Bareedo Platform Somalia, with the support of the Digital Defenders Partnership (DDP), conducted a two-day training in Garowe, Puntland, Somalia, from June 27 to 29, 2024, for over 42 civil society organizations from various regions of Somalia. In this training, Bareedo Platform trained them on how they can use Microsoft technology, software, and products provided for nonprofit organizations after they have received approval from Microsoft to use these products free of charge. They received training on utilizing Microsoft-provided security tools, which aid in preventing cyber-attacks, detecting and resolving threats, and responding to data breaches.

Bareedo Platform previously identified and recognized 91 civil society organizations, predominantly led by women human rights defenders, feminists, and minorities, as the most vulnerable to digital attacks and threats in Somalia. These groups have consistently faced severe digital attacks such as phishing, spyware, communication theft, surveillance, privacy breaches, censorship, and online harassment, which have significantly impacted their work. Their vulnerabilities mainly resulted from their lack of digital security knowledge and their use of insecure digital equipment and communication platforms, which made them more vulnerable to digital attacks.

Before this training, Bareedo Platform had been providing individual technical assistance for these civil society organizations for months to develop sustainable internal digital security policies and action plans to better respond to cybersecurity challenges and digital threats. The support included how these organizations could have access to Microsoft’s grants, donations, and discounted products and services specifically designed for nonprofit organizations, although these organizations could not afford to buy the expensive secure software and products.

With the technical assistance of Bareedo Platform, 40 out of 51 organizations that applied for Microsoft Nonprofit Solutions received approval from Microsoft to use their secure software and products free of charge or at a discounted price. Bareedo Platform conducted a two-day training for these organizations to teach them how to use the services provided by the Microsoft nonprofit to help them effectively protect themselves from digital threats.

With the use of Microsoft’s secure products and software, these civil society organizations, which have previously faced digital threats and attacks, can now keep their data safe from cyberattacks and help manage their network security.

As part of this project that is funded by Digital Defenders Partnership (DDP), Bareedo Platform previously conducted three-days long digital security awareness and training for 108 civil society organizations, human rights defenders, activists, and journalists in Somalia who have been facing digital attacks and risks. The training which was held from March 2, 2024 to March 4, 2024 in Garowe, Somalia and facilitated by a professional digital security expert, the participants learned the following digital knowledge and practices to respond to the digital security challenges they face in their work and daily lives.

Bareedo Platform also reached out to and provided direct digital security support for 49 NGO staff, human rights defenders, activists, and journalists across Somalia and also helped 21 civil society organizations, particularly those led by vulnerable groups such as women, feminists, minorities, and LGBTQ people, solve some immediate security threats and risks they have been facing digital threats throughout Somalia, as well as develop sustainable internal digital security policies and action plans to better respond to cybersecurity challenges and digital threats.

Bareedo Platform also developed the first draft of a digital risk assessment tool that will be available online for more than 10,000 civil society organizations, human rights defenders, activists, and journalists in Somalia to identify their online security strengths and weaknesses and get relevant recommendations and resources for improvement.

Bareedo Platform appreciates Puntland NGO Network (PUNTNGO), an umbrella body that brings together all registered local non-governmental and non-profit organizations (NGO) operating in Puntland, Somalia, for facilitation of the training, as well as their close collaboration on referral and bringing the most at-risk groups facing digital attacks to our attention.

With the support of the Digital Defenders Partnership (DDP), Bareedo Platform Somalia held a three-day digital security training for more than 70 civil society organizations, human rights defenders, activists and journalists from all regions of the state of Puntland in Somalia to promote their digital security capacity to better respond to cybersecurity challenges and digital threats.

The training included and gave priority to the organizations run by the most vulnerable groups, such as women journalists, women human rights defenders, women activists, feminists, minorities, and people with disabilities who are subject to digital attacks or at risk of digital threats. 93% of the training participants have never had or participated in digital security training. 79% of them have been facing cybersecurity challenges and digital threats. The Puntland NGO Network (PUNTNGO), an umbrella organization that brings together all registered local non-governmental and non-profit organizations (NGO) operating in Puntland, Somalia, facilitated the identification, selection, and reach of these organizations and human rights defenders.

The training was held between March 2, 2024, and March 4, 2024, and was held in Garowe at the conference hall of Puntland State University, which is an ample and perfect venue for accommodating a large number of participants in observance of the COVID-19 health and safety measures.

