Encrypt Uganda is a digital rights organization that was founded to provide protective measures to the ever-increasing cybersecurity threats through cyber rights protection, capacity building, digital security training, and carrying out security assessment and audits. Encrypt mostly work with journalists, human rights defenders, activists, and women and children.
To secure information, data and strengthen Internet freedoms of human rights defenders and activists.
A community where data, information is secure and Internet freedoms are respected.
Security, Confidentiality, Transparency, Accountability, Innovation
In 2020, as the Covid-19 pandemic ravaged many parts of the world, Uganda moved to close all primary and secondary schools, and other higher institutions of learning – including universities on March 20, 2020. In a national address, President Yoweri Museveni noted on March 18, 2020 that it was important to temporarily disperse the concentration points to prevent the spread of coronavirus.’ As a result, almost 15 million children in Uganda were affected by school closures due to the pandemic.
Accordingly, as part of the organization’s ‘Children’s Online Safety Project’, Encrypt Uganda sought to understand the state of children’s safety online in Northern and Eastern Uganda as they navigate the dramatic change to online learning.
Many children who suffered abuse online reported being sent nude pictures, pornographic and obscene messages with vulgar language.
Children also reported receiving Facebook friend requests from strangers (adults) who later started sending them nude photos, intimidating messages, and threatening phone calls with an intention of enticing them for sexual and other forms of abusive exploitation. Some of the friend requests were of accounts that appeared to be of the same gender with the child, especially female, only for it to be clear later on that the account belongs to the opposite gender.
The children who reported suffering from cyberbullying recounted receiving abusive comments on their photographs on Facebook and receiving threatening messages and calls for liking and commenting on photos on some Facebook. A boy reported being scolded by his peers for sharing a picture where he was standing with a girl.
Humans are the weakest link in digital security. No organization is secure without training their staff in security awareness. Organisations should prioritize and invest in digital security awareness.
In an increasingly digital world, digital-attacks on human rights defenders have become an everyday reality. Human Rights Defenders should reduce their organization’s and personal security risks and work towards safeguarding their information systems. Digital security assessment is among the core
Our capacity building initiative is tailored towards imparting knowledge and skills which enhance the operational and technical capacity of individual activists, human rights defenders in the area of on-line freedoms, systems enhancement and digital security.
Encrypt Uganda takes the initiative to defend and promote online freedoms to prevent state and non-state restrictions. The methods of restrictions have included surveillance, blocking of sites and enacting of new laws, to restrict anonymity, privacy and free expression online.
We conduct research in collaboration with different partners in Uganda and beyond. The research is aimed at enabling us carry out advocacy on digital security and safety of women, children, human rights defenders, activists, and journalists in Uganda.
Through the Encrypt Lab, we carry out threat analysis on the different cyber attacks experienced by human rights defenders, journalists, and activists in Uganda. The purpose of the analysis is to discover the source of the attacks, and to develop counter-measures to the threats.
In 2023, we received support from Code for Africa with the purpose of promoting and creating visibility for their tool called FeedShield through our different platforms. During this project, we contributed to the ADDO FeedShield working group on digital security for targeted and vulnerable groups through virtual attendance of 4 quarterly meetings over the period of 1 year, Conducted a minimum quantity of six, one-hour webinars, trainings or events on online harassment over the period of one year adding FeedShield demos to relevant association meetings/events, Shared the link to the FeedShield website and activities to our community and networks among others.
In 2021, Encrypt Uganda working together with other partners and stakeholders implemented the Children’s Online Safety Project aimed at improving on the safety and security of children online in Uganda. Encrypt received financial support for the project from Digital Human Rights Lab under a funding agreement with GIZ. The project addressed gaps in the existing National ICT Policy and ensured the safety of children online is a core component in the current ICT curriculum being taught to students. Also, the project addressed the knowledge gap faced by parents on ensuring the safety of their children online.
In 2019, we were contracted by Civil Rights Defenders to conduct two digital security trainings for their partner organizations Center for Justice Governance and Environmental Action (CJGEA) in Mombasa and Diakonia Africa in Nairobi.
In 2019, we were contracted by Defend Defenders (East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project) to conduct organizational security audits and assessments for selected human rights organizations in Uganda. The assessments were followed by remediations which was aimed at device fixups, software installations, and general device checkup amongs others.
In 2020 Encrypt Uganda ran an advocacy campaign that was aimed at highlighting the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on the online safety of children especially in Uganda during the lockdown that resulted to schools being indefinitely closed and children struggling to learn from home using all the available platforms including the internet.
During this campaign, Encrypt Uganda carried out the following activities; Conducted a series of radio interviews regionally; Conducted TV interviews; Interviewed parents, child-experts, government officials, a few children, and some key ministers;Ran an advocacy campaign on social media (Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram) aimed at raising awareness on threats faced by children online.
Mukwasi House, Plot 39A, Lumumba Avenue, Nakasero, Kampala, Uganda
info@encryptuganda.org
+256 773 680547 | +256 750 778786
