Member organizations are based in India, Lebanon, Kenya, Nigeria, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Costa Rica, and Canada, and bring accumulated experiences on digital resilience from Latin America, Southern and Eastern Africa, Asia and the Middle East. The members of the Network are:
Member organizations are based in India, Lebanon, Kenya, Nigeria, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Costa Rica, and Canada, and bring accumulated experiences on digital resilience from Latin America, Southern and Eastern Africa, Asia and the Middle East. The members of the Network are:
CENTRE FOR INTERNET & SOCIETY, india
https://cis-india.org/
Year of Establishment: 2008
Geographical Scope of Work: The primary focus is on digital rights issues in India, with some work extending to other countries in the global south.
The Centre for Internet and Society (CIS) is a non-profit organization that undertakes interdisciplinary research on internet and digital technologies from policy and academic perspectives. Through its diverse initiatives, CIS explores, intervenes in, and advances contemporary discourse and regulatory practices around internet, technology, and society in India, and elsewhere.
Over the next three years, CIS aims to broaden the mainstream perception of digital resilience beyond cybersecurity.The organization is committed to building a comprehensive and accessible body of scholarship on various aspects, including internet shutdowns, misinformation, online gender-based violence, and the environmental impact of technology. Their approach involves:
- Building and mainstreaming a body of knowledge to spark critical conversations and knowledge-building on digital resilience.
- Building and training a network of local human rights defenders to detect and respond to digital threats.
- Surveys, focus group discussions, interviews, longitudinal studies, participatory research methods, technical analysis methods, among others.
CIS recognizes the importance of identifying and producing scholarship that reveals the various phenomena impacting their conception of a digitally resilient society, in tandem with the urgent need to arm human rights defenders with the ability to detect and respond to threats in an environment where their work puts them in a position of vulnerability. Their dual approach will involve building and mainstreaming a body of knowledge that sparks critical conversations and knowledge-building on the facets of digital resilience, supplemented by building and training a network of human rights defenders to detect and respond to digital threats.
Key projects
Securing Our Dependence on Code Reuse in Software
Dividing and breaking up a software project into smaller modules with functionality that can be reused to build other software is an increasingly common practice in software development today. Divyank Katira examines the infrastructural dependence on reuse of open-source software (OSS) components, examine the unique security risks posed by the widespread reuse of code, and survey systemic solutions to making open-source software more resilient.
CensorWatch: On the Implementation of Online Censorship in India
State authorities in India order domestic internet service providers (ISPs) to block access to websites and services for various reasons. Researchers, including Divyank Katira, developed a mobile application, CensorWatch, to study inconsistencies in how internet service providers (ISPs) conduct censorship in India. Their analysis involved studying the censorship of thousands of sites across multiple states in India. The research found that ISPs in India employ different methods of censorship, and larger ISPs use more challenging-to-circumvent methods. By comparing blocklists and contextualizing them with specific legal orders, the study provided concrete evidence of arbitrary blocking by ISPs, in violation of Indian law.
The citizen lab, CANADA
https://citizenlab.ca/
Year of Establishment: 2001
Geographical Scope of Work: Global
The Citizen Lab is an interdisciplinary laboratory based at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, University of Toronto in Toronto, Canada. Their mission is to conduct research and high-level strategic policy and legal engagement at the intersection of information and communication technologies (ICTs), human rights, and global security. Their work seeks to advance digital resilience globally, and they do so by partnering with researchers and practitioners from academia, civil society, and the private sector. Their aim is to help build and support a diverse community that values and advocates for Internet openness, security, and rights.
Key Projects
The Great iPwn – Journalists Hacked with Suspected NSO Group iMessage ‘Zero-Click’ Exploit
In July and August 2020, government operatives used NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware to hack 36 personal phones belonging to journalists, producers, anchors, and executives at Al Jazeera. The personal phone of a journalist at London-based Al Araby TV was also hacked. The Tech Lab has shared their findings with Apple, and they have confirmed that they are looking into the issue.
