(25 October 2025, Rangpur) Digital safety is no longer a concern exclusive to tech experts. It is now deeply intertwined with journalism and the defense of human rights. With this message in focus, a training workshop titled “Digital Safety for Journalists and Human Rights Defenders” was held on 25 October 2025, at NGO Forum for Public Health in Rangpur.
The workshop was organized by the rights-based research organization VOICE. Participants included journalists working in local newspapers, television, and online media platforms, as well as representatives from various human rights organizations.
Through practical, hands-on sessions, participants received training on multiple aspects of digital safety and online protection, including threat modeling, safe browsing and communication, encryption, two-factor authentication, digital hygiene, and privacy awareness.
Ahmed Swapan Mahmud, Executive Director of VOICE, said, “Digital rights and freedom of expression are intertwined. Without a secure digital environment, individuals will be discouraged from expressing themselves freely.” He added that strengthening digital literacy is equally essential to empower individuals to navigate and protect themselves in an increasingly complex online environment.
The digital safety strategies were presented by Program Officer of VOICE, Priyata Tripura. She remarked, “Our reliance on the digital sphere is steadily increasing. Journalists and human rights defenders, in particular, work daily with critical information. It is therefore essential for them to adopt and follow digital security measures to keep this information safe.”
Digital Safety and Security Specialist Tanvir Hasan Zoha said, “There is a considerable gap of understanding between people with digital literacy and people with no such skills. Sharing information without credible source is detrimental to preservation of safe digital space.”
“Our laws must be aligned with international standards and guidelines” Researcher and Human Rights Activist Nurunnabi Santo asserted. “Digital Safety and Security for journalists and human rights defenders, must be heard so they can articulate their needs. Only then can our legal frameworks truly uphold human rights.”
The workshop covered key topics through hands-on activities, including threat modeling for self-risk analysis, the use of artificial intelligence, strong passwords, two-factor authentication for critical social media accounts, VPNs, safe browsing with Tor Browser, encrypted communication, and data backup.
Participants also practiced identifying malicious links, safeguarding mobile devices and social media privacy, and protecting their digital security while reporting in the field; such as by avoiding public Wi-Fi and disabling geo-location tracking.