Today, more than ever, the promise and potential of a safe, global internet depends on local actors’ ability to fight for their rights, design the technological solutions that will keep them connected to an uncensored web, and help communities, journalists, human rights defenders, and civil society organizations stay safe online. Our global technology programs advance the digital safety of our partners, and advocate digital rights and protections for the world’s most vulnerable populations. From funding local internet rights advocacy initiatives and open source technology development to designing cutting-edge approaches to organizational security, we focus on local and regional needs, and connect them at the global level to demand an inclusive, safe, open web. In addition, we provide technological support to media outlets and human rights defenders, and pilot cutting edge approaches to analyzing and researching closing civic space.

Digital Safety

Internews’ Digital Safety projects and partners support initiatives to ensure all people can safely operate in a digitally connected world. From supporting the design of secure tools to bolstering the digital awareness and defenses of high-risk organizations, our projects strive to inform and defend a secure online environment for all.

Digital Rights

We promote a free and open internet across the globe by supporting internet rights advocacy initiatives at the hyperlocal, national, and regional level. By investing in our partners’ advocacy, research, and organizational capacity, we deepen and diversify the global community of digital rights advocates and ensure that local expertise can inform and influence the development of regional and global norms.

Anti-Censorship Technologies

Pluggable Transports (PTs) help developers keep their users connected when censorship occurs. Internews has supported community efforts to determine broader, community requirements on what would be useful in a revised Pluggable Transports specification. While PTs conform to a single specification, they connect to the network using a variety of different techniques.

Protecting Civic Space

Internews leads the INSPIRES consortium in its goal to increase the understanding of the drivers of closing civic and political space. We support the USAID Center for Democracy, Rights and Governance (DRG) and the broader DRG community to strategically respond to the growing trend of closing civic and political space.