Among the groups we support through Access Now Grants, one stands out as the sometimes-unsung heroes of digital rights: the “Digital First Aiders.” They offer vital digital security and safety support to journalists, activists, and human rights defenders in their communities, delivered with the cultural awareness only local experts can provide. They represent the foundation for grassroots civil society — without their work, privacy and security crumbles, leaving everyone vulnerable to attack. In this post, you’ll hear from three such grantees whose work we’ve been proud to support: Vita Activa, DIG/SEC Initiative, and Sursiendo.
Vita Activa is a helpline for journalists, activists, human rights defenders, and women and LGBTQ+ people who face online gender-based violence (OGBV), trauma, and burnout. Access Now has been supporting their vital work for six years. Follow them on Bluesky, Instagram, LinkedIn, or X.
How do you help?
“We wish more people understood that, for the communities we serve, gender-based violence, trauma, and burnout are not abstract. Online and off, people are surveilled, hacked, harassed, and silenced — because when your voice challenges power, the internet can become a dangerous place. They are made more vulnerable by the fact that many basic emotional and digital security practices are inaccessible; whether that’s because the resources aren’t in local languages and the tools are too technical, or because they don’t even know they’re at risk. This is the gap we aim to fill, with culturally sensitive tools, empathetic listening and training that meet them where they are. Digital rights are human rights, and emotional and empathic care is for everyone.”
What does helping look like in practice?
“One example was when we created a community-based crisis intervention training course and dialogue space, including a bilingual English-Arabic psychological first aid manual, to assist women journalists, activists, and service providers facing acute psychological distress, the emotional consequences of armed conflict and human suffering, trauma and burnout, and the effects of gender-based online violence. We were seeing an increase in violence and hate toward Arabic language speakers online. Our goal was to create a tool that fosters resilience and emotional sovereignty, grounded in genuine, supportive compassion, and built on a foundation of community led, context-specific, and culturally sensitive digital security. This approach doesn’t just protect specific individuals; it protects entire movements.”
What does the future look like to you?
“We want to see a caring, empathetic, and unapologetically grassroots digital rights ecosystem, where the people impacted by surveillance, censorship, and online violence lead the way as experts of their own realities. Digital security shouldn’t just be about risk, it should be about reclaiming space; about being safe, visible, and happy on our terms. That’s what we’re building, step by step, in community with others. Access Now is a true ally in this regard, having given us the trust, flexibility, and breathing room to grow from a tiny, volunteer-run effort to a regional force for digital justice. From the Grants team to the Digital Security Helpline to RightsCon, the holistic support we’ve received is absolutely vital for organizations like ours navigating complex, high-risk environments.”
DIG/SEC Initiative, which Access Now has been supporting for six years, provides digital safety and security technical assistance and support to at-risk, grassroots journalists, activists, and other human rights defenders in Uganda. Follow their work on Facebook, LinkedIn, and X.
How do you help?
“We aim to enhance the capacity of human rights defenders and activists to overcome the digital security and safety challenges that they face daily because of their work. This includes supporting the most resilient, yet under-supported grassroots communities in Uganda, who are too often left alone to navigate any digital rights issues they face, despite the fact that these can sometimes be a matter of life-or-death.”
What does helping look like in practice?
“Time and time again, we see that, no matter how small we might think our digital security interventions are, someone, somewhere is depending on them and it can be a defining moment for their safety and security. For instance, when we worked with environmental rights activists in Adjumani, Northern Uganda, we helped them to understand how the use of unsecured passwords or shared laptops with no passwords at all was potentially putting their entire team at great risk. They had never had any previous digital security training or support, so after sharing some basic digital security tips, we invited them to join a Digital Security Mentorship training to further enhance their knowledge.
The stakes can also be sky-high when it comes to digital security. For example, in 2020, as part of our roving Security on Wheels project, we received a distress call from a human rights organization being targeted and intimidated by the military for documenting the extra-judicial killing of suspected cattle rustlers in Kotido, in the Karamoja sub-region. We answered the call, helping them to configure a router, set up automated cloud storage back-up, and transfer photos from their cameras to their laptops, as well as sharing tips on how to document and report on human rights violations in a way that would reduce the risks to their physical safety and lives.”
What does the future look like to you?
“We want at-risk communities to play a key role in shaping the solutions they need, because oftentimes, the easiest and most straightforward answer is the right one for them. We’ve seen first-hand how simple digital security tips can make a world of difference in ensuring the safety of these communities. At the same time, certain solutions just don’t work for them, whether due to poor network connectivity, older devices, or their remote locations. By designing and implementing answers with the community, and not imposing centralized, one-size-fits-all solutions, we can meet these unique challenges and needs.”
Sursiendo is a Mexico-based digital rights organization working at the intersection of activism, alternative media and design, free software and culture, and grassroots education, to support organizations that fight for climate and environmental justice, and defend the rights of Indigenous, migrant, and disappeared people. They have been an Access Now grantee for eight years. Follow their work on Mastodon, Telegram, or X.
How do you help?
“Human rights defenders and social organizations in Mexico, and across Central America, are vulnerable on two levels. Firstly, they experience systemic violence, racism, misogyny, territorial exclusion, and limited access to justice; and secondly, they face digital barriers such as poor infrastructure, limited access to technology, insufficient digital literacy, and high-security risks, including surveillance or criminalization of their activities, especially when handling sensitive information. Despite this, these groups and communities are resilient and deeply committed to fighting for social justice. Supporting them in exercising their digital rights is vital to sustain their struggles, and their ways of life.”
What does helping look like in practice?
“Helping organizations to establish sustainable digital care practices is central to our work, as is taking the time to listen — we can accompany without imposing, share without replacing, and learn without exploiting. As one feminist organization experiencing online attacks and harassment told us, our support helped them to talk about what was happening and to feel less alone, knowing that ‘it is not our fault if we are attacked.’ Another organization working with migrant people on Mexico’s northern border was able to use the tools we shared to embed digital care as part of their daily work and collective care. Speaking about the difference this made, the organization noted that, since they work with ‘very sensitive information related to extremely vulnerable people,’ having tools, knowledge, and strategies specifically adapted to their context allowed them to ‘store and communicate this information safely and consciously,’ and significantly reduce their exposure to certain risks. Most importantly, they have shared these learnings with their beneficiaries, volunteers, and collaborators, ensuring vital information is passed on across communities.”
What does the future look like to you?
“We work for a future in which digital rights are not considered from the perspective of individual access, but rather as an integral part of collective processes of social, territorial, and climate justice. We want to see a future where technologies are used in a dignified, more egalitarian way, based on local narratives and knowledge; one where communities can imagine, create, and sustain trusted connections with those in charge of technology infrastructures. With sensitive, respectful, and transparent support from the Access Now Grants program, we are building this future, establishing long-term processes that are sensitive to the rhythms of the groups we work with and the networks with which we forge regional and global alliances.”