In The News
Global Cyber Alliance and PEN America Partner to Protect Journalists and Media Organizations
The Global Cyber Alliance (GCA) is excited to announce a partnership with PEN America. PEN America sees online abuse as a growing threat to free expression. With its disproportionate impact on women, people of color, LGBTQIA+ people, and religious and ethnic minorities, online abuse threatens livelihoods, undermines equity, and stifles speech. Through the Online Abuse Defense program, PEN America has: led trainings, workshops, and public events for over 8,500 writers, journalists, artists, and activists; reached over 250,000 people with guidance and resources on combating online abuse; published research on platform accountability; and lead advocacy efforts, including through their recently launched campaign to #FightOnlineAbuseNOW.
PEN America’s Online Harassment Field Manual equips writers and journalists, as well as their allies and employers, with practical strategies and comprehensive resources to defend against online abuse. It is rooted in extensive research and interviews with writers, journalists, technologists, psychologists, lawyers, and newsroom leaders. GCA is delighted to offer the GCA Cybersecurity Toolkit for Journalists through PEN America’s Online Harassment Field Manual.
“Journalists and media organizations around the world are facing unprecedented threats to digital and physical safety. In the face of hacking, doxing, impersonation, and other abusive tactics, especially as our lives increasingly shift online, it has never been more important for media professionals to bolster their digital security and tighten their privacy,” said Viktorya Vilk, Program Director, Digital Safety and Free Expression. “PEN America welcomes the opportunity to join forces with the Global Cyber Alliance to equip journalists and media organizations with tools and strategies to defend themselves so they can continue to do their jobs.”
This summer, GCA and PEN America look forward to co-hosting a free webinar series with Freedom of the Press Foundation offering a crash course on digital safety and online abuse defense for journalists, writers, and media organizations. The series will include three sessions and office hours.
Online Abuse Self-Defense Training on Wednesday, July 7th, 1:00pm – 2:30pm EDT: Whether you’ve been targeted by online abuse or witnessed it, this session will equip you with practical tools and strategies to defend yourself. We’ll talk about how to prepare, respond, take care of yourself, and support others. While there are no easy answers, open conversations about the impact of online abuse and how to fight back can empower you to stay online and continue exercising your free expression rights.
Hands-on Anti-Hacking, Anti-Doxing Workshop on Wednesday, July 14th, 1:00pm – 2:30pm EDT: Writers and journalists are increasingly expected to have an online presence and engage on social media, which puts them at risk of abuse — especially if they identify as women, LGBTQ+, and/or BIPOC. With your devices in hand, join PEN America and Freedom of the Press Foundation for an interactive workshop where we’ll teach you how to outsmart the trolls. Learn how to audit your social media accounts, tighten your privacy settings, and track your personal information online so you can maintain the public profile you need to do your job.
Bolster Your Cyber Hygiene Training on Wednesday, July 21st, 1:00pm – 2:00pm EDT: Digital security is critically important to protecting your research, your sources, and yourself. Building on the Global Cyber Alliance’s free Cybersecurity Toolkit for Journalists, this session will walk you through real-world scenarios and practical tools and guidance for protecting your devices, accounts, and communications, whether you’re an independent journalist, staff reporter, editor, or small newsroom.
Digital Safety Office Hours on Thursday, July 22nd, 3pm EDT: Need to figure out more secure channels to communicate with sources? Wondering how exactly VPN and TOR works to protect you when browsing online? Want to set up multi-factor authentication but have no idea where to start? Join Freedom of the Press Foundation, Global Cyber Alliance, and PEN America for an open Office Hours session and we can talk you through your questions on digital safety and online abuse.
For more information and registration, visit: https://pen.org/event/summer-bootcamp-digital-safety-online-abuse-defense/
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PEN America stands at the intersection of literature and human rights to protect free expression in the United States and worldwide. We champion the freedom to write, recognizing the power of the word to transform the world. Our mission is to unite writers and their allies to celebrate creative expression and defend the liberties that make it possible. Learn more at pen.org.
The Global Cyber Alliance is a nonprofit organization dedicated to making the Internet a safer place by reducing cyber risk. We build programs, tools, and partnerships to sustain a trustworthy Internet to enable social and economic progress for all. GCA is a 501(c)(3) in the U.S. and a nonprofit in the U.K. and Belgium. Learn more at globalcyberalliance.org.
