Digital Rights Weekly | July 20 to July 24
Team CommUNITY
team at digitalrights.community
Tue Jul 28 15:05:19 CEST 2026
Hello Digital Rights Defenders!
Here is your weekly update on digital rights around the world for the
week of July 20 to July 24 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:
TCU
Community News
NEW Job Opportunities
Digital Rights in the Wider World
Community Resources
Events Calendar
Grants, Fellowships, & Awards
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### TCU ###
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Please note that the Digital Rights Newsletter and Digital Rights
Socials will be on pause starting the week of August 3. The newsletter
will resume the week of September 15, and the Socials will resume in
October.
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### Community News ###
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1. Palantir and Bitcoin Institute Join US State Department’s Digital
Freedom Program
On July 24, the US State Department launched the Freedom Tech Excellence
Program (FTEP). The program’s co-founders include the Bitcoin Policy
Institute (BPI), defense contractors Palantir Technologies and Anduril
Industries, as well as the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation.
Palatnir has been linked with ICE’s surveillance mechanism, and the
creation of a multiagency database designed to merge American’s data,
and other surveillance-focused projects. In June, shareholders voted on
two proposals at its annual meeting that demanded a probe into the
company’s human rights policies.
https://startupfortune.com/washington-puts-bitcoin-in-the-same-program-as-palantir-and-anduril-treating-it-as-geopolitical-infrastructure/
https://www.barrons.com/articles/palantir-stock-price-human-rights-99fc4356
2. #PrivacyCamp26: Call for Sessions
Privacy Camp hosts its 14th edition on 13 October 2026, in Brussels and
online. This year’s theme asks where technologies come from, who gets to
shape them, and what conditions make digital self-determination
possible. It starts from a simple premise: digital futures do not appear
from nowhere. They are built through land, labour, capital,
infrastructure, law, public money, political choices and social
struggle. Deadline is August 10.
https://edri.org/our-work/privacycamp26-call-for-sessions/
3. A Digital Security Resilience Guide for Civil Society | Chinese Language
A new publication by Resilience Innovation Lab, offers practical
guidance on secure communications and data protection; defending against
phishing and cyberattacks; protecting devices and online accounts; AI,
privacy, and digital security risks; digital safety when travelling and
crossing borders; and recommended security tools and best practices. The
publication is available in traditional Chinese only, and has been
reviewed and audited by a verified third party. RIL was founded by Asian
veteran researchers and human rights defenders in 2023.
https://resilienceinnovationlab.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Manual_2026.pdf
4. A Telegram of Trouble: Tracking a Regional OTP-phishing
Infrastructure Targeting Users in Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan for 2 years
In July 2026, RESIDENT.NGO investigated a Telegram phishing message sent
to a Belarusian activist living in Lithuania. The link led to a fake
Telegram page that asked for a login code, and contained the target’s
phone number in encoded form. After examining that site, they searched
for other pages built and operated in the same way. It led to a
longer-running, multi-country infrastructure cluster.
https://resident.ngo/lab/writeups/a-telegram-of-trouble-tracking-a-regional-otp-phishing-infrastructure-targeting-users-in-russia-belarus-and-kazakhstan-for-2-years/
5. Grant Opportunity for Creative Internet Freedom Programs Working in Iran
The DT Institute is providing up to $75K funding for creative Internet
Freedom programs that work in Iran in these priority areas:
direct-to-cell feasibility study; novel approaches to datacasting;
enhancements to high-usage circumvention or privacy tools; and use of AI
in circumvention tool development and delivering censored content. The
deadline for concept notes is July 28.
https://dti.grantplatform.com/
6. Use and Impact of Digital Space in Nepal’s Election 2026
Digital Rights Nepal (DRN) has released a new research report examining
how digital technologies influenced Nepal's House of Representatives
election held in March 2026.
