Deadline: Ongoing Opportunity
Applications are now open for the Digital Rights Fund to empower individuals, informal groups, and entities to effectively counter digital rights threats and violations online.
Through grants and support, they seek to foster a more inclusive and equitable digital society, united in protecting digital freedoms even amidst adversity.
Grant Focus Areas
- Applicants working on topics related to the below focus areas are encouraged to apply to the Digital Rights Fund for West Asia and North Africa (WANA).
- Surveillance, Spyware and Cybercrime: Surveillance has a chilling effect on the work of social justice organizations. It can expose sensitive information to silence activists and discourage them from carrying out their work. Combined with offline tactics such as judicial harassment, imprisonment, and severe restrictions of fundamental rights and freedoms essential to the work of civil society, such practices have contributed to the shrinking of civic spaces.
- Investigations and leaked documents have long exposed the use of intrusive surveillance technologies and spyware to target thousands of regional and global rights workers, activists and journalists. Cybercrime is also on the rise with frequent incidents of hacking, phishing, identity theft, and ransomware attacks. One of the major challenges to addressing cybercrime in the WANA region is the lack of cybersecurity infrastructure and resources. Many organizations in the region do not have adequate cybersecurity measures in place, leaving them vulnerable to attacks.
- Internet censorship and content moderation: While most countries in the region have constitutional provisions guaranteeing the right to freedom of expression, in practice, such guarantees are restricted by vague and broad legislation that violate international human rights standards and criminalize peaceful and legitimate speech.
- This creates an environment where social justice organizations risk legal harassment and having their staff members detained, prosecuted, and jailed for publishing and campaigning online. Additionally, freedom of expression is an enabler of other fundamental rights such as freedom of assembly, protest and association, and in a region where such rights are severely restricted offline, criminalization of speech online further hinders the ability of organizations to properly and safely do their work. Finally, the filtering of content from tech companies and blocking of websites prevents organizations not only from effectively communicating with their audiences and disseminating information, but also from accessing content that can be essential to their work.
- Surveillance, Spyware and Cybercrime: Surveillance has a chilling effect on the work of social justice organizations. It can expose sensitive information to silence activists and discourage them from carrying out their work. Combined with offline tactics such as judicial harassment, imprisonment, and severe restrictions of fundamental rights and freedoms essential to the work of civil society, such practices have contributed to the shrinking of civic spaces.
Funding Information
- For direct financial support, grants can reach up to $10,000 and typically cover projects lasting six months to a year.
Digital Rights Fund Outcomes
- The challenges faced by human rights defenders and activists in the WANA region are significant, but so is their determination to support them. By addressing issues such as surveillance, cybercrime, and internet censorship, they strive to create a more just and inclusive digital society in their region.
- Supporting Human Rights Defenders: They provide sub-grants to individuals, informal groups, unregistered organizations, and entities working in the WANA region. They are aiming to strengthen human rights defenders and empower them to continue their vital work in the face of digital threats.
- Promoting Digital Rights: Their sub-grants are designed to support projects that defend digital rights and protect individuals and communities from online threats. They believe that safeguarding these rights is fundamental to achieving social justice.
- Building Cybersecurity Resilience: In the WANA region, there is a shortage of cybersecurity infrastructure and skilled professionals. Their initiative seeks to bridge this gap by providing resources and training, enabling organizations to better protect themselves against cyber threats.
- Advancing Freedom of Expression: They actively support those fighting against internet censorship and content moderation that stifles freedom of expression. By promoting open dialogue, we aim to create a more inclusive and equitable digital society.
Eligibility Criteria
- Applicants must meet the following eligibility requirements to be considered for the grant:
- Geographic Focus: Applicants must be based in the Southwest Asia and North Africa (WANA) region, including countries in West Asia and North Africa.
- Project Alignment: Proposed projects should align with one or more of the specified focus areas, including surveillance, spyware, cybercrime, internet censorship, and content moderation within the SWANA region.
- Entities: Eligible entities include individuals, informal groups, unregistered organizations, and established entities committed to digital rights in the WANA region.
- Commitment to Digital Rights: Applicants must demonstrate a genuine commitment to advancing digital rights, protecting freedom of expression, and addressing online threats in the WANA region.
For more information, visit SMEX.