This manual is designed to be a living, growing collection of practical guidance and information that uniquely speaks to the needs, experiences, and activism of women human rights defenders and feminist activists, both online and offline.
The manual was created in response to our community’s requests for ideas and guidance they needed, but couldn’t find elsewhere on two overlapping issues:
First, how can we craft appropriate online presences (or a series of them) that strengthen our ability to communicate and work online safely?
Secondly, how can we collaboratively create safe online and offline spaces that enable our communities to share, collaborate, and communicate safely?
The manual grew out of the 2014 Gender and Technology Institute, organised by Tactical Technology Collective and the Association for Progressive Communications (APC). The Institute brought together almost 80 participants and facilitators—mostly from the Global South—to focus on issues faced daily by women and trans* persons online and offline, to share strategies and tools for better protecting our digital privacy and security, as well as show we can spread this knowledge and skills with our communities and organisations. Since then, our network has expanded, so this manual has benefited from the input and review of a wide range of people. It is informed by the stories and creative practices of grass-roots activists, digital and holistic security facilitators, privacy advocates, and people making technology around the world.