The security in a digital world related to secure and protect our information and data. Our data and information stored in our computers, smart phones and other digital tools or our data circulate when we are using the Internet to seek, store and exchange information. Our data and information are at risk of stolen, destroying and damaging all the time. In an idle system, everybody has an equal opportunity to access and disseminate information. However, some governments control the flow of information, and while they want, they impose restrictions on the information. The other problem is that internet users will experience malicious individuals who create viruses for computers and smart phones and hack into their systems to cause damage and stole valuable data.
Everything is possible to happen on our data and information and digital world if those not protect and secured. We send an email, text someone, send documents on social media using communication tools, and or write a document, but we never consider the outcomes of the insecurity. Undoubtfully, we can’t be confident players in the digital environment. We have to be fully aware of our potential and weaknesses in the new age of information highways and technology which emerges. We as Human Rights Defenders must be aware and have the skills to survive and accomplish our daily work on the internet safely.
The governments were not ready to give the right to their citizens, took advantage of that, and restricted the rights to free access to the internet. Several country such as Iran, Russia and China specific filtering systems have been developed to restrict and block internet information considered inappropriate and or against the country’s laws.
By considering that the general online freedom has decreased, governments all around the world are stepping up their Internet restriction and surveillance efforts. There has been a decline since June 2014 in online freedom in over half of the 65 nations analyzed. France, which imposed a law in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo attacks, saw one of the worst decreases. Iran, Syria, and China are listed as the nations with the strictest limitations on online freedom. In total, 14 nations passed legislation to increase government surveillance. Private enterprises in 42 of the 65 countries were compelled to delete or restrict internet information because critical remarks regarding governmental authority were more likely to result in censorship. Additionally, a lot of governments adopted increasingly strident attitudes against technologies for online anonymity and encryption.
China introduced a “Great Firewall,” which routes all international communications. The Great Firewall functions through proxy servers at official gateways. The Ministry for Public Security was able to identify individual users and the contents, define the rights, and finally monitor traffic into and out of the country at these gateways. Now, the “Great Firewall” in China is transforming an entire generation. Following that, China introduced the “Golden Shield.” It was an ambitious successor to the previous system. The Golden Shield relies on a national internet and is separated from the global internet. The Golden Shield Project was supposed to keep a database of every internet user and utilize it to aid in maintaining national security. In essence, it was a technique for widespread spying in China. China has built surveillance intelligence in the network, which allows it to see, hear and think. Now content filtration moved from national levels to millions of information and communication devices in public places and citizens’ homes. Finally, the Golden Shield is equipped with incredibly complex technology.
These limitations restrict our capacity to use the Internet and travel across borders in our pursuit of knowledge and communication. Additionally, they violate a number of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) provisions that guarantee everyone’s right to privacy and freedom of expression.
Techniques for surveillance and monitoring have moved from the control of intelligence officers to hardware and software systems run by both commercial businesses and governmental organizations.
Before, someone who was deemed a threat to national security was being spied on. Because of the monitoring and filtering mechanisms that our governments have set up on the Internet, we are all now suspects. The technology doesn’t always distinguish between users since it watches for specific phrases in our email, messages, and web searches, and when it detects them, it alerts surveillance teams or disables our communications.
One of the final lines of defense for online privacy is encryption. It allows us to encrypt our communications so that only the intended recipient may read them. Even the Internet’s architecture includes a layer of encryption to support safe financial transactions which is called Secure Sockets Layer(SSL). This technology encountered fierce criticism in many nations when it started to be used to secure non-financial information. The US government initially wanted to outlaw all SSL encryption whose complexity was greater than their ability to decrypt it. All encrypted emails will likely be gathered for additional examination by a global monitoring system like ECHELON (or any other), just because they were encrypted in the first place. Therefore, every attempt at privacy will be interpreted as a desire to conceal something.
There are specific threats faced by activists and human rights defenders in their own countries. human rights activists frequently become the subject of surveillance and restrictions. Their ability to exercise their right to free speech is regularly restricted.
They often face severe punishments for carrying on with their work. For them, the digital age has been both a benefit and a curse. On the one hand, they are now more connected to their global colleagues, and the speed of communications and reports of human rights abuses can quickly become viral. The Internet is being used to mobilize people, and many social initiatives have shifted online, particularly during COVID-19. In addition, the digital divide has kept many activists and defenders in less developed countries from participating in the global dialogue and outreach because they lack access to computers or the Internet. The insecurity of their mobile devices increase daily.
Emails do not reach their intended recipients, social media pages are hacked, Internet connections are patchy, social media communication tools are severely monitored, telephone conversations are heard, computers are seized, and viruses ruin years of work. These issues are typical and well-known. The growing interest of authorities in online publishing is another frequent occurrence. When “unwanted” content comes from an activist and a human rights defender, the authorities swiftly retaliate. They are actively looking through online news sites, social media pages, and blogs.
The Digital Divide, Digitally Facilitated Repression, Violations in the Name of Security, Systemic Cyber Vulnerability, and Digital Insecurity are just a few of the challenges that continue to exist for activists and human rights defenders around the world.
By being familiar with computers, smart phones, and Internet operations, activists and human rights defenders can better protect their work. Therefore, they will be more successful at defending their own rights and advancing the rights of others they are attempting to help. It is very important and necessary that all human rights defenders learn the basic of digital security and secure using of digital tools and application. The security and protection of smart phone, website privacy, passwords, data, social media and communication tools and etc are all important and need to protect for your safety and security. If your digital environment and data are not security you are not secure and safe.