NSO Group / Q Cyber Technologies – Over One Hundred New Abuse Cases
As reported in May 2019, WhatsApp identified and shortly thereafter fixed a vulnerability that allowed attackers to inject commercial spyware onto phones simply by ringing the number of a target’s device. Today, on Oct 29th, WhatsApp is publicly attributing the attack to NSO Group, an Israeli spyware developer that also goes by the name Q Cyber Technologies. After the incident, Citizen Lab volunteered to help WhatsApp identify cases where the suspected targets of this attack were members of civil society, such as human rights defenders and journalists.
Co-Creation Hub Profile, NIGERIA
https://cchub.africa/
Year of Establishment: 2010
Geographical Scope of Work: Pan-African (Nigeria, Kenya, Rwanda, and Namibia)
Co-Creation Hub (CcHUB) is the largest innovation hub in Africa. Established in 2010, it began as Nigeria’s premier innovation center with a mission to accelerate the application of social capital and technology for economic prosperity in Nigeria. Over the years, the hub has expanded its physical presence to six cities across Africa, including Lagos, Abuja, Ijebu-Ode (Nigeria), Kigali (Rwanda), Nairobi (Kenya), and Windhoek (Namibia). They collaborate with various stakeholders, including entrepreneurs, civil society organizations, government, and the private sector, to identify and nurture innovative solutions to social challenges in Africa.
Their expansion aligns with a vision to become Africa’s foremost innovation center, leading the way to a more prosperous continent. They have established a Design Lab and Research & Development Centre in Kigali, Rwanda, as well as acquired iHUB in Nairobi, Kenya, and launched their first hub in Southern Africa—Namibia, in 2023.
CcHUB’s Technology and Society Practice focuses on leveraging technology for social impact, contributing to good governance by bridging the gap between the government and its citizens. Their objectives include promoting self-reliance in digital security needs, strengthening the cybersecurity defenses of journalists, human rights defenders, and non-state actors against cyber threats, and forging sustainable partnerships across sectors.
Primary Work Topics:
- Detection, analysis, and mitigation of digital rights-related violence.
- Empowering Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), vulnerable groups, and media organizations to be self-reliant in their digital security needs.
- Hardening the cybersecurity defenses of journalists, human rights defenders, and non-state actors against cyber attacks.
Communities Collaborated With:
Key Projects
SafeOnline Africa
SafeOnline Africa is a valuable resource center for Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) engaged in social justice work within Africa. Its primary objective is to be the go-to destination for digital safety awareness and resources tailored to the African landscape. Supported by the Internews-led Greater Internet Freedom Project, their core mission is to advance internet freedom throughout Africa, focusing on digital security and access to information for CSOs.
Online Etiquette
Online Etiquette is an interactive online learning platform designed to explore key concepts related to online behavior and safety. The platform gamifies the learning experience, making it both fun and informative, allowing users to gain a deeper understanding of online violence and appropriate online conduct. Funded by the Ford Foundation, it is a part of CCHUB digital literacy curriculum for CSO training.
Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA), Uganda
https://www.cipesa.org/
Year of Establishment: 2004
Geographical Scope of Work: Africa
CIPESA’s primary focus is to enhance the digital resilience capacities of organizations and individuals in African countries. The shrinking civic space in many states calls for enhanced digital capacities, especially for those addressing human rights and social justice issues. Various illegal means have been adopted to limit rights, including surveillance, hacking, intimidation, and violence. These measures not only undermine citizens’ digital rights and participation but also endanger the safety of critical democratic actors.
CIPESA works with communities with gaps in digital security and safety skills, particularly those most at risk. The organization aims to bridge the digital security divide by providing training and support networks to these vulnerable groups.
