Results from the DDI Programme
Access Now
Access Now’s 24/7 Digital Security Helpline has experienced an overall increase in requests over the last six months. The Helpline has witnessed a worrying number of highly advanced phishing campaigns seeing a 127% increase from 2023 to 2024. The Helpline has worked with partner organisations to uncover at least two separate spear-phishing campaigns targeting Russian and Belarusian non-profit organisations, Russian independent media, and international NGOs active in Eastern Europe. Read more about the cases here.
The #KeepItOn Campaign's 2024 Elections and Internet Shutdowns Watch registered 3 cases of internet shutdowns during elections in the last six months of 2024. One of these was implemented in Mauritius, where the local government enforced a social media shutdown (initially intended to continue until November 11) in the lead up to the national elections. This was the first time Mauritius shut down the internet since the #KeepItOn coalition started to document instances of internet shutdowns in 2016. Upon learning about the blocking of essential social media applications from local civil society and the general population directly, the #KeepItOn coalition mobilised to raise awareness on this violation of human rights. Following this advocacy, Mauritius lifted its ban on social media on November 2 – about 24 hours after implementation.
CIVICUS
CIVICUS has continued their election work supporting four civil society organisations – I Watch (Tunisia), União Nacional dos Estudantes (Mozambique), BudgIT (Ghana), and Fundación Efecto Cocuyo (Venezuela). In Ghana, BudgIT trained 57 youth activists, equipping them with fact-checking tools which enabled them to identify and counter misinformation on digital platforms. Post-training evaluations showed 94.87% of participants felt confident in spotting misinformation. Additionally, participants received the Defenders’ Manual, a guide on civic rights and responsibilities available in English and Twi, further strengthening their role in safeguarding electoral integrity. By enhancing digital literacy and fact-checking skills, the initiative is helping young people combat misinformation and promote informed civic participation in Ghana’s democracy.
CIVICUS has finalised their Cohort 1 with the Digital Action Lab (DAL) where eight local civil society organisations are now actively integrating digital tools into their activism and advocacy efforts, enhancing their reach and impact. DAL participant, Freedom Studio Nepal, developed a strategic approach to digital transformation, improving their online visibility and engagement while refining their activism. These advancements have strengthened both their advocacy efforts and internal operations, making them more effective and resilient in promoting social justice and civic engagement.
Digital Defenders Partnership
The Digital Defenders Partnership (DDP) have approved 14 Incident Emergency Funding (IEF) grants from 10 different countries with the support of DDI funds. One grantee was an environmental rights organisation in Indonesia who faced malware attacks, disinformation campaigns, and both physical and online intimidation due to its advocacy for island communities affected by mining expansion. To address these threats, the organisation used the IEF supported project to conduct digital security training, equipping its team with essential skills to mitigate risks, counter digital threats, and respond to both direct and digital attacks.
Additionally, the project facilitated critical upgrades to security tools and systems, enhancing protection against digital attacks, malware, and direct threats while ensuring personnel had access to secure devices. Exceeding initial expectations, the project successfully strengthened the organisation’s digital resilience, significantly reducing the risk of attacks. Since implementing these security measures, no direct or digital attacks have occurred, demonstrating the effectiveness of the improvements.
Empowering Civil Society
in the Digital Age
Global Focus
The DDI Advisory Board continues its work with regular meetings to refine and advance strategic priorities. To strengthen regional diversity—particularly in light of limited initial applications from the Asia/Pacific region—seats were set aside, and a targeted call was launched to encourage broader representation. The original Review Committee was reconvened to evaluate the new applications, leading to the appointment of six additional members: five from Asia and one from Latin America. This has significantly improved the geographic representation on the Board.
At the same time, Global Focus has conducted a survey to map potential participants, contributors, anchor organisations, and technical partners for the DDI Knowledge Hub. Several relevant potential collaborating organisations and individuals have been identified and ongoing dialogues aim to support both existing knowledge-sharing efforts and the development of new initiatives.
WITNESS
WITNESS expanded their Deepfake Rapid Response Force (DRRF), a pioneering team connecting journalists and fact-checkers with experts in media forensics and AI synthesis. Since March 2024, they have increased access to the Force by establishing partnerships in countries facing elections, such as Ghana, India, Mexico, Venezuela, and Georgia. In the first half of 2024, they doubled the number of cases escalated to the Force and grew the forensics team, totalling 19 teams and nearly 50 experts. This growth has amplified the impact and bolstered support to civil society. This growth has already had tangible impact.
In the lead-up to the Ghanaian general election in December 2024, WITNESS' Africa Team collaborated with the DRRF to assess a video of the New Patriotic Party’s Vice Presidential Candidate, Matthew Opoku Prempeh. The candidate claimed the video was a deepfake, prompting four DRRF teams to conduct a technical review. Their analysis found no evidence of AI manipulation, effectively debunking the deepfake claim. This timely intervention helped protect the integrity of the electoral debate and relieved local newsrooms of the burden of verifying complex claims of AI tampering. In September, WITNESS’ Africa Program Manager, Nkemakonam Agunwa, presented the findings on national television via GHOne, reinforcing public trust in independent verification efforts.