Digital Security Guides

Data Detox x Youth is an activity book to help young people take control of their tech. This interactive toolkit encourages young people to think about different aspects of their digital lives, from their social media profiles to their passwords, with simple activities for reflection and play.

The activity book contains four sections:

• Digital Privacy, which focuses on reducing data traces and understanding online profiling;
• Digital Security, with tips on creating strong and secure passwords;
• Digital Wellbeing, which deals with the addictive nature of smartphones;
• and finally Misinformation, a guide for consuming and sharing information online.

The Digital First Aid Kit is a free resource to help rapid responders, digital security trainers, and tech-savvy activists to better protect themselves and the communities they support against the most common types of digital emergencies. It can also be used by activists, human rights defenders, bloggers, journalists or media activists who want to learn more about how they can protect themselves and support others. If you or someone you are assisting is experiencing a digital emergency, the Digital First Aid Kit will guide you in diagnosing the issues you are facing and refer you to support providers for further help if needed.

Digital Hygiene 101 by EngageMedia provides a number of tips to stay safe and healthy against digital viruses, along with a list of safer alternatives to the usual tools we use for online work.

The Digital Security Trainer’s Assistant, is a trainer’s guide for new and experienced digital security trainers, who want a friendly, easy-to-follow resource that they can keep with them as they learn and train. Written by digital security trainer and Safe Sisters trainer Natasha Msonza, the guide draws from her experiences learning and training others on digital security.

DigitalHub101 is a collection of digital security and safety guides written in Khmer. It offers simple, useful tips to help users secure their digital devices, protect their online accounts, and safeguard their personal data. Users can also find step-by-step instructions and infographics on how to use common digital security tools as well as relevant digital safety resources.

The Holistic Security Manual by Tactical Tech is designed to guide the process of establishing or improving security strategies for individuals, collectives or organisations. The content is divided into four Sections: Prepare, Explore, Strategise and Act, which are conceived as steps in an evolving, cyclical process and should be regularly revisited as part of our ongoing strategic planning. The chapters which appear on this website are summarised versions of those in the manual, which can be downloaded and read offline.

The Holistic Security Protocol for Human Rights Defenders (the Defender’s Protocol) helps us advance our physical safety, digital security, and wellbeing and resilience. By following the Protocol, we enhance our individual and collective security, and can reduce the burden of attacks, harassment, and censorship on us and our communities.

Safe + Secure by Doc Society is a handbook containing information and resources about digital security, journalistic accountability, legal security, and more for documentary filmmakers.

Security in a Box by Front Line Defenders and Tactical Tech primarily aims to help a global community of human rights defenders whose work puts them at risk. It has been recognized worldwide as a foundational resource for helping people at risk protect their digital security and privacy.

Security Planner by Consumer Reports is a guide that walks users through a series of questions about their digital habits to provide customised digital security recommendations.

Surveillance Self-Defense (SSD) by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is a guide to protecting yourself from electronic surveillance for people all over the world. Some aspects of this guide will be useful to people with very little technical knowledge, while others are aimed at an audience with considerable technical expertise and privacy/security trainers.

The Safe Sisters Guide is meant to help our sisters learn about problems that we might run into on the internet (like leaked or stolen photos, viruses, and scams), how we can make informed decisions every day to protect ourselves, and to make the internet a safe space for ourselves, our families, and all women!

Totem, developed by Greenhost and Free Press Unlimited, is an online learning platform that offers educational courses about digital security and privacy, and related tools and tactics for journalists, activists and human rights defenders in a safe, online classroom environment.

Umbrella by Security First is an all-in-one app developed for digital and physical security. It provides information on what to do in any given security situation and the tools to do it. Umbrella is designed for and used by journalists, aid workers, human rights activists, and people travelling in high-risk areas.