Key Projects
Africa Digital Rights Fund (ADRF)
The Africa Digital Rights Fund (ADRF) offers flexible and rapid response grants to select initiatives in Africa to implement activities that advance digital rights. This includes advocacy, litigation, research, policy analysis, digital literacy, and digital resilience. The fund has supported initiatives in 39 African countries to date, contributing to the advancement of digital rights across the continent.
Level Up
Through the Level Up program, CIPESA has provided digital security resilience workshops to civil society groups, activists, women, and other democracy actors. This initiative strengthened the organizational and information systems security capacity of 16 HRD organizations in Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania, South Sudan, and Uganda. It included a Training of Trainers (ToT) component to grow the network of individuals and organizations offering digital security training and support to journalists, activists, and HRDs. Additionally, it involved organizational security assessments, contributing with the improvement of digital resilience within these entities
Derechos Digitales, CHILE
http://derechosdigitales.org/
Year of Establishment: 2005
Geographical Scope of Work: Latin America
Derechos Digitales is one of the leading digital rights organizations in Latin America. Its mission is to defend, promote, and advance human rights in the digital environment to contribute to more just, inclusive, and equal societies in the region. Initially focused on Chile, where the organization was founded in 2005 as a pioneer in the field, Derechos Digitales now has a regional reach. It develops actions that combine legal research, public policy and technology analysis, advocacy and communications outreach, as well as digital rights and digital security training.
Key Projects
Supporting Latin American human rights and social justice organizations
through small grants
Derechos Digitales manages two funds to support initiatives that advance human rights in digital environments in Latin America. The first is a Rapid Response Fund, focused on responding to emergencies related to the use and governance of technologies, as well as any form of attack on digital rights. To date, it has supported more than 80 projects in more than 10 countries. The second is a recently created Digital Rights Fund, which supports organizations oriented towards raising awareness about digital rights and promoting a resilient and safe digital environment. Both funds are designed to offer contextualized, agile, and flexible support to activists, organizations, and communities.
Building coalitions and sharing capacities to achieve digital resilience
in Latin America
The Latin American Program for Resilience and Digital Defense (LAREDD) concentrates Derechos Digitales’ activities aimed at strengthening digital resilience in the region. Its actions combine prevention of digital security through training and audits, as well as responses to attacks. All activities are based on collaboration with digital security organizations to facilitate the sharing of capacities and expertise, enabling a coordinated response to increasing threats.
The Engine Room, Global
https://www.theengineroom.org/
Year of Establishment: 2011
Geographical Scope of Work: Global
The Engine Room is a non-profit organization with a distributed global team of experienced and committed activists, researchers, technologists, and community organizers. Their vision is for social justice movements to use technology and data in safe, responsible, and strategic ways while actively mitigating the vulnerabilities created by digital systems. They have supported a variety of organizations, primarily in Latin American and African countries, to strengthen their digital resilience in ways that respond to their individual needs and challenges. This includes, among other things:
- Supporting organizations to select the right tools and platforms for their needs.
- Assessing the organization’s digital security practices.
- Working with teams on how to implement responsible data practices.
- Helping organizations establish policies and practices around data and technology in line with their values.
- Connecting organizations with others facing similar challenges or with relevant data or tech expertise.
Key Projects
Tech Tips for Working From Home When Everyone Else is Too
This ‘Tech in the Time of Covid’ guide responds to shared challenges identified through conversations with peers and partners in 2020, aimed at helping their teammates, families, partners, and collaborators better weather the work-from-home part of the Covid storm.
Tech Tools for Human Rights Documentation
Research findings and guidance on tech tools for human rights documentation in the context of transitional justice. Published online in English, French, and Arabic, with an accompanying table that brings together a selection of tools currently being used in the human rights documentation space.
