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Hi everyone,

There is a really great new tool that I would like to let people know about.  It's called Security in-a-box, and was a joint effort between Tactical Technology Collective and Front Line.  Security in-a-box is a toolkit that was created to help human rights defenders and activists protect their privacy and digital security needs. It can also be an important tool for members of the independent media whose work involves human rights.

While technology has proved a powerful tool in defending human rights, it is also important to recognize that it can pose a risk to the security and privacy of human rights practitioners. The toolkit was created primarily to address the needs of advocates in the Global South, but it can be applied in a general manner too, because these security issues are important for all practitioners to consider. 

The world of technology is constantly changing, and as such, the people who created Security in-a-box also frequently update their tools.  The toolkit is also available in 5 languages (English, Arabic, French, Russian and Spanish) in order to make it more widely acessible.

Using some of the methods that are included in the toolkit can prevent people from having valuable and confidential information confiscated, lost, or stolen, having their websites hacked, as well as help to ensure e-mail privacy.  The issues listed above are very important for advocates who deal with personal clients and have a responsibility to ensure that the information they acquire is kept confidential, but also for communication between advocates, as well as to ensure that advocacy groups can keep their websites running smoothly and keep attracting visitors without being plagued by virus, spam, and hackers. It is also important for independent journalists who want to ensure the privacy and security of their work.  It may be able to provide a way for human rights defenders in different places to bypass blocks or filters on the internet that are implemented by government or authorities.

The toolkit is meant to explain the occurence of some of the privacy violations listed above, as well as practical solutions for the violations based on an organization's specific needs.  Security in-a-box contains how-to booklets as well as hands-on guides for human rights activists and practitioners.

• The how-to booklets focus on raising awareness of important digital security issues, and the hands-on guides each contain an open-source software or freeware along with instructions on how to use the software as a way to secure your computer, protect private information, and maintain privacy in internet communication. The software can either be downloaded from the hands-on guide or can be downloaded for free from the tool developer's website.

• Some examples of how-to booklets include:  how to protect your computer from malware and hackers, how to destroy sensitive information, and how to create secure passwords. Hands-on guides include information or software such as Avast anti-virus and Spybot anti-spyware, along with installation instructions, instructions on how to use the software, and instructions on how to deal with viruses.

The toolkit also recognizes the importance of making security tools portable and includes a section called Portable Security which includes portable versions of some vital tools that are meant to be downloaded onto portable USB memory sticks so that they can be used on computers wherever you are.  This is an important tool for those who do a lot of traveling and use a variety of computers in various locales.  It can help to ensure that wherever you are, you can be digitally secure and maintain a high level of privacy protection. An example of one of the tools included is Portable KeePass, which is a secure and easy-to-use password management tool.

Technology will become increasingly important in the human rights world as time goes on, as well as more complex, and it's important for all human rights practitioners to be aware of the necessity of maintaining digital security and protecting their privacy, and the implications of not doing so.  This toolkit can be used in a variety of ways to ensure that human rights advocates around the world can continue to use technology to their advantage.