A day-long training workshop on digital safety and security, especially for journalists, titled “Digital Safety and Security for Journalists and Human Rights Defenders,” was held on Wednesday at the NGO Forum for Public Health auditorium in Lalmatia, Dhaka.
The workshop was organized by the rights-based research organization VOICE (Voices for Interactive Choice and Empowerment).
The workshop emphasized that digital safety has become a critical concern for journalists and human rights defenders in an increasingly vulnerable online environment.
Participants included young journalists working in newspapers, television and online media platforms, as well as representatives from various human rights organizations.
Through practical, hands-on sessions, participants received training on multiple aspects of digital safety and online protection, including threat modeling, safe browsing and communication, encryption, two-factor authentication, digital hygiene and privacy awareness.
Ahmed Swapan Mahmud, executive director of VOICE, said: “With increasing incidents of surveillance, harassment and repression by the state, corporations and individuals in the digital space, it is imperative that we rethink our approach to digital safety.”
He added that strengthening digital literacy is equally essential to empower individuals to navigate and protect themselves in an increasingly complex online environment.
Musharrat Mahera, deputy director of VOICE, presented the digital protection strategies, highlighting: “Using secure communication channels can significantly reduce digital threats and harassment, which is especially vital for women journalists and rights defenders.”
The workshop covered key topics through hands-on activities, including threat modeling for self-risk analysis, the use of artificial intelligence, strong passwords, two-factor authentication for critical social media accounts, VPNs, safe browsing with Tor Browser, encrypted communication and data backup.
Participants also practiced identifying malicious links, safeguarding mobile devices and social media privacy and protecting their digital security while reporting in the field such as by avoiding public Wi-Fi and disabling geo-location tracking.
These activities were practiced through group-based activities.
The workshop was facilitated by digital safety experts Ashraful Haque and Sadman Ahmed.