The study explores the opportunities and challenges presented by digital
platforms, artificial intelligence, and online campaigning during the
electoral process. Based on legal and policy analysis, digital platform
monitoring, key informant interviews, and expert consultations, the
report highlights key issues including AI-generated disinformation,
voter data privacy, technology-facilitated gender-based violence,
platform accountability, and transparency in digital political
advertising. It also provides recommendations for the Government of
Nepal, the Election Commission, digital platforms, civil society,
political parties, and development partners to strengthen election
integrity while protecting human rights in digital spaces.
https://digitalrightsnepal.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Use-and-Impact-of-Digital-Space-in-Nepals-Election-2026.pdf
7. Building Collective Resistance in Shrinking Civic Spaces Across
Asia-Pacific
A new article from the Association for Progressive Communications (APC)
highlights reflections from members across the Asia-Pacific following
the Digital Rights Asia-Pacific Assembly (DRAPAC) 2026 in Manila.
Drawing on conversations with organisations from India, the Philippines,
Myanmar, Indonesia, Nepal, Bangladesh and Taiwan, the piece explores how
communities are responding to shrinking civic spaces, digital
repression, AI harms and online gender-based violence through collective
action, community-led connectivity and regional solidarity.
https://www.apc.org/en/news/building-collective-resistance-shrinking-civic-spaces-across-asia-pacific
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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
+Senior Systems & Reliability Engineer (VPN), Proton VPN
- Barcelona, Spain; Geneva, Switzerland
+ Operations Manager, ASL19
- Toronto/GTA
+ CyberSecurity Technologist, SMEX
- Beirut
+ Director, Open State Foundation
- Amsterdam
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### Digital Rights in the Wider World ###
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1. Bahrain Loses Bid to Block Dissidents' Spyware Lawsuit in UK
The UK's Supreme Court has ruled that Bahrain cannot claim state
immunity to block a lawsuit brought in Britain by two dissidents who say
its government hacked their laptops with spyware.
https://middle-east-online.com/en/bahrain-loses-bid-block-dissidents-spyware-lawsuit-uk
2. Modi Faces Challenge from Activists Over Surveillance at India Youth
Protest
Indian activists are challenging Prime Minister Narendra Modi's
government over the use of AI-powered surveillance used at the largest
youth protest in decades, with one court case set to become a test of
federal powers even after agitation ended. The surveillance controversy
erupted during the recent student protest over exam paper leaks, when
demonstrators posted pictures on social media of a mobile police
surveillance van equipped with cameras on a telescopic mast providing a
360-degree view of the gathering. One protester, student activist Aishe
Ghosh, has asked the Delhi High Court to declare mass surveillance of
protesters unconstitutional and direct the destruction of all personal
data collected during the demonstration, as well as order the framing of
guidelines on how surveillance technology can be used.
https://www.reuters.com/world/india/modi-faces-challenge-activists-over-surveillance-india-youth-protest-2026-07-27/
3. Why the Indian Government Wants Jack Dorsey’s Bitchat App Removed and
Why Digital Rights Groups Disagree
India's Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) has ordered GitHub to
remove the Bluetooth-based messaging app Bitchat by Jack Dorsey, citing
security concerns. The notice was issued on July 23 and Dorsey shared it
publicly on X on Friday. The notice reportedly came after participants
at the Jantar Mantar protest switched to Bluetooth-based messaging apps
once temporary internet restrictions were imposed around the protest
site. That appears to have drawn regulatory attention to apps like
Bitchat more broadly. Digital rights group IFF calls the move
authoritarian.
https://www.financialexpress.com/life/technology-explained-why-govt-wants-jack-dorseys-bitchat-app-removed-and-why-digital-rights-groups-disagree-4301660/
4. What Andy Burnham’s Rise Means for UK’s Data Privacy
Andy Burnham has just become Britain’s seventh Prime Minister. Before
even stepping into Downing Street, Burnham scrapped the controversial
national digital ID plan. On day one, he sent fresh shockwaves by
dismantling the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT)
entirely and merging it with the Business Department. The question now
is whether Burnham’s impetus for change will address the issues at the
heart of the digital privacy debate.
