Digital Rights Weekly | June 29 to July 3

Thu Jul 2 18:55:41 CEST 2026

Hello Digital Rights Defenders!

Here is your weekly update on digital rights around the world for the 
week of June 29 to July 3 As a reminder, you can submit your news for 
the newsletter here:
https://www.digitalrights.community/weekly-newsletter
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What is in this issue:

Community News
NEW Job Opportunities
Digital Rights in the Wider World
Community Resources
Events Calendar
Grants, Fellowships, & Awards
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### Community News ###
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1. Ranking Digital Rights (RDR) Launches 2026 Index on Telecom Giants’ 
Policies and Disclosures on Privacy, Freedom of Expression, and Access 
to Information

RDR has launched the 2026 RDR Index: Telco Giants Edition (TGE). This 
year’s Index is RDR’s first assessment since 2022 of 12 of the world’s 
most powerful telecommunications companies. It examines how these 
multinationals’ policies and disclosures affect people’s rights to 
privacy, freedom of expression, and access to information. Telefónica 
held on to its top spot for the fourth time in a row, with a score of 
57%. African MTN and Latin America’s América Móvil catapulted from sixth 
to second and from seventh to third place, respectively. Their gains 
mark the first time that any telecom company headquartered in an 
“emerging market” has ranked among the top three in RDR’s transparency 
assessments. Long-standing frontrunners, largely based in Europe and the 
United States, showed clear signs of stagnation, and in some cases, 
declined across key areas.Ooredoo again placed last, though its overall 
score crossed into the double digits for the first time.

https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/ranking-digital-rights-launches-2026-index-on-telecom-giants-policies-and-disclosures-on-privacy-freedom-of-expression-and-access-to-information/

2. Apply for the Digital Rights Summer School from 20 to 26 September | 
Western Balkans and Southeast Europe

The applications for the 2026 Digital Rights Summer School in Montenegro 
are now open!
The School takes place from 20 to 26 September and the program is 
designed for enthusiasts based in the Western Balkans and Southeast 
Europe, who are passionate about digital rights and eager to learn more 
about the latest developments in this field. Application form closes on 
July 6, 2026.

https://sharefoundation.info/en/apply-for-the-digital-rights-end-of-summer-school/

3. Wikimedia Looking for Volunteers for Northern & Western Europe 
Regional Funds Committee

Wikimedia’s Northern and Western Regional Funds Committee is the body 
that reviews funding applications and makes grant decisions for 
Wikimedia communities and affiliates across the region. They are looking 
for volunteers who have experience in public policy and advocacy, AI and 
knowledge equity, fundraising and strategic communications, grantmaking 
and governance, equity and inclusion, or youth and newcomer engagement. 
They also welcome people with connections to English, French, or 
German-speaking communities in the region. Candidates do not need to be 
active Wikimedians, as perspectives outside the movement are being 
sought as well. This is a two-year volunteer commitment, with the bulk 
of the work concentrated in two review rounds per year - (roughly 5–15 
hours a week during those sprints. A small participation stipend is 
available. Check out the following link to learn more about how to 
apply. Deadline is July 26.

https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Committees/Committee_Open_Call/Northern_and_Western_European_Candidates

4. A New Campaign to Defend the Open Internet from State Policies that 
Can Trigger Mass Surveillance, Excessive Control.

A group has launched the Stop Killing the Internet campaign, focused on 
defending the open internet against state policies that could trigger 
mass surveillance and excessive control. The campaign was launched after 
folks observed bad policies being implemented in numerous countries 
worldwide. It's joined by its sister campaign, Stop Killing Games. The 
campaign seeks to unite internet users, families, content creators, and 
technical experts who want lawmakers to find less invasive solutions to 
these societal harms.

https://www.techradar.com/vpn/vpn-privacy-security/we-are-building-a-global-movement-uks-teen-social-media-ban-sparks-a-campaign-to-defend-the-open-internet

5. DRF: Unveiling Cyber-Surveillance Technologies in South Asia.

The Digital Rights Foundation (DRF) latest report examines the 
surveillance practices and technologies being used across four South 
Asian countries: Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, as well as 
the legal, regulatory and institutional frameworks that govern it. It 
notes that weak accountability mechanisms, opaque procurement practices 
and limited transparency have facilitated the growth of sophisticated 
surveillance infrastructures across South Asia, which has been used to 
target voices of dissent and controversy.