Professional digital security experts with extensive knowledge and experience in cybersecurity facilitated and led the training. They taught the training participants topics covering knowledge and practical experience on how to deal with different digital risks, including phishing, ransomware, malware, password protection, information security, social engineering, physical security, mobile device security, email security, working remotely, cloud security, social media, safe web browsing, risk management, and incident reporting. Updates about the newly-emerged threats and vulnerabilities that civil society organizations and human rights defenders need to be aware of and watchful of. The training also included sessions covering how these organizations develop sustainable internal digital security policies and action plans to better respond to cybersecurity challenges and digital threats.

The training was participatory and highly practical, where the participants engaged in discussions, brainstorming, and experience-sharing sessions where they talked about the risks and problems they face online, such as cyber-harassment, trolling, doxing, non-consensual image distribution, and others, as well as the solutions and how to respond to them and ensure their digital safety in the long run.

Bareedo Platform ensured the relevance and appropriateness of training lessons and knowledge that fit the needs of the participants based on previous incidents, vulnerabilities, and risks they face online. The training materials were developed in line with the needs of the target population and the findings of a digital security assessment survey that was conducted before the training.

95% of the training participants reported that the training was helpful for them and that the training contents were relevant and most appropriate to their digital security needs in a post-training survey conducted after the training.

As a result, the training adequately improved the capacity and resilience of these 70 civil society organizations and human rights defenders, who have been facing severe cybersecurity challenges and digital threats. In consideration of pre-training and post-training surveys, the participants improved their digital security capacity and resilience and tapped practical knowledge and capacity to respond to the digital security challenges they face in their work and daily lives. The training participants rated their digital security knowledge as 7.3% “excellent,”, 52.5% “good,”, and 8.5% “adequate” in a post-training survey conducted after the training.

The training participants also learned and practiced how they can develop their own digital safety policies and plans customized to their needs and goals and adopt basic safety practices, such as incorporating digital security training into their onboarding process for new staff and encouraging interest in digital safety practices among all staff.

88.1% of the training participants said that the training met their expectations in a post-training survey conducted after the training. As part of the participants’ action plans after the training, 55% of them said they will train and share what they have learned with their organization’s staff members; 29% said they will help their organizations conduct digital risk assessments to identify online security strengths and weaknesses as well as develop applicable recommendations and resources for improvement. 15.3% said they will help their organizations develop long-term internal digital security policies and action plans to better address cybersecurity concerns and digital threats.

This much-needed training is part of the activities of a project entitled “Strengthening the digital security capacity of civil society organizations, human rights defenders, activists, and journalists in Somalia” implemented by Bareedo Platform in Somalia in response to the growing digital security threats and attacks faced by civil society organizations, journalists, human rights defenders, and activists in Somalia.

The project was proposed after seeing that civil society organizations, human rights defenders, activists, and journalists have become more dependent on the internet and digital platforms than before for communications, organization, and the amplification of their critical work as Internet connectivity gains momentum in Somalia. Civil society organizations, human rights defenders, activists, and journalists face a multitude of challenges and vulnerabilities in the online world, ranging from trolling, doxing, hacking, targeted surveillance, online harassment, smear campaigns, and disinformation, including gendered disinformation. These have chilling consequences, with most reporting the loss of their social media platforms, emails, and sensitive data. Some opt to self-censor, limit, or leave online spaces, and activism works.

These challenges continued to exist because these groups lacked the knowledge and capacity to defend against online threats, minimize their risks, and stay safe online, expressing feelings of helplessness when faced with things like surveillance and online harassment. Others have low awareness of actual threats and attacks, creating an “it won’t happen to me” attitude. Data shows that 72% of them have never participated in any digital security training that taught them how to use the internet or digital devices securely and how to protect their digital devices and platforms. Another challenge is that 79% of civil society organizations often do not have sufficient cybersecurity plans in place due to a lack of the necessary resources and expertise and the budget to hire outside security experts, leaving them vulnerable to breaches.

Bareedo Platform will continue to support and build the digital security capacity of civil society organizations, particularly those led by vulnerable groups such as women, feminists, minorities, and disabled people who are facing digital threats and risks throughout Somalia. Bareedo Platform will consider and prioritize the unique digital attacks and threats that these groups face on digital platforms and will develop the relevant digital tools and practices that they can adapt to ensure their digital safety in the long run.

In follow-up to the training, Bareedo Platform will use its digital security expert to offer virtual-based, one-on-one direct technical support for civil society organizations, including digital safety diagnostics, technical assistance, policy, and support for those organizations that lack the necessary resources and expertise and the budget to hire an expert to enhance organization-level digital security practices.

