Digital Security Primer for Human Rights Activists

Abstract

This primer focuses on digital security for human rights activists. It provides a practical, rights-based guide for those facing surveillance, censorship, and repression. It demystifies concepts such as privacy, anonymity, encryption, threat modeling, and metadata; addresses common risks including device surveillance, insecure communications, and tracking; and offers strategies for secure browsing, password management, VPN use, and building cyber hygiene. Drawing on community resources and emphasizing collective resistance, it includes a cybersafety checklist, learning tools, and calls for ongoing knowledge-sharing to empower vulnerable communities against state and corporate exploitation. This primer was developed by alumnae Jean Linis-Dinco and Gergana Tzvetkova, as part of Global Campus Alumni cross-regional, alumni-led projects 2024–2025.