Civic Tech Field Guide
Sharing knowledge and productively growing the fieldAdjacent Fields > Digital security and privacy > Cybersecurity - (97)
Preventing hacks, cyberattacks, leaks, and otherwise protecting civic tech projects and data
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MetaCert tells you which links are safe and which websites you can trust.
Defending Digital Campaigns makes our political process more secure by providing political parties and campaigns with knowledge, products and services to defend themselves from cyber threats and attacks.
NYU Tandon Cybersecurity for Democracy
New York University, New York, NY, USACybersecurity for Democracy is a research-based effort to expose online threats to our social fabric – and recommend how to counter them. We are part of the Center for Cybersecurity at NYU.
Tor Browser for Android Experience real private browsing without tracking, surveillance, or censorship.
A privacy-focused web browser for use with Orbot, based on Tor Browser
A short guide to help keep journalists and their sources safe
Red Team Lab at Open Tech Fund
2025 M Street Northwest, Downtown, Washington, DC 20036, USAThe lab focuses on improving the software security of projects that advance OTF’s Internet freedom goals by ensuring that code, data, and people behind the tools have what they need to create a safer experience for people experiencing repressive information controls online.
Totem is an online learning platform on using digital security tools and tactics effectively for journalists, activists, and trainers.
Guardian Project creates easy to use secure apps, open-source software libraries, and customized mobile devices that can be used around the world by any person looking to protect their communications and personal data from unjust intrusion, interception and monitoring.
Transformative Cyber Innovation Lab
Washington, DCThe Transformative Cyber Innovation Lab (TCIL or Lab) will find and nurture technologically feasible, testable pilot projects which begin to solve some of the hardest cyber problems afflicting the national security industrial base and our country.
Project Shield
New York CityProject Shield uses Google’s infrastructure to protect independent news sites from distributed denial of service attacks (DDoS), a type of digital attack that exploits thousands or even millions of computers to overwhelm a website’s servers and take it offline.
Open Tech Fund (OTF)
2025 M Street Northwest, Downtown, Washington, DC 20036, USAWe support the research, design, development, and deployment of technology-focused projects that counter online censorship and combat repressive surveillance, to enable global internet users to exercise their fundamental human rights online.
The free and simple tool that enables civil society organizations to build better security policies.
Jigsaw
New York CityHow can technology make people in the world safer?
The Kit offers a set of self-diagnostic tools for human rights defenders, bloggers, activists and journalists facing attacks themselves, as well as providing guidelines for digital first responders to assist a person under threat.
Rarenet runs joint activities that aim to improve coordinated response, education and advocacy in cyber security threats affecting civil society and activism online.
Protecting democratic elections through secure, verifiable voting
CryptoHarlem
Harlem, Manhattan, New York, NY, USACryptoHarlem is a Digital Surveillance Clinic that has been meeting on a monthly basis since 2013 in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City. It is always open to the public and completely free of charge.
The Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto
Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, Devonshire Place, Toronto, ON, CanadaThe Citizen Lab is an interdisciplinary laboratory based at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, University of Toronto, focusing on research, development, and high-level strategic policy and legal engagement at the intersection of information and communication technologies, human rights, and global security.
NYC Libraries Digital Safety program
New York Public Library - Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, 5th Avenue, New York, NY, USANYC Digital Safety: Privacy & Security is a partnership between New York City’s three library systems and METRO, a library resources council serving NYC and Westchester County
Intra
New York CityIntra is an Android app that protects against DNS manipulation, making it easy to access blocked websites and apps and get safer access to the internet.
Psiphon
CanadaPsiphon is a free and open-source internet censorship circumvention tool that uses a combination of secure communication and obfuscation technologies, providing open access to the internet for millions of citizens around the world.
We support Human Rights Defenders facing digital threats and work to strengthen local rapid response networks.
Digital Attack Map
New York CityDigital Attack Map visualizes the most powerful DDoS attacks happening in the world right now
Guide to organizational security
The Engine Room, Albany Street, London, UKWe partnered with the Ford Foundation to look at how civil society can strengthen their digital security, what and who is out there to support them, and how they can develop better digital security practices.
Secure messaging, anywhere
Digital Defense Fund
United States of America (the)We are Digital Defense Fund, and we do digital security for the abortion access movement.
Secure Usability and Accessibility Lab at Open Tech Fund
2025 M Street Northwest, Downtown, Washington, DC 20036, USAOTF’s Secure Usability and Accessibility Lab offers secure usability and user-interface assistance to Internet freedom and digital security tools to help them recognise and solve usability challenges that hampered the adoption of those tools in repressive contexts.
SAFETAG adapts traditional penetration testing and risk assessment methodologies to be relevant to smaller non-profit organizations.
Any NGO, human rights or media organisation that faces threats due to the work they are doing, can apply for this grant.
Building resilient systems to keep civil society safe online
EFF Guide to Messaging
eclips.is is a free, lightweight platform where you can launch your (virtual) servers. It is funded by Open Technology Fund (OTF) to facilitate an easy accessible cloud infrastructure.
Trustwire gives you strong end-to-end encryption while keeping it simple to use. Trustwire is web-based, so users don't need to download or install apps, and they can manage or exchange files whether they are overseas or just down the street.
Cloudflare for Campaigns
101 Townsend St San Francisco, CA 94107It is designed to make it easier for all political campaigns and parties, especially those with small teams and limited resources, to get access to cybersecurity services.
Gender and Technology Institutes
Brunnenstraße 9, 10119 Berlin, GermanyIn partnerships with local and international organisations, each GTI has further developed specific facilitation methodologies and training contents addressing the risks, attacks and contexts faced by activist women in the region.
Defend Our Movements is a web based clearinghouse of the most up-to-date and useful information about protecting your devices and data—whether on the Internet, through cell phone communications, or in your home or office.
Mailfence
Rue Middelbourg, Watermael-Boitsfort, BelgiumSecure and private email service with collaboration suite.
Defend yourself against tracking and surveillance. Circumvent censorship.
Project Galileo
101 Townsend St San Francisco, CA 94107If you are an organization working in the arts, human rights, civil society, journalism, or democracy, you can apply for Project Galileo to get Cloudflare’s cybersecurity protection
SecureDrop is an open-source whistleblower submission system that media organizations can use to securely accept documents from and communicate with anonymous sources.
Resources for the global digital safety training community.
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