing as WhatsApp, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok Hits 143 Countries Researchers at Zimperium zLabs have identified Arsink, a dangerous Android Trojan that impersonates 50+ popular brands, including WhatsApp and TikTok. With over 45,000 victims across 143 countries, this malware grants hackers complete remote control to record audio, read text messages, and wipe devices. https://hackread.com/arsink-spyware-whatsapp-youtube-instagram-tiktok/ 7. Google Accused of Breaching AI Principles and Helping Israel?s Campaign in Gaza A whistleblower complaint seen by The Washington Post and filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)accuses Googleof breaching AI ethics policies by helping an Israeli military contractor analyze drone footage in 2024 . The complaint alleged that the tech giant breached its own ?AI principles,? which, at the time of the incident detailed in the report, outlined that the company would not utilize AI technology to conduct surveillance in a manner ?violating internationally accepted norms? or in relation to weapons. https://cybernews.com/ai-news/google-ai-policy-israel-surveillance-whistleblower/ _____________________________________ ### 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 Additionally, we maintain a calendar of events in our wiki: https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=Calendar_of_Events Gaza?s Digital Economy Under Siege February 5 https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_KhfSSNeuReyCPTNGQ508zw#/registration Digital Rights Social February 19, 2026 @ 14 UTC TCU's Mattermost https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=Community_Updates Palestine Digital Activism Forum (PDAF) 2026 March 30 to 31, 2026 https://pdaf.net/about-theme International Journalism Festival (IJF) April 15 to 18, 2026 Perugia, Italy https://www.journalismfestival.com/ Digital Rights and Inclusion Forum April 14-16 Abidjan, Ivory Coast https://sessionize.com/digital-rights-and-inclusion-forum26/ RightsCon 2026 May 5-8 Lusaka, Zambia https://www.rightscon.org/ Digital Rights Asia-Pacific Assembly (DRAPAC) June 8 to 10 Manila, Philippines https://engagemedia.org/2025/drapac26-manila/ Global Media Forum June 23 and 24, 2026 Bonn Germany https://corporate.dw.com/en/gmf-2026-your-ideas-deserve-the-spotlight/a-75222151 All Things in Moderation 2026: Call for Contributions June 25 to 26 Online and on demand https://www.allthingsinmoderation.org/call-for-contributions Free and Open Communications on the Internet (FOCI) July 20, 2026 Hybrid, co-located with PETS in Calgary, Canada https://foci.community/ Global Gathering September 4 to 6, 2026 Portugal https://www.digitalrights.community/blog/applications/global-gathering-2026-applications-open Digital Commons: Infrastructures, Design, and the Ethics of Autonomy October 8 to 10 Athens, Greece www.digicommons.org __________________________________________ ### Grants, Fellowships, & Awards ### __________________________________________ Aspen Policy Academy Summer 2026 Science and Technology Policy Fellowship Deadline: February 5, 2026 https://aspenpolicyacademy.org/program/science-and-technology-policy-fellowship/#informational-webinars Democr?TICa Deadline: February 6, 2026 https://www.democratica.digital/post/2-ciclo-del-fondo-democr%C3%A1tica-para-proyectos-de-democracia-digital-inclusiva-en-am%C3%A9rica-latina-y-el - Carr-Ryan Center Fellowship - Global LGBTQI+ Human Rights Fellowship - Racial Justice Fellowship - Technology and Human Rights Fellowship. Deadline: February 22, 2026 https://www.hks.harvard.edu/centers/carr-ryan/opportunities/fellowship-opportunities/technology-and-human-rights-fellowship La Escuela Virtual de Gobernanza de Internet Deadline: February 8, 2026 https://www.virtualsig.org/2025/12/02/982/ Digital Freedom Fund Deadline: February 17 https://digitalfreedomfund.org/grants/ InDiCo-Global. Deadline Deadline: June 30, 2026 https://indico-global-grants.eu/indico-global-third-open-call __________________________________________ ### Know someone that wants to subscribe to our newsletter? ### 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 PGP: 2E1D CC33 A362 0BD6 236E 540A F60A 89AD 6FF9 7A2F You can now submit your news for the Digital Rights weekly directly. To post your job opportunities, submit your opportunities to our Job Board. Keep up with the latest news and opportunities on our other platforms: TCU BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/teamcommunity.bsky.social TCU LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/teamcommunity TCU Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/digitalrightscommunity