Digital Rights Weekly | March 2 to 6
Team CommUNITY
team at digitalrights.community
Thu Mar 5 16:40:39 CET 2026
Hello Digital Rights Defenders!
Here is your weekly update on digital rights around the world for the
week of March 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. Submit your Program Proposal for the Global Gathering | March 19
This year, the open call for program proposals starts on March 19.
However, only participants whose applications to join the GG have been
approved can submit a proposal. To avoid delays, make sure you request
for a ticket before March 19. If your application has been approved, you
will receive the programming submission form via email.
In 2026, expect more skill-shares and workshops in the morning, as well
as virtual pre-event workshops focused on safety and security. Check
out this year’s themes, and what we are looking for by visiting the main
GG hub.
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=Global_Gathering_2026
2.The First Step in Building Your Autonomous Tech Infrastructure | March 19
On March 19, we will also be hosting our next Digital Rights Social on
our Mattermost. The topic will be exploring tips and advice on building
autonomous tech infrastructure. This may be a good time as well to ask
questions about GG programming :) Many TCU staff will be present.
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=Community_Updates
__________________________________________
### Community News ###
__________________________________________
1. Iran’s Digital Prison Was Built with the Help of Russians
Miann’s Group’s Amir Rashidi shares that we are witnessing whitelisting
being enforced at the infrastructure level in Iran. This more
sophisticated internet censorship system relies on DPI inspection
packages, a technology that Russia began to slowly introduce at the
start of 2020.
The core of this system in Iran is Russian-assisted network control
architecture built around DPI, which allows identification and
censorship not only by specific applications, but also by the type of
traffic. Protei — with a head office in Jordan but roots in St.
Petersburg, Russia — has supported Iran’s efforts. Global Voices found
documentation available for download on their website, describing in
detail the DPI platform software the company has offered since 2020.
Among its clients is Iran’s largest telecom provider.
https://globalvoices.org/2026/02/27/irans-digital-prison-was-built-with-the-help-of-russians/
2. Common Cause and Partners Send Letter to US Congress: Investigate
Hegseth’s Ultimatum to Anthropic
Common Cause and partners are urging Congress to use its oversight
authority to investigate the Department of Defense’s (DOD) overreach in
issuing an ultimatum to AI company Anthropic. Hegseth’s was pressuring
Anthropic to drop their boundaries, which included 1) that their tool
would not be used for mass domestic surveillance 2) it would not be used
to power fully autonomous weapons — systems that fire, target or kill
without a human in the decision loop.
https://www.commoncause.org/resources/pete-hegseth-vs-anthropic-read-our-letter-on-ai-surveillance/
3. March 18: New Frontiers for North Korean Surveillance and Repression
Join 38 North to hear new research and insights into the state of
surveillance and repression in North Korea and the future for the North
Korean people. You can attend the event virtually, or in person in DC.
https://www.stimson.org/event/new-frontiers-for-north-korean-surveillance-and-repression/
4. Digital Policing in Pakistan: How Safe City Technologies Expand
Surveillance Without Safeguards
In Pakistan, the Safe City projects have become an infrastructural
backbone to urban policing, and an architecture of daily surveillance.
The country lacks a unified law on data protection or an independent
body to oversee the process of data collection and utilisation — there
is no legal framework in place on how biometric data, facial images, or
location history collected under the Safe City systems could be stored,
shared, or challenged. Civilians also have no way to trace their own
data, to know how long their data is stored, who it is shared with or
how it will be used against them in future.
https://www.humanrightsresearch.org/post/digital-policing-in-pakistan-how-safe-city-technologies-expand-surveillance-without-safeguards
5. Biometric IDs Are Being Rolled Out in Africa. Study Reveals the Risks
and Pitfalls
Across Africa, governments are introducing digital systems that use
individuals’ unique physical measurements to identify them. A new report
by the African Digital Rights Network highlights serious concerns about
exclusion, rights violations, data protection and accountability.
