1. What brings Network members together?

Individually, members of the Network are developing tools, infrastructure, and protocols to strengthen their digital resilience, and the resilience of the social justice communities they support. Not only are they responding to targeted surveillance (for example in México, Lebanon, and El Salvador), documenting digital rights violations in Africa, censorship, and internet shutdowns in India, but are taking proactive measures to mitigate and reduce the potential damage from future digital threats. These measures range from providing holistic security support and conducting threat intelligence, to equipping disconnected communities with autonomous infrastructure, creating a culture of digital resilience strengthening, and mapping the infrastructure of misinformation.

Each of the members bring extensive knowledge from local and regional contexts on addressing and strengthening the infrastructure, processes and practices of communities that promote social justice values. The Network is a  south-to-south learning hub, enabling knowledge sharing spaces of their accumulated cross-regional insights and experiences in identifying trends in the digital threats landscape. This collective expertise is not only technical, but also human, integrative and encompassing of social justice values.

2. Who are the members of the Global Network for Social Justice and Digital Resilience?

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:

3. What are the current activities of the Network?

Network members are currently developing the specific projects and activities under the umbrella of the “Tech Lab for Global South”. The Tech Lab offers a platform for knowledge sharing, cross regional learning about surveillance, infrastructure and mis/disinfomation experiences and responses from a Global South perspective. The Tech lab also aims to better understand the impact that digital attacks have in marginalized communities in the South. One specific project of the Tech Lab is the Global observatory of surveillance technology, whose main objectives are to conduct research to document, understand and identify trends-connections across the various surveillance methods employed by state and non-state actors in the Global South.

4. What does collaboration mean so far at the Network level?

This Network is a hub where important discussions about strengthening digital resilience in the Global South happen. In particular, Network members have been collaborating through:

  • Engaging in different knowledge sharing sessions on topics such as responsible data collection, documenting targeted surveillance and other digital security threats, the importance of collaboration in digital forensics, and connection between digital resilience and climate justice.
  • Exchange knowledge on setting up resilient infrastructure and open-source communication tools.
  • Exchanging knowledge on applying social justice feminist values at an institutional and Network level. 

5. How did the Network start?

In 2020, Ford Foundation President Darren Walker announced the issuance of a social bond to support the survival of social justice organizations during the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Using the proceeds from the social bond, the Ford Foundation’s Tech & Society Program launched the initiative by creating a fund under the fiscal sponsorship of New Venture Fund and managed by an independent advisory board made up of civil society, funders, and experts on digital matters. Ten organizations were eventually invited to be part of the initiative, all of which came in agreement on hiring a managing partner. 

6. What is the current governance structure of the Network?

  • New Venture Fund is the fiscal sponsor entity responsible for financial and legal management;
  • The Advisory Board is responsible for providing strategic advice and making decisions on the actual allocation of resources;
  • Network members, who are currently 10, are the organizations whose networking and collaboration would be increased through this initiative;
  • Criti.ca is the managing partner responsible for facilitating the development and the implementation of the Network’s strategy, the day-to-day operations, and engagement.

7. How can other organizations become members?

At the moment, the Network is not accepting new members but welcomes collaboration and exchange with like-minded groups, organizations and communities. The Network will be working on developing processes for membership that uphold the principles of diversity and inclusion.

8. How to engage with the Network?

The Network welcomes and seeks connections to share knowledge with other networks, institutions, or individuals providing technical support for the social justice ecosystem in the Global South.

For inquiries on supporting the Network or exploring opportunities for knowledge sharing in the field of digital resilience, kindly email hello@digitalresilience.network.

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