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 refresher training workshop titled “Digital Safety for Journalists and Human Rights Defenders” was held 16 October 202 at Spandan Training Facilitation Centre in Mymensingh.
The workshop was organized by the rights-based research organization VOICE. Participants included young 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 harassment against women, journalists, and human rights defenders is on the rise, posing a serious threat to freedom of expression. Many become targets of such abuse due to a lack of awareness and non-adherence to digital safety practices.” 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 Deputy Director of VOICE, Musharrat Mahera. 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.”
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.