https://www.techradar.com/vpn/vpn-privacy-security/a-new-dawn-for-digital-rights-what-burnhams-do-better-promise-could-mean-for-your-privacy
5. Sudan’s Digital Defenders: Refugees Go Online to Hunt for Justice
Sudanese refugees in Kampala, Uganda, have begun using digital tools to
document and analyze war‑related abuses, turning themselves into remote
investigators for future accountability. Much of the on‑the‑ground
documentation of abuses has moved online, with displaced activists now
relying on social media footage, satellite imagery, and digital
verification techniques to compensate for the absence of state‑led human
rights mechanisms.
https://impactpolicies.org/news/900/sudans-digital-defenders-refugees-go-online-to-hunt-for-justice
6. US Senator Gary Peters Wants ICE to Explain Why it Bought Spyware
that Can Covertly Take Control of Phones
The ranking member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental
Affairs Committee is demanding that U.S. Immigration and Customs
Enforcement explain why it has purchased commercial spyware capable of
covertly taking control of phones as well as collecting messages,
photographs, location information and other personal data. Democratic
Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan called the purchase "one of the most
significant expansions of DHS and ICE's surveillance ambitions to date,"
flagging potential civil liberties concerns and risks to U.S. national
security. Peters sought clarity from Homeland Security Secretary
Markwayne Mullin in a letter exclusively obtained by CBS News and dated
July 23, calling into question ICE's $2 million, sole-source purchase of
Graphite, a surveillance tool developed by Paragon Solutions and now
owned by REDLattice.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/senate-ice-graphite-spyware-phones/
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### Community Resources ###
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1. Can the Pall Mall Process Curb Spyware Abuse?
In early 2024, France and the United Kingdom launched the Pall Mall
Process (PMP), an international initiative that brought together
governments, industry, civil society, and academia to tackle “the
proliferation and irresponsible use of commercial cyber intrusion
capabilities (CCICs),” an umbrella term referring to spyware, software
vulnerabilities, hackers-for-hire, and related technologies. In April
2025, a non-binding Code of Practice for States, now signed by 27
countries, was adopted, setting out commitments for government action in
relation to the development, facilitation, purchase, and use of CCICs. A
Code of Practice for Industry is currently being developed and is
expected to be finalized at the Paris Peace Forum in November.
https://www.techpolicy.press/can-the-pall-mall-process-curb-spyware-abuse/
2. Red Dresses to Memory Stones: Multimedia Activism and Gender-Based
Violence in Canada
This new book explores five multimedia projects and interviews with
activists of gender based violence in Canada, offering insights into
their creative, daring, participatory, and commemorative ways of
addressing GBV in diverse communities, including drawing attention to
Canada’s crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.
https://www.ubcpress.ca/from-red-dresses-to-memory-stones
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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
Webinar: Africa’s Position in Global AI Governance Debates
July 30
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/KY573AjpR1SNnyNx4-sdGg
Webinar | Brobots vs. The People: Tech Money in Politics
July 30th and Several Dates After
https://mediajustice.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_EELeLqLfQ2apKEzHi8dwgA#/registration
Global Gathering
September 4 to 6, 2026
Portugal
https://www.digitalrights.community/blog/applications/global-gathering-2026-applications-open
RightsCon
September 22
https://www.rightscon.org/rc26-continues/
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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Cross-Border Collaborative Investigations on the Impact of AI
July 22
https://www.freepressunlimited.org/en/current/grants-cross-border-collaborative-investigations-impact-ai
Digital Rights Exchange Program
August 2
https://www.forus-international.org/en/pdf/final-call-for-applications-cade-digital-rights-exchange-programme
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Hugs & light <3
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Team CommUNITY at ARTICLE 19
www.digitalrights.community
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