Drawing on evidence from ten African countries, the report shows how
millions of people are struggling to enroll in or safely use these
systems, or are choosing not to participate due to fear and mistrust.
https://theconversation.com/biometric-ids-are-being-rolled-out-in-africa-study-reveals-the-risks-and-pitfalls-273510
6. How to Detect Phone Spying Tech (with Cooper Quintin)
Joseph speaks to Cooper Quintin, a security researcher and senior public
interest technologist with the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF).
Quintin is one of the people behind Rayhunter, an easy to install tool
that can detect nearby IMSI-catchers. This tech, sometimes known as
Stingrays, poses as a fake cellphone tower to track a phone’s location,
intercept calls and texts, and can sometimes even deliver malware.
https://www.404media.co/how-to-detect-phone-spying-tech-with-cooper-quintin/
7. Council of Europe Report: “Increasingly Hostile Environment for
Journalism”
2025 Was a Terrible Year for the Media in Europe, with 53 Deaths of
Journalists and Other Media Professionals and 330 Alerts Published
https://www.indexoncensorship.org/2026/03/council-of-europe-report-increasingly-hostile-environment-for-journalism/
8. Free Speech Is the Casualty in Ukraine War
In the four years that have passed since the full-scale Russian
invasion, Ukraine’s free speech landscape has significantly worsened. In
the parts which Russia occupies, Putin has consciously sought to
obliterate what makes the country unique. Cultural, intellectual and
academic institutions have been pillaged, books relating to Ukrainian
identity destroyed, and prominent journalists and around 200 writers and
artists have been killed, either fighting on the frontline or murdered
by Russian forces.
A less popular topic to discuss is censorship that originates from
within the parts of Ukraine still sovereign under Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
For several years now journalists have been sounding the alarm over what
they see as media restrictions that cannot be justified by wartime
pressures. Last year there were also protests over proposed legislation
that would tighten government oversight of two key anti-corruption
agencies, and in so doing risk their independence.
https://www.indexoncensorship.org/2026/02/free-speech-is-the-casualty-in-ukraine-war/
9. Submission to Meta’s Oversight Board on a Case of AI-generated
Non-Consensual Sexualized Content
The Internet Freedom Foundation has submitted its recommendations to
Meta's Oversight Board proposing changes to the Adult Nudity and Sexual
Activity Policy to include non-consensual intimate and sexualised images
within its ambit with safeguards to protect freedom of speech and
expression and prevent censorship
https://internetfreedom.in/submission-to-metas-oversight-board-on-a-case-of-ai-generated-non-consensual-sexualized-content/
_________________________________________
### 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
+ SWANA Regional Director, Digital Action
- Remote
+ Digital Communications, DigiDem
- Various US States
+ Researcher, Institute for AI Policy and Strategy
- Remote, Global
+ Regional Media Manager, Amnesty
- Colombo, Sri Lank
+ Special Projects Associate, Epoch AI
- Remote
+ Senior Research, Epoch AI
- Remote
+ Deputy Director, Responsible AI Safety & Education (RAISE), NY State
- Albany
+ Head of Social, Center for AI Safety
- San Francisco
+ Narrative Strategist, Center for AI Safety
- San Francisco
+ Sub Team Lead - Red Team (Control), AI Security Institute
- London
+ People Operations Associate, GovAI
- London
______________________________________
### Community Resources ###
______________________________________
1. Section 230 is the Best Protection US Citizens Have from Censorship
and Supports Internet Freedom - But It's Increasingly Under Attack
Senator Ron Wyden details how Section 230 of The Communications Decency
Act of 1996, which he helped write, was simple: It says that the person
who creates a post is the one responsible for it. It allows individuals
to use the Internet to make their voices heard, and makes possible
everything from Wikipedia editors to do their work, to individuals using
Whatsapp, Signal, etc to document violent, lawless activities by ICE.