Fundación Acceso, Costa Rica
https://www.acceso.or.cr/
Year of Establishment: 1992
Geographical Scope of Work: Latin America prioritizing Central America
Fundación Acceso, registered in Costa Rica in 1992, aims to strengthen organizational capacities in Central America. Their mission is to contribute to the comprehensive protection of individuals, groups, and communities advocating for and defending human rights in contexts of risk in Latin America. Acceso envisions a safe environment where the right to defend rights is exercised by individuals, groups, and communities. To fulfill their mission, they operate through three programs: Digital Protection, Physical and Psychosocial Protection, and Organizational Management. These programs align with their global strategies, focusing on Integral Protection Processes, Learning Management, Strengthening for autonomy and internal sustainability, and Ecosystems of Comprehensive/Holistic Protection.
Primary Work Topics:
- Detection, analysis, and mitigation of digital rights-related violence.
- Accompaniment, support, training, and resources for digital protection.
- Access to locally developed digital protection tools (free and/or open source) adapted to the regional context of digital risks and threats.
- Providing internal technological services with high-security standards through free and/or open-source software technologies.
Communities Collaborated With in Digital Resilience:
- Shelter City Network
- Global Network for Social Justice and Digital Resilience
- Weaving Resilience
- Foro de Derechos Humanos de Honduras
- Observatorio Internacional de Nicaragua
- European Union Temporary Relocation Platform (EUTRP)
- Red Latinoamericana de Artistas en Riesgo
- Red de Centros de Acogida Temporal de Costa Rica
- CiviCert
- Red COSIC-LAT: Red / Comunidad de Seguridad de la Información y Comunicación
- OLAD: Observatorio Latinoamericano de Amenazas Digitales
- Coalición de Derechos Digitales en Mesoamérica
- RedLatAm: Derechos Digitales en Latinoamérica
- Iniciativa Ecos
Key Projects
Integral Protection Response Groups
The Integral Protection Response Groups (GRPI) consist of a multidisciplinary team with expertise in psychosocial accompaniment, physical security, digital security, and systematization. GRPI adopts a collective approach, considering historical elements and the skills developed collectively. Their strategy involves analyzing context, risks, threats, and identifying coping strategies. This approach fosters the development of context-specific and effective security strategies, both at the collective and personal levels.
Regional School of Digital Security
The Regional School of Digital Security utilizes the open-source learning platform Moodle to offer three modules: Basic knowledge, Intermediate knowledge, and Advanced knowledge. These modules include thematic axes and various pedagogical activities to enhance digital security skills among human rights defenders in the Mesoamerican region. The primary goal is to contribute to the safety of human rights defenders by imparting knowledge and practices relevant to their context, objectives, and tasks, ensuring the protection of digital communications.
Instituto Nupef, Brazil
https://nupef.org.br/
Year of Establishment: 2006
Geographical Scope of Work: Based in Brazil; International scope re-Internet Governance as well as articulation for other Internet policies through networks; and National scope regarding actions in the field
Instituto Nupef seeks to ensure a secure and self-reliant infrastructure for civil society and social movements fighting for human rights, equity, and environmental justice. This commitment is upheld through the operation of an autonomous system situated within one of the most vital data centers in Brazil, offering a comprehensive suite of services including hosting, email solutions, video conferencing, and cloud services. Moreover, Nupef furthers its mission by actively bolstering capacities and nurturing local infrastructure in regions that remain inadequately served by conventional market forces.
They are also committed to strengthening the digital information landscape. They do so by developing tools such as Graúna (an innovative archiving project) and Graúna comunitário (a local server for community access with content chosen by communities) and by providing critical infrastructure for key projects focused on digital security, information access, knowledge dissemination, and cultural heritage. By developing and supporting partners with infrastructure, Nupef hopes to ensure the enduring accessibility of invaluable online resources, enriching both local and global collective knowledge and heritage.
Collaborating Communities: Indigenous, quilombolas, and babassu coconut breakers, plus civil society organizations from the democratic field working on digital rights, information security.
