Open Briefing has become an intermediary for the Access Now digital security helpline.

The helpline is a free-of-charge resource for civil society around the world. It offers real-time, direct technical assistance and advice to civil society groups and activists, media organisations, journalists and bloggers, and human rights defenders. If you are at risk, they can help you improve your digital security practices; if you are already under attack, they provide rapid-response emergency assistance. This support is available 24/7 and in nine languages.

As an intermediary, Open Briefing can now refer civil society organisations and activists that we are working with to the helpline for immediate further support, including rapid response for digital security incidents.

This is an example of our increased efforts to integrate our programmes into the ‘protection ecosystem’ for human rights defenders and other civic actors, including building referral pathways to and from Open Briefing. In relation to digital security, we are already a member of the Charities Security Forum and have recently joined the technology and security action team in the Vuka! coalition, in addition to our work with Access Now.