The section is increasingly under threat by what he coins “far-right
culture warriors.”
https://www.ms.now/opinion/section-230-trump-free-speech
2. On Digital Rights, Philanthropy Must ‘Engage Early’, Says Tech Policy
Expert
Tech policy and advocacy strategist Javier Pallero has a message for
philanthropy: in digital rights you need to support anticipation rather
than response. According to Pallero, the regulatory power of the digital
rights space will face increasing challenges in the next few years, and
philanthropy needs to move beyond funding crisis response and take an
active approach. “As funding fragments, organisations adapt, but
fragmentation can also weaken coordination and long-term strategy.
The future is finding a balance: enough institutional stability to
sustain knowledge, without becoming a machine that can’t respond at the
speed politics and technology now demand.”
https://www.alliancemagazine.org/blog/on-digital-rights-philanthropy-must-engage-early-says-tech-policy-expert/
3. Anthropic's Clash with the Pentagon Exposes the Dangers of AI-enabled
Mass Surveillance
The Pentagon’s standoff with Anthropic highlights a mass surveillance
reality: There are few laws limiting what the US government can do with
artificial intelligence. Powerful AI makes it possible to assemble
scattered, individually innocuous data into a comprehensive picture of
any person's life — automatically and at massive scale.
https://www.axios.com/2026/03/02/ais-mass-surveillance-problem
4. Head In The Cloud
Innovation has become synonymous with the rapid development of AI,
automation, and in agriculture, precision agriculture and
bioengineering. Currently, billions are being invested in corporate-led
digitization of farming, promoted as essential for climate resilience
and productivity. This new book examines how this shift is reshaping
power in food systems, concentrating it in the hands of major technology
companies and agribusiness firms.
https://ipes-food.org/report/head-in-the-cloud/
___________________________________
### Digital Rights in the Wider World ###
______________________________________
1. Four Convicted Over Spyware Scandal that Shook Greece
A landmark judgement by an Athens court found four individuals linked to
spyware maker Intellexa, guilty of unlawful access to private
communication systems and data, and of violating privacy and data
protection laws. In what became known as "Greece's Watergate",
surveillance software called Predator was used to target 87 people —
among them government ministers, senior military officials, and journalists.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj6dx4886rpo
https://www.amnestyusa.org/press-releases/greece-convictions-in-predatorgate-scandal-offer-rare-accountability-in-abuse-of-surveillance-technology/
Meanwhile, Two Former Polish Security Chiefs Have Been Charged Over Use
of Pegasus Spyware.
https://notesfrompoland.com/2026/02/26/poland-charges-former-security-chiefs-over-use-of-pegasus-spyware/
2. How OpenAI Caved to the Pentagon on AI Surveillance
Amidst fallout from a standoff between the Department of Defense and
Anthropic, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announced that his own company had
successfully negotiated new terms with the Pentagon. Altman, however,
implied that he’d found a unique way to keep the same limits demanded by
Antropic in OpenAI’s contract. Across social media and the AI industry,
people immediately began to challenge Altman’s claim. The answer,
sources told The Verge, is that the Pentagon didn’t budge. One source
familiar with the Pentagon’s negotiations with AI companies confirmed
that OpenAI’s deal is much softer than the one Anthropic was pushing
for, thanks largely to three words: “Any lawful use.”
https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/887309/openai-anthropic-dod-military-pentagon-contract-sam-altman-hegseth
Read Open AI March 2 post detailing their updated agreement with the US
Department of War.
https://openai.com/index/our-agreement-with-the-department-of-war/
3. Hong Kong’s Global Censorship Play
Shut up about the erosion of freedom in Hong Kong, or we’ll target your
family. That’s the message Beijing sent to the city’s
dissidents-in-exile on Thursday as a court handed down an eight-month
prison sentence to the father of a prominent critic of the Communist
Party. Twenty-nine-year-old Anna Kwok lives in the U.S. and is on the
board of the Washington-based Hong Kong Democracy Council. Authorities
imposed a HK$1 million bounty (nearly $128,000) for her arrest in 2023.