Key Projects
Communications strategies for resilience in quilombos
“Communications strategies for resilience in quilombos” is a project forged by Nupef in collaboration with Conaq (Coordenação Nacional de Articulação de Quilombo). This initiative aims at developing strategic communications for environmental justice, sustainable growth, cultural heritage preservation, and territorial resilience in Quilombola territories. The project includes a training for 10 young individuals from 5 different Quilombola communities in Brazil. These young individuals are learning how to set up and maintain local communication networks, how to safely use the Internet, and are gaining knowledge about storytelling, content production, human and digital rights.
Graúna Archiving and memory of the Internet
In pursuit of its mission to safeguard the public interest and ensure the resilience of vital online resources, Nupef has conceived and developed Graúna—an archiving tool designed to protect websites facing imminent threats or the risk of removal from the web. Graúna serves as a tool against potential data loss, preserving digital assets of paramount importance to society. Through Graúna, Nupef extends its commitment to fortifying the digital landscape, ensuring the enduring accessibility of invaluable online resources, and thereby enriching the collective knowledge and heritage of our global community.
SMEX, Lebanon
https://www.smex.org/
Year of Establishment: 2008
Geographical Scope of Work: West Asia and North Africa
SMEX is a non-profit organization that advances and defends human rights and freedoms in the digital sphere across Southwest Asia and North Africa. Through research, policy advocacy, network building, and security support, SMEX advocates for people in SWANA and the diaspora to access and engage with the internet, mobile services, and other networked spaces safely and without fear of censorship, surveillance, or repercussion. They believe in the transformative potential of access to information and freedom of expression, both online and offline, for the development of peaceful, dynamic, and prosperous societies. Over the past fifteen years, their innovative initiatives, research, coverage, and campaigns have yielded significant impacts on public discourse around digital rights throughout the SWANA region.
Primary Work Topics: SMEX primarily seeks to address issues related to digital resilience in its local, regional, and global contexts.
Collaborating Communities: SMEX collaborates with various communities to enhance its efforts in the realm of digital resilience.
Key Projects
Bread&Net 2023
Bread&Net is an inclusive platform fostering knowledge exchange, strategy sharing, and human rights advocacy in our tech-driven world. It unites activists, technologists, journalists, lawyers, and academics annually to empower the digital rights movement across the Arabic-speaking regions of West Asia and North Africa (WANA). Through engaging discussions and workshops, Bread&Net tackles the key challenges and opportunities in this dynamic landscape, highlighting pressing digital rights issues. Their unconference provides a vital space for addressing these concerns and charting the path towards a safer, more open, and diverse digital environment in WANA.
Digital Safety Helpdesk
The SMEX Digital Safety Helpdesk is a rapid response, free-of-charge service for activists, human rights defenders, marginalized groups, and media professionals facing online threats and digitally mediated real-world harm. The helpdesk can remove impersonation of accounts, reactivate wrongfully suspended accounts, reinstate accounts after hacking attempts, and provide digital security tips to protect against various online threats.
SocialTIC, Mexico
www.socialtic.org
Year of Establishment: 2012
Geographical Scope of Work: Latin America
SocialTIC is dedicated to researching, training, supporting, and promoting the strategic and safe use of digital technology for social change. They focus on three main programs:
Infoactivism: Using digital technology and information for social change.
Data: Promoting the open and strategic use of data for social change.
Digital Security: Preventing digital attacks and providing emergency response.
Key Projects
Protege.la
Protege.la serves as a digital security learning and resource center, offering self-capacity assessments and content in Spanish tailored to the needs of Latin American advocates, journalists, and civil society. It provides essential resources for individuals and organizations to enhance their digital security, ultimately empowering them to operate safely in the digital realm.
Datávoros
Datávoros is a project that focuses on analyzing the privacy and security aspects of mobile apps. It sheds light on the personal data these apps collect, and how securely they manage this information. Through this project, users gain insights into the control they have over their personal data sharing and receive valuable tips and tools to enhance their data privacy. Datávoros empowers individuals to make informed choices about their digital interactions and data sharing practices.