Who are we?
Digital Guardians Alliance (DIGA) is a nongovernmental human rights organisation based in Dar es Salaam as its Head Quarters and having Focal persons around Tanzania regions. It was founded in early 2016. Before, the NGO is a collection of individual / freelance human rights activists, visionaries and technologists [Digital Security Experts] who conducted several researches focusing on the situation of the digital safety environment for HRDs and general public and the state of internet freedom in Tanzania. Its main purpose is to strive to Empower Tanzania HRDs and general public by promoting, strengthening and safeguarding digital rights and Internet Freedom in the country.
After the course of a number of conducted researches, the founders discovered that over the past decade, Tanzania has seen a tremendous boom in connectivity and online participation that is beginning to transform the way that citizens across the region communicate, express themselves, and establish communities. In a similar manner, the growth of internet access in the region is beginning to empower civil society organizations (CSOs) Human Rights Defenders (HRDs) to engage with the public, share information, and advocate for citizens’ rights in sometimes challenging and closed political environments. Although the internet offers opportunities to advocates, it also offers the possibility for unethical actors (national and international) to interfere with their work, surveil them, hack them and censor their voices.
In collaboration with a number of HR activists, Digital Security experts and visionaries, the DIGA was formed in mid 2019 to comprehensively counter the gradually negatively increasing threats for state of digital safety and internet freedom in the Tanzania, and stressing on how to gauge/enhance the HRDs and general public ability to protect itself from digital threats and shrinking Civic Space. DIGA has consequently developed and divided into four core modes of operation: ‘Assess - Train – Innovate – Support’ in order to challenge and address the situation in Tanzania: Taken together, these operations modes offer a clear mitigation and resilience of the digital safety and the state of internet freedom in our surrounding community.
After the course of a number of conducted researches, the founders discovered that over the past decade, Tanzania has seen a tremendous boom in connectivity and online participation that is beginning to transform the way that citizens across the region communicate, express themselves, and establish communities. In a similar manner, the growth of internet access in the region is beginning to empower civil society organizations (CSOs) Human Rights Defenders (HRDs) to engage with the public, share information, and advocate for citizens’ rights in sometimes challenging and closed political environments. Although the internet offers opportunities to advocates, it also offers the possibility for unethical actors (national and international) to interfere with their work, surveil them, hack them and censor their voices.
In collaboration with a number of HR activists, Digital Security experts and visionaries, the DIGA was formed in mid 2019 to comprehensively counter the gradually negatively increasing threats for state of digital safety and internet freedom in the Tanzania, and stressing on how to gauge/enhance the HRDs and general public ability to protect itself from digital threats and shrinking Civic Space. DIGA has consequently developed and divided into four core modes of operation: ‘Assess - Train – Innovate – Support’ in order to challenge and address the situation in Tanzania: Taken together, these operations modes offer a clear mitigation and resilience of the digital safety and the state of internet freedom in our surrounding community.
Targeted Groups
By its nature, DIGA programmes and services are wider in scope to benefit the likes of Human Rights Defenders [the civil society organizations, Human Rights Monitors, Journalists and Bloggers, Media houses, activists, whistle blowers, Legal Aid Providers], victims of digital rights violation/ cyber-attacks and general public. Through direct program interventions such as Assessments, training, software innovations and support, DIGA has good link with development partners (Donors), human rights defenders and local communities at the grassroots level which ensures that its operations have a big impact at the international, continental, regional, national and community levels.
