Results from the DDI Programme
Access Now
With digital authoritarianism on the rise around the globe, Access Now's advocacy and policy guidance work, as well as their support for strategic litigation, is more pertinent and urgent than ever. This is further evidenced by the number and complexity of the requests for digital security support received by the Helpline: it took more than 9 years for the Helpline to handle its first 10,000 cases, but between 2022-2024 its staff responded to more than 12,000 requests for support. This demonstrates the increasingly explosive occurrence of digital security incidents alongside a sense of growing trust in the Helpline.
CIVICUS
CIVICUS’ Crisis Response Fund has signed eight grants for local partners mainly in Africa and an increase in the number of grants is foreseen during Q4 of 2024. The grants support the partners to build knowledge and skills on digital security, enhance digital safety and security of LGBTQIA+ activists, strengthen organizational resiliency for online advocacy, promote safe civic engagements of youth activities and leaders and increase legal and digital literacy among civil society actors. Additionally, CIVICUS has published The Senegal Case Study which offers a critical analysis of civil society response to digital repression during the 2024 elections. It highlights tactics for maintaining civic engagement despite digital repression.
Digital Defenders Partnership
The Digital Defenders Partnership (DDP) have continued their work with grants, referrals and response to digital emergencies. The DDP’s Digital First Aid Kit (DFAK) counted 5.352 visits from over 90 countries between January and June 2024 while their Tech Care Guide had 410 visits from 40 countries. During January, the DDP funded local partners in Guatemala working on Women and LGBTQIA+ Rights. The main objective was to strengthen their digital security capacities.
Empowering Civil Society
in the Digital Age
Global Focus
The DDI Advisory Board held its first in-person-meeting in Nairobi in May 2024 coinciding with the UN Civil Society Conference. The board established working groups and clarified their mission in a process facilitated by Global Focus. The Board has sent its first feedback to the Steering Committee addressing the recent Call for Proposals and initial learnings for future calls. Together with CIVICUS, Global Focus held the first community call for the Knowledge Hub, consisting of a webinar and workshop to identify needs, barriers and existing resources for building a community of practice and establishing a platform to support the community.
WITNESS
One of WITNESS' primary focus areas is developing the Deepfakes Rapid Response Force (DRRF), a pilot escalation mechanism for addressing key cases of potential deepfakes flagged by civic journalists and fact-checkers worldwide. In 2024, 17 cases were escalated by the DRRF for evaluation—marking a strong start for the initiative. In preparation for Ghana’s general election in December 2024, the DRRF assessed the authenticity of a video featuring the New Patriotic Party's vice-presidential candidate, Matthew Opoku Prempeh. The review, conducted by four DRRF teams, debunked claims that the video was a deepfake. In September 2024, WITNESS' Africa Program Manager appeared on one of Ghana's largest TV channels to share the DRRF's findings.