(08 November 2025, Manikganj) Digital safety and security is now deeply intertwined with journalism and the defense of human rights. With the aim to build capacity of Journalists and Human Rights Defenders, a training workshop titled “Digital Safety and security held today at Café Highway auditorium in Manikganj.
The workshop was organized by the rights-based research and
advocacy 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, “Freedom of expression cannot be sustainable without digital security. Therefore, acquiring digital literacy is now essential to stay safe online.” He added “Freedom of expression and digital security complement each other. To build a safe digital environment, it is necessary for everyone to enhance their digital awareness.”
The digital safety techniques and strategies were presented by Program Officer of VOICE, Priyata Tripura. She remarked, “In the digital age, our reliance on online platforms is rapidly increasing. Journalists and human rights activists constantly work with important and sensitive information. Therefore, information security and conscious digital behavior have become essential to ensure the safety and credibility of their work.” She also discussed the various challenges faced by media professionals and human rights activists regarding online and digital security, as well as ways to overcome those challenges.”
Digital security expert Tanvir Hasan Zoha was present at the training workshop. He said, “It is extremely important to remain cautious about digital security, especially for journalists and human rights workers. To stay safe, it is essential to use safety tools. At the same time, we must be sensitive and careful ourselves, avoiding the sharing of any personal information without proper verification.” He further added, “Before publishing any news, all information, photos, or videos should be verified to ensure the transparency and credibility of the report.”
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.