DIG/SEC initiative
we strive to enhance the capacity of grassroots human rights defenders to overcome digital security and safety challenges.
Learn More
we strive to enhance the capacity of grassroots human rights defenders to overcome digital security and safety challenges.
Learn More
The DIG/SEC initiative - located in Kampala, Uganda - was founded with the purpose of enhancing the capacity of at-risk Grassroots journalists, activists, and other HRDs to overcome digital security and safety challenges they face daily while doing their work. We do this through skills building, mentorship, and providing much needed tech-support.
We strive to enhance the capacity of at-risk Grassroots HRDs to overcome digital security and safety challenges through engaging in activites like digital security mentorship, providing tech support, and timely response to digital security emergencies faced by the human rights community.
We envision a community of empowered human rights defenders, journalists, and activists with the right tools, skills, and techniques needed to defend themselves against any digital security and safety challenges that hinders them from doing their very important work.
Our overall goal is to ensure that we reach out to as many Grassroots human rights defenders, journalists, and activists as possible through our different programs and activities. This will involve specifically reaching out to those working with at-risk communities and are often under-supported.
Are you a Grassroots HRD, journalist, or activist? Are you faced with a Digital Security Incident? Whether it's Account Hacking, Malware Attack, Device Problems, or Email and Website Issues, Our team is here to help.
Most of the human rights organizations in the communities we work in are small and do no have the capacity and resources to setup well-equipped IT departments. This limits their ability to respond to IT incidents & emergencies in a timely manner. At DIG/SEC initiative we provide such organizations with Tech Support like device set-ups, software installation & updates, etc.
Our Digital Security SOS Helpline responds to digital security incidents and emergencies faced by human rights defenders, journalists, and activists around East Africa. Often times, these people do not have the capacity to respond and fully contain threats like malware attacks, compromised systems & accounts, and loss or theft of devices containing sensitive information.
Armed with the right digital security skills, human rights defenders, journalists, and activists are able to work in a safe and secure environment. However, most of these people are vulnerable to digital attacks because they lack the capacity to overcome them. We engage with human rights organizations to enhance the capacity of their staff through and mentorship.
Security tools are vital to ensure at-risk users like human rights defenders and activists stay safe while doing their valuable work of activism and defending human rights. However, the usefulness of these tools depends on how usable they are to this at-risk community.
We have been working on a number of projects over the last months. Read more about them below.
In September 2020, with support from Defend Defenders, we took a crazy 'piki piki' trip across East and Northern Uganda to deliver digital security and tech support to grassroots organizations and activists.
During the 21-days trip, we covered more than 1500 miles across 20 districts supporting over 10 organizations with device checkup and fix-up, software installations and updates, digital security tips, and general ICT consultancy directly benefitting over 50 human rights defenders.
We got it all on camera ;) Watch the Documentary here.
From August to November 2020, with support from Access Now, we implemented a 4 months project aimed at improving the safety and security of minority groups, activists, journalists, and HRD from Uganda and Tanzania while working from home due to COVID-19 lockdown, providing a digital security training on skills and best practices, and timely responding to emergency cases of digital security threats & challenges reported by participants through the DIG/SEC SOS Helpline.
Music is a universal language and with good beats & lyrics, we want to package and deliver - through edutainment - digital security tips and best practices on common digital security topics to at-risk human rights defenders, journalists, minority groups, and activists.
The goal of our Digital Security in Beats Media Project is to raise awareness on digital security threats and challenges faced by human rights defenders and offer simple tips, guidelines and basic techniques on how to overcome them. Songs will cover topics like; Phishing, Internet Freedom, Malware, Encryption, Backup, Passwords, Anonymous, Safe Browsing, WannaCry, Cyber Threats, Mobile Security, and Privacy.
We strongly believe this unconventional method of conducting digital security is able to make learning digital security fun and entertaining whilst being educative and informative at the same time.
Mugenyimubi Rd,
P.O Box 145878, Kampala (Uganda)
info[at]digisecinitiative.org
+256 701 384 761
DIG/SEC 'SOS' Helpline
sos@digisecinitiative.org