Resources to support human rights online during the invasion of Ukraine

In the context of the invasion of Ukraine, which is causing the suffering and deaths of civilians and the persecution of anyone who speaks up against the invasion, in Russia and other countries where political leaders are curtailing dissent, we stay committed to defending an open internet that remains fully operational at all times so people are able to connect and exercise their rights. We express our solidarity with activists and human rights defenders who are victims of cyber and other attacks. We condemn the dissemination of disinformation and we support all possible efforts for the amplification of voices from the ground.

In this sense, we believe that a way in which we can help is by offering tools and resources that will hopefully assist those going through this to stay connected and feel safer, informed and supported.

The following list of resources was not crafted with the participation of all APC members and staff. It was put together with input from a few of them to help each other think through the realities of the current situation and it has been made public with the idea that it might also help others. We will be updating this list as new information comes in, so please connect with us at communications@apc.org if you have resources to share.

UN statements

• Ukraine: Protection and participation of women is essential, say UN human rights experts.

Impactful initiatives by APC members

Initiatives developed by members of the APC network and others that are helping people in the current crisis (not necessarily only ICT-related):

• eQualitie (Canada)

  • dComms (Decentralized Communications) by eQualitie (available in English and Ukrainian). A set of decentralised/federated services deployed in-country by eQualitie, plus the tools and information to deploy your own. The services include the CENO Docker client (seeder/bridge), Matrix home server (encrypted instant messaging), Element Matrix web client, Delta Chat server (encrypted instant messaging) and Caddy web server, with more to come. Deployed in big cities, they can offer service for locals to communicate between themselves (with local-only connectivity) and with people from other cities (with in-country connectivity) or places in the world (with international connectivity). Current deployments by eQualitie (with more info): Kyiv, Odessa, Kharkiv and Lviv. More on the CENO browser here and here.

  • Decentralised communications network in Russia by eQualitie.

  • DSS380 (Digital Security School Ukraine), a joint project of eQualitie (Montreal, Canada) and Internews-Ukraine (Kyiv, Ukraine).

  • Deflect is a project by eQualitie that offers free website protection and hosting for any Ukrainian civil society, humanitarian or business organisation.

  • eQualitie's statement on the conflict in Ukraine.

• BlueLink Information Network (Bulgaria)

  • BlueLink's English language feed. Interviews conducted by Pavel Antonov (in English) with activist Andrey Kalikh (Russia) and with Ukrainian civic defenders' network Maksym Kyiak.

  • BlueLink's statement of solidarity at a rally near Ukraine's Embassy in Sofia.

External resources and campaigns

Resources collected by APC staff and members including various campaigns of support showcasing how different individuals and organisations are helping relief efforts in Ukraine.

• Ukraine - Solidarity in Action, an initiative by Daniel Voskoboynik and Nino Ugrekhelidze in collaboration with activists from the Eastern Europe and SWANA regions.

• Ways to support Ukraine (statement in 21 languages, as well as a petition).

• Resources for Ukrainian refugees and supporters.

• Ukrainian civil society organisations accepting donations.

• Czech/Ukrainian easy language practice with audio pronunciation for refugees and aid providers – can be easily adapted to other languages. See GitHub.

• War relief fund for Ukrainian feminists: Fundraiser by Anna Shybyryn.

• Operation Solidarity, an anti-authoritarian volunteer network organised during the war to jointly help all progressive forces in society counter imperialist aggression against Ukraine.

• Team 4 Ukraine (T4U): T4U’s objectives comprise civil society support, non-government sector professionalisation, specialised police and other security forces training aimed at achieving compatibility with the EU and NATO security forces operational standards.

External information sources

Information sources that some members of our staff and network follow that might help others in orienting themselves on the situation in Ukraine, in the context of most media outlets reprinting the same limited information, and growing censorship interventions.

• List of experts and on-the-ground sources (via Twitter).

• How to verify information involving the war in Ukraine (via Twitter).

• Roma in Ukraine [a long thread on the history] by Dr. Lucie Fremlov.

• Coverage in English by the Roma community in Czechia.

• Supporting Black and people of color to leave Ukraine or receive support by Kimberly St. Julian-Varnon.

Digital safety and security

Members and other organisations working on tools and services for digital security, safe communication and censorship circumvention in conflict zones.

• eQualitie develops open and reusable systems with a focus on privacy, resilience and self-determination. eQ offers communications services that work on local Ukrainian networks.

• May First Movement Technology engages in building movements by advancing the strategic use and collective control of technology for local struggles, global transformation, and emancipation without borders.

• Riseup provides online communication tools for people and groups working on liberatory social change.

• Front Line Defenders has developed a Guide to Secure Group Chat and Conferencing Tools.

• The Tor Project offers recommendations to help stay connected and safe, including if you are working with at-risk groups or sensitive information. Available in English, Spanish and Portuguese.

• Briar is a messaging app designed for activists, journalists, and anyone else who needs a safe, easy and robust way to communicate.

• Coconet has developed Digital Hygiene 101: How to practice digital safety and security.

International solidarity (with/from other struggles)

Collectives, groups and organisations around the world responding to the crisis in Ukraine.

• A piece from Syrian exiles about their experience informing resistance to invasion.

• Ukrainian anarchists call for international support.

• Podcast by a Syrian activist on Ukraine: @LeilaShami (website and YouTube).

Context on disinformation

APC resources exploring the multifaceted, global and complex issue of disinformation:

• APC policy explainer on disinformation.

• For International Women's Day 2022, APC launched a campaign on #GenderedDisinformation (see Twitter moment with highlights here).