Project description DEENESFRITPL Digital technology as a tool of repression in authoritarian regimes Authoritarian regimes use new digital technology to repress rights activists. The EU-funded DIGIACT project will investigate how authoritarian regimes apply repressive digital methods against political opponents and human rights activists in the Middle East and Northern Africa (MENA). The project will study the relationship that exists between authoritarian regimes and digital technology, as well as how fundamental rights can be protected in the digital world. To achieve its goals, the project is working alongside the Law, Science, Technology & Society (LSTS) at Vrije Universiteit Brussel in Belgium. Show the project objective Hide the project objective Objective Transnational advocacy networks play an important role in exposing rights violations and undermining media censorship under authoritarian regimes. Yet, repressive states increasingly resort to surveillance, malware attacks, online harassment and disinformation campaigns to compromise transnational civil society activists and mute their voices. DIGIACT investigates forms of digitally enabled information control, surveillance and repression against political activists, journalists and human rights defenders from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) who reside in the European Union. The project provides an in-depth analysis of how threats to freedom of expression and privacy of transnational activists emerge and spread in an environment of rapidly evolving digital technologies. The research studies the motivations and capabilities of the regimes behind the threats, the effects on targeted communities and their strategies of resistance, and the implications both on a normative (international human rights law and other legal frameworks) and practical level (risk mitigation and capacity building). With this research agenda, DIGIACT aims to contribute to a) concept building on the relationship between digital technologies and authoritarian politics, and b) the debate on how to protect fundamental norms and rights in the digital age. To accomplish these goals, the project is embedded in the research group on Law, Science, Technology & Society (LSTS) at VUB where the applicant will receive training in theoretical and legal approaches to surveillance, privacy and data protection in the context of digital technologies. Fields of science social sciencesmedia and communicationsjournalismnatural sciencescomputer and information sciencescomputer securitymalicious softwarenatural sciencescomputer and information sciencescomputer securitydata protectionsocial sciencespolitical sciencespolitical policiescivil societysocial scienceslawhuman rightshuman rights law Programme(s) H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Main Programme H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility Topic(s) MSCA-IF-2018 - Individual Fellowships Call for proposal H2020-MSCA-IF-2018 See other projects for this call Funding Scheme MSCA-IF-EF-ST - Standard EF Coordinator VRIJE UNIVERSITEIT BRUSSEL Net EU contribution € 178 320,00 Address Pleinlaan 2 1050 Bruxelles / brussel Belgium See on map Region Région de Bruxelles-Capitale/Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest Région de Bruxelles-Capitale/ Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest Arr. de Bruxelles-Capitale/Arr. Brussel-Hoofdstad Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Other funding € 0,00
