The Community Series: Celebrating the Organizations and Networks on the Frontlines
Over the past months, we launched the Digital Rights Community Series to highlight organizations and networks working tirelessly to advance digital rights across the globe. The idea was simple: too often the digital rights field is spoken about in broad terms, but behind every breakthrough, campaign, or act of resistance are individuals, organizations, and communities and organizations doing the hard work. The series was our way of giving visibility to their work, amplifying their stories, and connecting their efforts across regions and movements. Also, get to know what they are thinking of, what motivates them and where they think the space/field is headed.
✨ What We Learned So Far
Across continents and contexts, certain themes keep surfacing:
Resilience in crisis: From network shutdowns to spyware attacks to funding cuts, organizations are finding ways to keep civil society, journalists and their communities connected and safe.
Regional leadership: Much of the innovation is happening outside traditional hubs — in Taiwan, Jordan, across Africa, and Latin America.
Community-first design: Whether it’s developing open-source tools, training journalists, or organizing local communities, these organizations consistently put people before platforms.
Together, they remind us that digital rights are not abstract — they’re about people’s daily ability to speak, organize, and live with dignity.
🌐 Organizations We Have Featured So Far
Here’s a recap of the incredible organizations we’ve profiled in the Community Series so far:
Amnesty International’s Security Lab — Investigating spyware and surveillance, exposing abuses against activists and journalists.
Border Center for Journalists and Bloggers (BCJB) - Defending the rights of journalists working in the Mexican-US border since 2004, while promoting journalism excellence, press freedom, and security training across Latin America
D3 – Defesa dos Direitos Digitais — A Portugal-based organization defending digital freedoms and advocating for rights-based tech policies.
EngageMedia — Asia-Pacific network using video, digital rights advocacy, and open tech to strengthen social movements.
Guardian Project — Building open-source mobile apps and secure communications tools to protect activists and communities.
IFEX — A global network of 100+ member organizations promoting freedom of expression and defending journalists under threat.
Jordan Open Source Association (JOSA) — Advancing privacy, open-source technology, and digital inclusion in Jordan.
OONI (Open Observatory of Network Interference) — A global community-run platform measuring internet censorship and network interference.
Open Culture Foundation (OCF) — Based in Taiwan, OCF advocates for open technologies, transparency, and civic tech participation.
Resilience Technologies — Supporting African civil society with cybersecurity training, research, and capacity building.
The Tor Project — Creators of the Tor network and browser, enabling anonymity, privacy, and circumvention around the world.
Note, as we add stories, we will add them to this list.
🚀 What’s Next
The Community Series is just one way we aim to spotlight the people and networks at the heart of digital rights. By learning from each other, sharing our struggles, and celebrating wins, we can strengthen resilience across our movements. We’ll continue building spaces — like the Global Gathering and our Weekly Digital Rights Newsletter — to amplify these stories and connect more of us across borders and silos.
💡 How You Can Engage
Explore the work of these organizations, follow them, and share their stories.
Support them directly — through donations, collaborations, or amplifying their content.
Share this blog with your networks so more people see the diversity and strength of our field.
Digital rights are human rights — and as these organizations show, defending them is a collective effort.
