Meta has announced a new, online digital security and safety training course for journalists and human rights defenders.
The free program is created and managed by the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) in partnership with the Border Center for Journalists and Bloggers (BCJB).
“We are proud to support the launch of this very important program that will teach journalists and human rights defenders best practices on how to stay safe,” said Anjali Kapoor, Director of News Partnerships, Meta Asia Pacific. “This represents Meta’s ongoing commitment to support the safety of journalists and those who defend human rights around the world, the course will equip them with a strong foundation in digital security.
”Journalists and human rights defenders can get the program’s complete details via ICFJ’s website. The curriculum was developed with input from the community and speaking with journalists in the region.
Supported by the Meta Journalism Project, the self-paced 90-minute course will teach journalists and human rights defenders how to protect their digital assets and increase the security of their operations. This will include specific training on:
- Laying a strong digital security foundation
- Secure social media usage
- How to report from difficult situations in a secure fashion
- Countering online harassment
“The increasing threat of cyber attacks against journalists and civil society is putting lives in danger and has no bounds,” said Luis Botello, ICFJ’s deputy vice president of global impact and strategy. “This innovative online course on digital security is full of resources, which are a lifeline for journalists and civil society advocates who do essential work providing information and support to their communities.”
ICFJ and BCJB will host a live webinar series beginning later this month where course participants can get additional context and supporting information on how to protect themselves. For additional details, please sign-up for the course.
The program will launch in English first, but will soon be available in other languages including Bahasa Indonesia, Bengali, Filipino, Khmer, Sinhala, Tamil, Thai, Traditional Chinese and Urdu.
The program is a part of our commitment to the Meta Human Rights Defenders Fund and Journalist Safety Initiative.
Recent programs that extend our support for journalists include the Reuters Digital Journalism Foundations course and the Facebook Fundamentals for News that includes training on staying safe across social media and on our platforms. Last year, Meta announced our partnership with the Rory Peck Trust to help freelance journalists globally who face challenging and traumatic events. More details about the program, including the link to sign up to the course is available here and the registration link is here.