As part of its digital rights program, Bareedo Platform established a Digital Help Desk in Somalia to provide timely technical assistance, resources, and capacity building to civil society organizations, human rights defenders, journalists, and activists in Somalia who are under attack or at risk of a digital threat. And also, the desk works to combat online harassment and abuse, eliminate arbitrary and unlawful surveillance, combat government-imposed Internet shutdowns, and counter disinformation and foreign information manipulation and interference.

The internet access in the northern Somali town of Lasanod was forcefully shut down by the security forces of Somaliland, a self-declared region in northern Somalia that broke away and declared independence from Somalia in 1991. Clashes between anti-government protesters and security forces started in Lasanod town on December 26, 2022, and have been ongoing for a week until January 2, 2023.

A large number of security forces that were deployed to Lasanod forced the local internet providers of Somtel and Golis to shut down the internet connection in the early morning of January 1, 2023, and also cut off electricity for many hours in order to contain the protesters’ coordination and record the brutality of the security forces. The Internet connection, which had been down for nearly 12 hours, was restored in the night.

In the same way, Somaliland shut down the Internet in August 2022 to stop protests against postponing the region’s presidential election. On August 11, 2022, Access Now and the #KeepItOn coalition of which Bareedo Platform is a member, criticized the move. The return of this kind of violation in January 1, 2023 is an unfortunate, and Bareedo Platform is calling on Somaliland authorities to end this and ensure free and open access to the internet.

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Bareedo Platform facilitated Right to information and protection of vulnerable groups – Remote training units for 34 journalists from different media outlets in Puntland, mainly those based in Garowe, the capital city of Puntland state in Somalia.  

The training was funded through partnership between Puntland Media Co. and Caritas Somalia in collaboration with the School of Journalism of the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Milan, Italy. Perigeo NGO and Itstime Research Center of the Catholic University were consultant partners of the project.

The 5-day training was conducted 34 (M: 21 F: 13) journalists, editors and other media personnel from key media outlets in Puntland, mainly those based in Garowe, the capital of Puntland in five different days from May 29, 2022 to June 11, 2022.

Trainers; a media training expert and a digital security expert delivered training sessions by using their own experiences and lessons and knowledge contents extracted from 5 videos previously recorded and shared by the School of Journalism of the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Milan, Italy. And they covered the following topics or lessons during the five days training:-

Day 1Training Unit 1: Freedom of speech, human rights

  1. Freedom of expression is an increasingly rare commodity.
  2. Why it is necessary to defend it in the world and how it is possible to do so, considering the various national sensitivities.
  3. National and international laws on freedom of expression and international charters.
  4. The United Nations: origin, declarations, laws, agencies, advocacy activities.
  5. International human rights laws: human rights defenders, agencies and NGOs for human rights defenders.
  6. National legal frameworks demonstrating the freedom of information, freedom of speech, the freedom of media/press; looking at Puntland Media Act.

Day 2Training Unit 2: Freedom of the press, fighting censorship

  1. How to practice journalism without running into the mesh of censorship and how to resist self-censorship.
  2. Writing techniques for journalists, associations for the defence of information rights.
  3. How the international judicial system works in cases of arrest or criminal conviction, which international lawyers to appeal to.

Day 3Training Unit 3: Information and misinformation

  1. Some call it fake news but it is misinformation.
  2. Use factual truth to draw attention to unverified details.
  3. How to recognize misinformation content, how to dodge it, how to organize debunking.
  4. Social media and websites: the world’s largest debunking sites and the most effective projects in progress.
  5. Practical demonstration by looking at use of the following fact-checking tools
  6. Fact Check Explorer 
  7. InVid plugin
  8. YouTube Metadata
  9. Pimeyes
  10. Google Images
  11. Google Earth
  12. SunCalc i
  13. AccountAnalysis.app
  14. Tinfoleak
  15. Centralops.net/co
  16. Who Posted What

Day 4Training Unit 4: Protecting data: protect yourself and others

  1. Protecting sources today means knowing how to protect your computer data.
  2. Alternative and protected browsing techniques, password, double verification, Osint.
  3. How to manage and protect your social media, smartphone apps to use and set up security and privacy set ups in computers and other equipment.
  4. Practical demonstration by the participants to evaluate the security vulnerabilities of their digital equipment and social media accounts.
  5. Practical demonstration by the participants to evaluate security and privacy set up of their Android mobiles and windows computers
  6. Discussion on how to deal with online harassment and abuse as well as recovering or claiming back blocked online accounts.