https://drf-usa.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Unveiling-Cyber-Surveillance-Tech-in-South-Asia.pdf

Inside Kogi’s Alleged Spyware Crackdown on Critics

A new investigation from the International Centre for Investigative 
Reporting reveals how the Kogi State government uses security operatives 
and surveillance equipment that it acquired from a foreign surveillance 
vendor and spyware company to monitor and track critics, leading to 
intimidation, harassment, and arrests.

https://www.icirnigeria.org/inside-kogis-alleged-spyware-crackdown-on-critics/

6. OONI: Documenting Collateral Damage Caused by IP Blocking in Spain 
During LALIGA Football Broadcasts

Since February 2025, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in Spain have 
reportedly begun blocking specific IP addresses associated with alleged 
piracy streaming services during LALIGA football match broadcasts. These 
blocking actions are implemented during live matches and are tied to 
court-authorized enforcement measures requested in relation to copyright 
infringement. Because much of today’s internet relies on shared hosting 
and content delivery infrastructure, blocking specific IP addresses can 
result in unintended collateral impact on unrelated services hosted on 
the same infrastructure. Check out OONI’s newest report documenting 
these blocks and consequent impact on the accessibility of legitimate 
websites.

https://ooni.org/post/2026-laliga-collateral/

7. Ukraine: June Spearphishing Campaign

The Digital Security Lab Ukraine has published a new incident report on 
a June 2026 spearphishing campaign using fake invitations to the Ukraine 
Recovery Conference. The attackers impersonated Polish politician Paweł 
Kowal and targeted Ukrainian civil society organizations, journalists, 
analysts, and government officials with malicious conference materials. 
The report explains the infection chain and provides indicators of 
compromise and defensive measures.

https://dslua.org/publications/spearphishing-via-fake-urc-2026-invitations-targets-ukrainian-csos/

8. Calls to Action for a Flourishing and Just Digital Europe

On 23 June 2026, 13 civil society organisations – including EDRi and 
ARTICLE 19 – launched Make it Real: Calls to Action for a Flourishing 
and Just Digital Europe, a publication outlining concrete 
recommendations to EU lawmakers to safeguard fundamental rights, 
democratic accountability and fair competition in the digital economy.

https://www.article19.org/resources/calls-to-action-for-a-flourishing-and-just-digital-europe/

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### Community News ###
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### NEW Job Opportunities ###
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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

+ Holistic Security Lead, Kamara
- Globally Remote

+ Executive Director, Newsroom Safety & Security, New York Times
- New York City

+ Director of Training & Content, Personified Tech
- Remote US

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### Digital Rights in the Wider World ###
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1. Russia Hacked Phone of Opposition Politician Andrei Pivovarov Using 
Israeli Firm Cellebrite’s Spyware

Russia’s Federal Security Service hacked the phone of Andrei Pivovarov, 
a politician and former director of Open Russia, using equipment from 
the Israeli company Cellebrite, Pivovarov said on his Telegram channel 
on June 25. The digital forensics organization Citizen Lab, which found 
the spyware on Pivovarov’s iPhone, provided additional details.

https://meduza.io/en/news/2026/06/25/russia-hacked-phone-of-opposition-politician-andrei-pivovarov-using-israeli-firm-cellebrite-s-spyware

2. The EU AI Omnibus: Fast-Tracking Deregulation, Weakening Digital Rights

By approving the first Digital Omnibus on 16 June, the European 
Parliament has taken a worrying step towards weakening a decade of 
digital rights protections. The adopted text will weaken AI Act 
protections, delay the enforcement of key provisions, and empower 
industry actors. Check out a quick bullet point list of what’s changing.

https://www.liberties.eu/en/stories/ai-omnibus-ep-vote/45715

3. Anthropic Accused of Embedding Hidden Spyware in Claude Code 
Targeting Chinese Users

A developer has publicly accused Anthropic of embedding hidden detection 
logic inside Claude Code, its command-line coding tool, that silently 
identifies users connecting through China-linked proxy routes.

https://cryptobriefing.com/anthropic-claude-code-spyware-chinese-users/

4. Pakistan Proposes First National Framework Governing AI, Government 
Data, Citizens’ Digital Rights

Pakistan this month published a draft National Data Governance Policy 
that would establish the country’s first unified framework governing how 
federal agencies collect, store, share and use government data, while 
introducing new rules for artificial intelligence, cross-border data 
transfers and citizens’ digital rights.The draft policy was released on 
June 26 by the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication 
for public consultation.

