Securing Journalism: The Importance of Encryption in Protecting Media Freedom

GFMD is hosting an online workshop “Securing journalism: the importance of encryption in protecting media freedom” during RightsCon 2023 on Wednesday, June 7 at 16.15 UTC.

If you are interested in participating and talk about your resource, please don’t hesitate to fill in this form to receive more information.

Register for the RightsCon Costa Rica here.

Digital surveillance is becoming a greater threat to press freedom, especially when governments and private actors use spyware to target journalists and other content creators who report on matters of public interest. Journalists and their sources are increasingly vulnerable to persecution and harassment as a result of these new technologies, raising the risk of self-censorship. In combination with other digital security tools, end-to-end encryption is a powerful tool for preventing such surveillance of journalistic investigations and sources.
This interactive session will build on previous efforts to approximate the use of encryption for journalists and media workers, encouraging participants to share knowledge, resources, and tools available. Finally, the session will also address government efforts to undermine encryption such as India’s Telecommunication Bill, the Child Sexual Abuse legislation in EU, or the Turkish Disinformation Law, and discuss further what journalists can do not only to protect themselves but to advocate for their right to secure communications when reporting on current legislation that affects their privacy.

Facilitators

• Rawan Damen (Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism – ARIJ’s Director General)
• Alan Kawamara (Global Investigative Journalism Network – GIJN’s IT Professional)
• Geoff Hunter (Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project – OCCRP’s Chief Technology Officer)
• Andreea Belu (European Digital Rights – EDRi’s Head of Campaigns and Communications)

Please don’t hesitate to send us any images, videos or other media that you want to be featured in the post at advocacy@gfmd.info with the subject “Encryption Resource Center + title of your activity”.