Me and my shadow – digital security for human rights activists
All your moves and information are stored and, more often than we know, shared with governments and other authorities. How can writers and human rights activists navigate more securely in the digital landscape?
Omnipresent government surveillance is hardly a new phenomenon. But when George Orwell wrote of Big Brother in his novel 1984, in the wake of the cold war, he could not have imagined the unlimited possibilities of monitoring citizens that the computer and other digital devices have offered.
Whenever we use digital devices, surf on the Internet or are active on Facebook or Twitter, we voluntarily leave information about ourselves. Writers and human rights defenders, like the ICORN guest writers, give voice to thoughts, ideas, debate and critique, and spread these to a wide audience. Expressing themselves in public and through digital media, they often become early targets of threats and persecution.
Simple adjustments to act more securely
At a workshop at the ICORN Network Meeting in Cracow, Tactical Tech provided us with information and training on digital security for journalists and human rights defenders that can help determine whether the benefits outweigh the short and long term security implications of using social networks, and what steps to take in making it more effective and less risky.
Below follows links to highly useful tool-kits they have developed!
ME & MY SHADOW
Me & My Shadow is created by the Tactical Technology Collective to help you see which digital shadows you cast and how to make them smaller. Learn how you, your friends and family stay safe and sound in the digital world. (myshadow.org)
ONO – SURVIVAL IN THE DIGITAL AGE
Using his special power to see behind information, the robot ONO is on a mission to reveal the digital traces we unknowingly leave behind and the way we expose ourselves in our daily interactions using the internet, email and mobile phones. (onorobot.org)
SECURITY IN-A-BOX
With Security in-a-box, Tactical Tech and Frontline Defenders provides the knowledge you need to recognise digital security threats and the software you need to address them. It offers detailed, step-by-step instructions to help you use these tools effectively, as well as practical, non-technical advice for anyone who relies on digital technology to do sensitive advocacy work. (securityinabox.org)
TACTICAL TECH
The Tactical Technology Collective (est. 2003) is an international NGO that provide tools and techniques of rights advocates, empowering them to use information and communications to help marginalised communities understand and effect progressive social, environmental and political change.
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