https://www.arabnews.pk/node/2649083/pakistan

5. In the US, Kids Online Safety Package Clears House, Drawing Warnings 
from Digital Rights and Tech Groups

The House passed a bipartisan package of children’s online safety bills 
in a 267-117 vote, advancing legislation that supporters say would 
better protect children online but critics warn could threaten privacy 
and free expression. Critics, including the Electronic Frontier 
Foundation, argue that systems’ relying on government-issued 
identification or biometric age estimation could chill anonymous speech 
by discouraging users from sharing sensitive information online.

https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/kids-internet-and-digital-safety-act-passes-house-free-speech-concerns-rcna352341

6. Ukraine: Media Component of the Draft Civil Code of Ukraine Requires 
Further Refinement CSOs Urge, Risks to Freedom of Expression

During an expert discussion held in Kyiv, the Council of Europe legal 
opinion on certain provisions of the Draft Civil Code of Ukraine was 
presented concerning freedom of expression, media, and digital rights. 
The legal opinion notes that the draft contains a number of innovations, 
in particular in the area of digital rights, including the right to a 
digital identity, the right to be forgotten, digital privacy, and 
informational tranquillity. At the same time, the opinion identifies 
several provisions requiring further refinement to ensure legal 
certainty, proportionality, and a fair balance between privacy 
protection and freedom of expression.

https://www.coe.int/pt/web/freedom-expression/-/expert-discussion-on-the-council-of-europe-opinion-media-component-of-the-draft-civil-code-of-ukraine-requires-further-refinement

7. A Stand Against Surveillance: European Court of Human Rights Admits 
RSF Complaints and Sees Potential for Impact Cases

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) served the German federal 
government with two complaints filed by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) 
Germany and RSF International. The complaints challenge the legal basis 
for the use of state-sponsored spyware as well as for strategic 
telecommunications surveillance by the Federal Intelligence Service 
(BND). As the Strasbourg-based court announced, it has already sent its 
list of questions to the German government. Furthermore, the court views 
the complaints as having the potential to serve as impact cases.

https://rsf.org/en/stand-against-surveillance-european-court-human-rights-admits-rsf-complaints-and-sees-potential

8. Nigerian Stakeholders Seek Stronger Data Protection to Safeguard 
Voters’ Privacy, Electoral Integrity Before 2027

Numerous stakeholders are calling for comprehensive data protection 
assessments across Nigeria’s electoral ecosystem ahead of the 2027 
general elections, warning that the increasing deployment of digital 
technologies in the electoral process has heightened the risks of 
personal data misuse. The stakeholders spoke during a webinar organised 
by the Digital Rights Lawyers Initiative, and stressed that protecting 
voters’ personal information is critical to strengthening public trust 
and the credibility of future elections.

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2026/06/2027-stakeholders-seek-stronger-data-protection-to-safeguard-voters-privacy-electoral-integrity/

9. Spain’s AI Bill, Global Regulatory Tracker at Forefront

Spain is positioning itself at the forefront of AI governance, supported 
by a fully operational dedicated AI regulator (AESIA), an active 
regulatory sandbox already generating practical compliance insights, and 
a national AI Bill approved by the Council of Ministers in May 2026, 
currently under Parliamentary processing.

https://www.whitecase.com/insight-our-thinking/ai-watch-global-regulatory-tracker-spain

Meanwhile, recently the Cyprus MP said that the country needs a digital 
rights charter, noting work in places like Spain.

https://cyprus-mail.com/2026/06/29/digital-rights-in-cyprus-need-to-keep-up-with-technology

10. Privacy Rights Advocates Push Back Against Data Collection Devices 
in San Francisco, Castro Bars

Following a June 10 Gazetteer SF story about the presence of 
high-security data collection devices from a Calgary-based company 
called Patronscan in a number of Castro gay bars, digital rights group 
Fight for the Future is calling on Mix, Badlands, and Toad Hall to 
remove the technology from their businesses.

https://sf.gazetteer.co/privacy-rights-advocates-push-back-against-data-collection-devices-in-castro-bars