Day 5Training Unit 5: Dialogue with minorities

  1. Definition of vulnerable and marginalized groups in Somalia
  2. At the basis of a peaceful society lies coexistence, in constructive dialogue with minorities. Acceptance of the other is necessary for peaceful coexistence.
  3. Examples and practices of coexistence and active laws in the world to guarantee and promote it.
  4. How to deal with a reportage on the themes of coexistence, religious dialogue and intercultural differences: techniques and methods.

The training was delivered successfully and met its intended objectives. 34 journalists and media workers from the key media outlets in Puntland improved their understanding of the international and national laws on freedom of expression, freedom of press and human rights and how to effectively address censorship and safety problems. Journalists gained capacity and skills to use the existing digital tools to counter misinformation, disinformation, fake news and unreliable contents. They received digital security knowledge and use of the relevant digital tools to defeat the growing digital threats and do their vital work safely and effectively and make their families and their sources considerably more secure. Additionally, journalists understood their role in protection of the vulnerable groups in their reporting.

The local TVs such as Puntland TV, MMTV, Universal TV and Horseed Media reported the training sessions and what the journalists learned from each session and how will these help them improve the issue of freedom of the press and the protection and protection of journalists in Puntland, Somalia.

The participants of the training appreciated the School of Journalism of the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart and Caritas Somalia for this useful training, and also Bareedo Platform for facilitating the training sessions. They requested similar and continuation of such trainings and capacity building opportunities in the future.

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Despite years of anarchy, Somalia has a successful ICT sector, providing one of the most cost-effective voice and data service in Africa. More than 2 million people make their way into the internet and the onset of COVID-19 pandemic and measures imposed to contain the spread of the pandemic has exacerbated the use of the Internet. The COVID-19 crisis has also brought new needs for digitalization of public and private services to the citizens. With increasing availability and quality of internet connectivity as well as new communication technologies in Somalia, private sector has been moving into the digital and embraces new digital services every-day. Many services are available online today such money transfers, transportation, food delivery and shopping.

With realization of fast growing Internet, digital information technology and Somalia has the cheapest data in Africa where 1GB of data costs $0.55 on average, ranked top seven in the world. Mobile money is the primary access point to financial services in Somalia where 73% of the population over the age of 16 use mobile money services according to the World Bank Report in 2017. With all these developments, Somalia ranks 191th worldwide in adoption of the e-government system according to a recent survey published by the United Nations in 2020.

More and more often, people see no reason why public services should be paper-based and that government does not take advantage of growing Internet connectivity and new technologies to transform its public services. Despite of development of first ICT Policy and Strategy 2019-2024 to facilitate Somalia’s digital transformation, local authorities still rely on legacy systems in a time of 89% of the people would like to see digitization of government services. Due to limited advocacy and concentration, the adoption of information and communication technologies (ICTs) to improve better delivery of government services to citizens is the least progressive area, and there’s little chance of meeting ambitions laid out in the country’s ICT Policy and Strategy.

With support of Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA), Bareedo Platform organises a roundtable discussion for Mogadishu Municipality’s officials, commissioners of Mogadishu’s districts, academia, media and other important stakeholders in Mogadishu, Somalia. The main objective of this discussion is to advocate and push for Mogadishu Municipality to adopt e-governance practices and use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) to improve better delivery of government services to citizens, empower citizens through access to information, and improve interactions between citizens and public officials.

Mohamed Abokor, Director of Bareedo Platform says “There is no excuse and hesitation to stay at paper-based era while we have a good Internet connection and that 80% of our population has mobile phones. We need to come up something that can pave a way to the adoption of e-governance practices in Mogadishu”

In this discussion meeting, officials will know more about e-government concept and also examples of cities that successfully adopted e-governance. And after, they will have an open discussion focusing on adopting e-governance system at Mogadishu Municipality, how to be adopted and implemented the digitization of public services and the challenges surrounding to the process. The discussion is also expected to address the challenges and barriers that residents and Mogadishu Municipality encounter on the process of effective and efficient service delivery in the face of continued insecurity and political instability weights particular to Mogadishu.

At end of the meeting, Bareedo Platform will produce a detailed report covering entire discussion and hope that this will add weight on ongoing efforts to encourage government to digitize its services.