When that failed to silence her, they went after her family in Hong Kong
under the territory’s Safeguarding National Security Ordinance.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/anna-kwok-hong-kong-national-security-law-china-f3bde4b0
4. Florida Wants its Own CIA. That Could Lead to Unchecked Domestic
Surveillance
If Florida enacts House Bill 945, it will create a national first –
CIA-style structure at the state level that blurs the traditional line
between state law enforcement and intelligence work. It likely wouldn’t
remain a local experiment. A state-level intelligence office empowered
to scrutinize residents based on ideology is precisely the kind of
proposal likely to spread once normalized. The bill would create an
operational intelligence office charged with identifying and disrupting
threats to Florida and the United States.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/mar/01/florida-cia-intelligence-unit-surveillance-views
https://floridatrident.org/controversial-surveillance-bill-moves-ahead-in-florida-house/
5. Digital Rights Advocates Say Russia's Telegram Clampdown is a
Violation of Free Speech
Pavel Durov, the billionaire CEO of the messaging app Telegram, has
confirmed Russian state media reports that the country's Federal
Security Service is investigating him for "aiding terrorism." Natalia
Krapiva, senior technical legal counsel for Access Now, spoke to CBC’s
As It Happens host Nil Köksal, explaining why restricting Russian’s
access to Telegram is an attempt to suppress the right to privacy and
free speech.
https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/audio/9.7107522
6. Turkey Reviews Social Media Platforms; Vietnam Eyes ID Link
Social media platforms are under scrutiny in various countries,
especially in Southeast Asia and the Middle East. In Vietnam, anonymity
on social media may soon be removed as authorities plan to link user
accounts to its national digital identity system. Meanwhile, Turkey is
investigating the data-processing practices of major social media
platforms to ensure children’s online safety.
https://coingeek.com/turkey-reviews-social-media-platforms-vietnam-eyes-id-link/
7. Indonesia Parliament Considering Dangerous Ban on LGBTQ Content
Indonesia’s parliament is debating a bill that would ban LGBT+ content
on TV, radio and the internet. The online advocacy site All Out is
urging people to sign a petition opposing the legislation:
https://76crimes.com/2026/02/26/indonesia-parliament-ban-on-lgbtq-content/
8. How Chinese AI Chatbots Censor Themselves
Researchers from Stanford and Princeton found that Chinese AI models are
more likely than their Western counterparts to dodge political questions
or deliver inaccurate answers.
https://www.wired.com/story/made-in-china-how-chinese-ai-chatbots-censor-themselves/
9. Age-Verification Requirements for Social Media Spark New Privacy Concerns
As governments push stricter online child safety rules, digital rights
advocates warn about the risks of collecting IDs and facial data.
Marketplace’s David Brancaccio spoke with Kian Vesteinsson, senior
researcher at Freedom House, on the tension between child safety
legislation and online privacy. Vesteninsson shares, “Online anonymity
has long been a key enabler for free expression, free speech, and access
to online information, and we need to make sure that we protect it.”
https://www.marketplace.org/story/2026/02/26/age-verification-rules-on-social-media-spark-privacy-concerns
10. Custom Border Patrol (CBP) Tapped Into the Online Advertising
Ecosystem To Track Peoples’ Movements
US’s CBP bought data from the online advertising ecosystem to track
peoples’ precise movements over time, in a process that often involves
siphoning data from ordinary apps like video games, dating services, and
fitness trackers, according to an internal Department of Homeland
Security (DHS) document obtained by 404 Media.
https://www.404media.co/cbp-tapped-into-the-online-advertising-ecosystem-to-track-peoples-movements/
Also check out this article explaining how a citizen uncovered a
surveillance network on California’s border with Mexico being used by
the border patrol and other federal agencies, which logged the license
plate of every driver passing through a stretch of remote backcountry
between San Diego and Arizona’s state line.
https://calmatters.org/justice/2026/02/alpr-border-patrol-caltrans/
11. US Lawmakers, Privacy Advocates Push for Reform of Government
Surveillance Rules
Bipartisan legislation seeking to establish guardrails and add
transparency are surfacing ahead of a statute’s expiration that allows
spy agencies to bypass court authorization. Under the proposed new
legislation, the federal government and spy agencies in particular,
would need to adhere to stricter guidelines when conducting surveillance.
