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Protecting Civil Society Cybersecurity

The Ford Foundation is partnering with Apple on an initiative supporting civil society efforts to expose and prevent the use of mercenary spyware targeting activists and journalists worldwide.

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The Ford Foundation is partnering with Apple on an initiative supporting civil society efforts to expose and prevent the use of mercenary spyware targeting activists and journalists worldwide.

Apple is awarding $10 million to support organizations that investigate, expose and prevent highly targeted cyberattacks, including those created by private companies developing state-sponsored mercenary spyware. The grant will be made to the Dignity and Justice Fund established and advised by the Ford Foundation

“The global spyware trade targets human rights defenders, journalists, and dissidents; it facilitates violence, reinforces authoritarianism, and supports political repression,” Lori McGlinchey, director of technology and society program at the Ford Foundation said. “The Ford Foundation is proud to support this extraordinary initiative to bolster civil society research and advocacy to resist mercenary spyware. We must build on Apple’s commitment, and we invite companies and donors to join the Dignity and Justice Fund and bring additional resources to this collective fight.”

According to an Apple press release, the Dignity and Justice Fund expects to award funding in late 2022 or early 2023, initially funding approaches to help expose mercenary spyware and protect potential targets that include:      

  • Building organizational capacity and increasing field coordination of new and existing civil society cybersecurity research and advocacy groups.
  • Supporting the development of standardized forensic methods to detect and confirm spyware infiltration that meet evidentiary standards.
  • Enabling civil society to more effectively partner with device manufacturers, software developers, commercial security firms and other relevant companies to identify and address vulnerabilities.
  • Increasing awareness among investors, journalists and policymakers about the global mercenary spyware industry.
  • Building the capacity of human rights defenders to identify and respond to spyware attacks, including security audits for organizations that face heightened threats to their networks. 

Want more?

Read the full press release.

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