Digital security in human rights

A research project about training and learning.

Background
Reflecting on 10 Years of Digital Security Training
Stephanie Hankey reflects on a decade of digital security training for human rights defenders.
Summary
Researching Digital Security Training for Human Rights Defenders
An executive summary of the two applied research studies, including key findings and recommendations.
Study 1
Digital Security in Context: Learning How HRDs Adopt Digital Security Practices
Study 1 explores how human rights defenders learn in the training room and beyond, as well as what barriers they face amid shifting socio-political and -technical contexts.
Study 2
Digital Security Trainers' Practices and Observations
Study 2 documents trainers' perspectives on how human rights defenders' individual and collective needs are met through current models of digital security training.
Research Snippets
Short Explorations into Key Themes Which Emerged Through the Research
COMING SOON! Tactical Tech will publish a series of short articles looking into some of the themes which emerged during the research.
Download All
Download Both Studies, the Background Paper and Executive Summary
From this page you can download both studies, the background paper and the executive summary.

This site shares the outcomes of two research projects that Tactical Tech undertook in 2014 and 2015 to document the processes by which human rights defenders learn about and adopt digital security practices.

As technology becomes increasingly fundamental to the work of many human rights defenders, a parallel expansion can be observed in the digital threats they face. Tactical Tech has been working in digital security training for human rights defenders for over a decade. However, this is the first time we have undertaken a more reflective approach, stepping back to document the mechanics of digital security training and the contexts in which human rights defenders encounter it. The two studies shared here represent an initial exploration of this with the intention that the findings will help inform and encourage future applied research projects, the design and testing of new training approaches, models, and curricula, as well as contributing to broader discussion within the digital security training community.

The first study, Digital security in context: Learning how human rights defenders adopt digital security practices, explores how human rights defenders learn in the training room and beyond, as well as what barriers they face in doing so amid shifting socio-political and -technical contexts.

The second study, Digital security trainers' practices and observations, documents trainers perspectives on how human rights defenders' individual and collective needs are met through current models of digital security training.

In addition to the research reports, over the coming months we will publish a selection of short, thematically focused papers drawn from these studies for different audiences, primarily researchers, digital security trainers, security tool developers and individuals organising and managing digital security education and capacity-building programs globally.

Drawing the internet

This image and the others used on this site were created as part of a training exercise during the Security in Context study. Participants, who were human rights defenders and advocates, were asked to draw how they perceived the internet.