Announcing the latest class of DIFP Fellows

The Open Technology Fund (OTF) has selected 8 individuals as the newest Digital Integrity Fellowship Program (DIFP) fellows. The group will focus on providing digital security assistance to organizations facing…
Sun, 2020-05-10 16:55

This latest DIFP cohort includes individuals working in the MENA region, Latin America, East Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa and will be assisting independent media, individual journalists, human rights defenders and other civil society organizations. You can see the work done by previous DIFP fellows here.

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Amir Rashidi

For his fellowship work, he will assess the security risks and needs of Iranian organizations, especially those who are in contact with at-risk people, such as activists and journalists.

Cristian Leon

He will work with social organizations in South America to strengthen their capabilities for investigation, documentation and safeguard of human rights documentation as well as providing them with digital security assistance to conduct their programmatic activities.

Digital Integrity Fellow in East Asia

This fellow will be working with East Asian civil society organizations to help improve their operational security practices, and will also be conducting user research and usability techniques to document their unique security needs for use by internet freedom technology developers.

Jorge Sierra Sebastian Guerrero

He will work to improve the cybersecurity posture of the Mexico Border Investigative Reporting Hub, a network of Mexican border journalists and independent media organizations who are doing investigative reporting on corruption and human rights issues under challenging circumstances in seven border Mexican states. This region is one of the most dangerous zones for journalists in the world.

Neil Blazevic

He will will work with front-line organizations to strengthen their day-to-day digital resilience and ability to identify and withstand targeted attacks. In addition, he will develop a structured mentorship process for interested members of Uganda’s upcoming digital security training community to improve the quality and depth of their services as well as the functioning and collaboration of the sector as a whole.

Oriana H

She will develop the digital security capabilities of Venezuelan human rights organizations that work in border areas through a multi-stage accompaniment program that ranges from risk assessment to the development of organizational security policies.

Tawanda Mugari

His fellowship project will be to advance proactive digital security for newly established organizations that support at-risk communities in Zimbabwe.

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The Digital Integrity Fellowship Program (DIFP) provides fixed monthly stipends to individuals capable of addressing short-term and long-term threats to freedom of expression online. Fellows provide organizations and communities most affected by Internet freedom violations (like journalists, human rights defenders, NGOs, activists, bloggers, and others) support for their digital security needs. Simultaneously, Fellows will educate the broader Internet freedom field about the threats and vulnerabilities experienced, to ensure that emerging and existing technologies best meet the needs of at-risk communities. To learn more about the DIFP, click here