As a member of the Access Now community, you’ve been a part of some pretty amazing things this year. Your support helps defend and extend the digital rights of users at risk around the world, and together we’ve made a real impact on people’s lives.
Meet Dalia Haj-Omar, a Sudanese activist working to build peace and protect human rights in her home country.
The Sudanese government heavily restricts the exercise of freedom of expression, online and off. During the 2015 general election, several online newspapers were targeted for malicious hacking and Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks to limit access to information and censor any reporting critical of the regime.
When one opposition newspaper was taken offline by a DDoS attack, Dalia enlisted the help of Access Now’s Digital Security Helpline, through which activists, independent media, and civil society organizations across the globe can get real-time, direct technical assistance and advice 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
With our assistance, the opposition paper was accessible again within 48 hours. Dalia told us, “I’m part of a civil society that is not very tech savvy, let alone in a secure way. This direct technical assistance is very important.”
Your support for Access Now helps defend and extend the digital rights of users at risk around the world.
The last several months have brought devastating attacks across the globe. When governments respond to attacks or political unrest by clamping down on our rights, it’s absolutely vital to keep users at risk safe from harm. Our helpline operates out of offices in the U.S., Costa Rica, Tunis, and Manila, so we always have someone ready to help — whether the problem is setting up secure, encrypted email, fending off a DDoS attack, or restoring access to vital social media accounts.