https://fedscoop.com/government-surveillance-rules-reform-section-702-fisa/
However, the government just made it harder to see what spy tech it buys
by shutting down FPDS.gov, a powerful tool journalists have used to keep
tabs on what spying tools US government agencies are buying.
https://www.404media.co/the-government-just-made-it-harder-to-see-what-spy-tech-it-buys/
12. Blood Tech: UK’s Use of Israeli Spyware that Helps Underpin a Genocide
The United Kingdom’s government is investing in spyware developed and
tested on Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank despite its
public criticism of Israeli action there. This includes Cellebrite,
which bypasses passwords and security protocols on smartphones and
computers in order to access their data; BriefCam, which provides video
synopsis programmes that can sift through and condense hours of CCTV and
home surveillance footage, making it easily searchable, and includes
facial-recognition and license-plate search tools; Corsight, which plays
a key role in expansion of faction recognition vans.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/26/blood-tech-the-uk-and-the-israeli-spyware-that-helps-underpin-genocide
13. WhatsApp Officially Names Mullvad and Amnezia VPN as Go-to Tools for
Bypassing Censorship
For millions of users living under restrictive internet regimes,
maintaining access to basic communication tools is a daily battle. In a
crucial update to its support documentation, WhatsApp has begun
explicitly recommending two privacy-focused services, Mullvad and
Amnezia VPN, to help users stay connected when the app is blocked.
https://www.techradar.com/vpn/vpn-privacy-security/whatsapp-officially-names-mullvad-and-amnezia-vpn-as-go-to-tools-for-bypassing-censorship
14. NYC Oversight Hearing Exposes Gaps in Agencies’ Use of AI,
Surveillance Tools
During a recent New York City Council oversight hearing, a
representative from the city’s Office of Technology and Innovation (OTI)
struggled to answer questions about how agencies use artificial
intelligence, biometric data and other surveillance tools, but did share
that facial recognition technology is used by both the NYPD and
Department of Investigation. Technology Committee Chair Carmen De La
Rosa, who led the proceedings, said the lack of transparency from OTI is
a pattern of behavior that can be traced back to former Mayor Eric
Adams. She pointed out that the council’s previous two requests for
information about agency use of these technologies, last June and
December, went unanswered.
https://statescoop.com/nyc-ai-biometric-oversight-hearing/
_____________________________________
### 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
Digital Rights Social / Focus: Building Autonomous Infrastructure
March 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
Cables of Resistance Event
April 10 to 12
https://cableresist.de/
Digital Rights and Inclusion Forum
April 14-16
Abidjan, Ivory Coast
https://sessionize.com/digital-rights-and-inclusion-forum26/
International Journalism Festival (IJF)
April 15 to 18, 2026
Perugia, Italy
https://www.journalismfestival.com/
Digital Rights Social / Focus: Spyware Protection and Transnational
Repression
April 16, 2026 @ 14 UTC
TCU's Mattermost
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=Community_Updates
UNESCO World Press Freedom Day 2026 Global Conference
May 4–5, 2026
Lusaka, Zambia
https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/world-press-freedom-day-2026-global-conference-shaping-future-peace
RightsCon 2026
May 5-8
Lusaka, Zambia
https://www.rightscon.org/
Digital Rights Social / Focus: Regional Updates
May 21, 2026 @ 14 UTC
TCU's Mattermost
https://wiki.digitalrights.community/index.php?title=Community_Updates
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 ###
__________________________________________
2026 Oxford AI and Media Policy Summer Institute July 20 to 31
Deadline:
Early decision March 14;
Final deadline April 21
https://www.law.ox.ac.uk/oxford-ai-and-media-policy-summer-institute/2026-oxford-ai-and-media-policy-summer-institute
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
More information about the Festival
mailing list