Our Privacy & Expression programme builds the digital security awareness and skills of human rights defenders, independent journalists, anti-corruption advocates and activists, and anyone else who is concerned about the the security risks and vulnerabilities of digital tools.
We have developed a range of methods from awareness raising and short consultations for participants at large-scale international advocacy events, through to four day intensive workshops. We use a variety of techniques including short films, take-home toolkits and exercises to engage people in debates about broader questions related to freedom of expression and access to information.
Our key activities are:
- Security in-a-box – a toolkit and how-to guide providing the knowledge and understanding to recognise digital security threats and the open source tools necessary to address them. Created in partnership with Front Line Defenders
- Behaviour change and awareness raising through flash trainings, cartoons, film noir and self assessment tools.
- Direct Trainings and training of trainers tailored according to the participants' needs – from absolute beginners to system administrators.
Some ways you can connect with this programme:
- Find tools to remove annoying adverts, to protect your internet communication against censorship and surveillance and to remove location and other data from images with the Shadow tracers kit from Me and My shadow:
- Follow Ono the digital security robot on Twitter for the latest news and advice.
- Find out why storing pictures of loved ones on your smartphone might not be a good idea.
Our materials – all of which are released under Creative Commons licenses – have been translated by our community of human rights defenders, bloggers, journalists and activists into dozens of languages.
We're also starting to tailor our digital security materials to specific contexts and use-cases for human rights defenders to keep up with the many and varied challenges they face: providing them with digital security resources which are right for their situations. Context-specific toolkits for groups such as LGBTI human rights defenders, bloggers, environmentalists and others are currently in development.
Together with our partners we're also looking at ways to embed digital security within a integrated approach to security and protection, taking into account not only digital but physical, psychological and other elements of security. This approach recognises the need to go beyond a tool- and software-based approach to digital security.
During the past five years, we have conducted workshops, awareness-raising sessions and bespoke consultancies worldwide, some of our workshops have included sessions at:
If you are an NGO or working with independent media and are interested in hosting a digital security workshop or talking to us about our digital security programme, please contact us on security[at]tacticaltech.org.
