Let's Get Safe on the Internet

In the contested presidential election held in June 2009, millions of Iranians protested to the result of the election and many got imprisoned for this reason. Some of the protestors were tracked down through their cell phones. Issa Saharkhiz, an Iranian journalist and political activist, who was arrested in the aftermath of the 2009 election, accused Nokia Simons Company of providing the Iranian government the tools to spy on its own citizens. Saharkhiz is only one example of hundreds of activists who were traced down and arrested through their cellphones or emails. Moreover numerous activits, have been interrogated over their email or telephone communication with other activists. Last week, I participated in a one-day-workshop organized by Article 19 on “Data vulnerability and Protection for Online Activists”. Participants’ main concerns were how to avoid getting hacked and traced through internet. Below, are some of the questions which were raised during the day and I thought are worth to share with. The website in which the questions are answered is also available in other languages including Persian. 1. How to protect your computer from malware and hackers https://security.ngoinabox.org/en/chapter-1 2. How to protect your information from physical threats https://security.ngoinabox.org/en/chapter-2 3. How to create and maintain secure passwords https://security.ngoinabox.org/en/chapter-3 4. How to protect the sensitive files on your computer https://security.ngoinabox.org/en/chapter-4 5. How to recover from information loss https://security.ngoinabox.org/en/chapter-5 6. How to destroy sensitive information https://security.ngoinabox.org/en/chapter-6 7. How to keep your Internet communication private https://security.ngoinabox.org/en/chapter-7 8. How to remain anonymous and bypass censorship on the Internet https://security.ngoinabox.org/en/chapter-8 9. How to use mobile phones as securely as possible https://security.ngoinabox.org/en/chapter-9 10. How to protect yourself and your data when using social networking sites https://security.ngoinabox.org/en/chapter-10