11. New Lawsuit Claims Ring's Smart Doorbell Spyware is Taking Photos of 
Millions without Their Consent

A new class-action lawsuit in the US alleges that Amazon Ring is 
collecting and storing photos of passersby without their consent. Ring 
is charged with violating the privacy of millions of Americans through 
AI-powered facial recognition and analysis features included in many of 
its cameras embedded in video doorbells, mounted outdoors, and even 
placed inside homes. The suit specifically goes after Ring’s Familiar 
Faces feature, which is designed to detect the faces of “friends, 
family, and frequent visitors over time.” Once a familiar face is 
identified, Ring owners receive a notification that tells them which 
person is at the door.

https://www.theblaze.com/tech/new-lawsuit-claims-ring-s-smart-doorbell-spyware-is-taking-photos-of-millions-without-their-consent

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### Community Resources ###
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1. Tech Soup’s AI Resource Library

Tech Soup has a multi-lingual AI resource library that offers curated, 
practical resources tailored for civil society organizations. The 
library has expert guides, tutorials, case studies, best practices, 
courses and training curricula, and much more. The library was created 
with TechSoup’s partners in ten countries in the EMEA region, and is 
available in English, French, Spanish, Arabic, Polish,and  Italian.

https://en.hive-mind.community/ai

2. China’s Transnational Interference Threatens Digital Rights Globally

Beijing’s coercive use of digital tools and economic leverage is 
undermining international efforts to regulate digital technologies. 
Signs are mounting that the Chinese government is expanding its 
transnational repression both in terms of tools and targets. The first 
half of 2026 has seen evidence of online and offline attempts to silence 
overseas critics that cross its political red lines. In May, an 
AI-generated harassment campaign against Europe-based human rights 
researcher Laura Harth, known for her work exposing China’s overseas 
police stations, was made public. The campaign, which relied on 
misogynistic and sexualized images, shows how Beijing is incorporating 
generative AI into its transnational repression efforts, allowing new 
forms of scalable, personalized attacks aimed at damaging the reputation 
of critics abroad. But attempts to silence individuals have also widened 
to target global civil society collectively.

https://merics.org/en/comment/chinas-transnational-interference-threatens-digital-rights-globally

3. Digital Surveillance is Breaking Activist Mental Health

We spend our time arguing over privacy, technical details like 
encryption settings, or the abstract limits of government control power. 
But Gina Romero, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights to 
Freedom of Peaceful Assembly, published a new report and global study 
inviting us all to look at the profound crisis of mental health and 
psychological trauma that is currently sweeping through civil society 
and the global activist community.

https://advox.globalvoices.org/2026/06/23/digital-surveillance-is-breaking-activist-mental-health/

4. The Quiet Erosion of Collective Action Under Digital Surveillance

Gina Romero, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights to 
Freedom of Peaceful Assembly, just wrote a piece for Tech Policy Press 
where they share “The right to freedom of association in general, and 
civil society in particular, has been deeply affected for years now by 
the abuse of national security, counter terrorism, money laundering, and 
cybercrime frameworks. Civil society organizations, social movements, 
and grassroots activists have been systematically mislabeled as 
"national security threats," "foreign agents," "criminals," or 
"terrorists.”

https://www.techpolicy.press/the-quiet-erosion-of-collective-action-under-digital-surveillance

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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

Additionally, we maintain a calendar of events in our wiki: 
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=Calendar_of_Events

Digital Rights Social / Focus: Organizational Sustainability and Resilience
July 16, 2026 @ 14 UTC
TCU's Mattermost
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=Community_Updates

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

Forum on Internet Freedom in Africa (FIFAfrica)
September 28 to October 1
Mauritius
https://internetfreedom.africa

Trust and Safety Research Conference 2026
October 1–2, 2026
Currently accepting proposals here:
https://cyber.fsi.stanford.edu/trust-and-safety-research-conference

Circuit Breaker 26
October 17-18
New York
https://techworkerscoalition.org/circuit-breakers/

Digital Commons:Infrastructures, Design, and the Ethics of Autonomy
October 8 to 10
Athens, Greece
www.digicommons.org
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### Grants, Fellowships, & Awards ###
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InDiCo-Global. Deadline
Deadline: June 30, 2026
https://indico-global-grants.eu/indico-global-third-open-call
AI Accountability Fellowship from the Pulitzer Center
Deadline: July 12.
https://pulitzercenter.org/grants-fellowships/opportunities-journalists/ai-accountability-fellowships
Cross-Border Collaborative Investigations on the Impact of AI
July 22
https://www.freepressunlimited.org/en/current/grants-cross-border-collaborative-investigations-impact-ai

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www.digitalrights.community
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