Surfshark is now a supporting partner of Amnesty International’s Digital Forensics Fellowship (DFF) — a program dedicated to equipping activists, journalists, and human rights defenders with the skills they need to protect themselves and their communities online.
The Digital Forensics Fellowship was created in response to the growing use of sophisticated spyware and digital surveillance targeting civil society organizations worldwide.
“The Digital Forensics Fellowship, or DFF, is a training program geared toward upskilling human rights defender-technologists in mobile device forensics. After the Pegasus Project, the DFF emerged in response to the growing number of civil society organizations seeking to protect themselves from advanced attacks made possible by spyware,” explains Molly Cyr, the Training and Community Engagement Lead for the Security Lab at Amnesty International.
According to Dovydas Godelis, CEO at Surfshark, supporting initiatives such as the DFF aligns closely with Surfshark’s broader mission of advancing digital safety and privacy worldwide: “Our vision is a world where everyone is secure in their digital lives. That vision isn’t limited to our products — it’s about the broader ecosystem of digital safety and privacy. While we help people stay safer online through accessible security solutions, the DFF addresses a different but equally critical piece of the puzzle: building the expertise needed to investigate and respond when digital rights are violated.”
Who will DFF benefit?
The fellowship is designed for human rights defenders working at the intersection of technology and civil liberties, often in regions where digital threats are particularly severe and technical resources remain limited. Through hands-on training and long-term capacity building, the program helps participants strengthen digital resilience within their own organizations and communities.
“This year, the curriculum will include work on Android and iOS forensics, and a new focus on setting up and maintaining sustainable helplines for Fellows’ organizations,” Cyr notes. “Ensuring that an organization has a clear procedure for receiving cases in a secure way is crucial, and it also includes knowing when to orient the individuals or organizations that contact them to other types of support services for physical security or wellbeing needs.”
Surfshark’s broader commitment to supporting digital rights and online freedom initiatives globally
Beyond working with organizations such as Amnesty International, Surfshark also collaborates with NGOs and civil society groups focused on privacy, cybersecurity education, internet accessibility, and freedom of expression, including Access Now, Global Encryption Coalition (GEC), Internet Society, International Press Institute (IPI), and Open Rights Group.
Through partnerships, awareness campaigns, and practical tools, Surfshark continues to contribute to a safer and more open internet by:
- providing free VPN accounts to journalists, activists, and NGO workers operating under censorship or surveillance through its Emergency VPN initiative;
- advocating for stronger encryption and online privacy through initiatives such as Global Encryption Day;
- investing in cybersecurity education and digital literacy projects;
- supporting press freedom and digital security for independent media organizations;
- raising awareness about internet shutdowns and censorship through projects such as the Digital Survival Kit.
Please find more information in the blog post: https://surfshark.com/blog/surfshark-partners-with-amnesty-international
