Is this real? Identifying fraud online 101 [v 0.1] : This guide will help you learn the basics of identifying fraud online.
Someone has uploaded a picture or video of me online without my consent. What can i do ? [v o.1] : This guide will help you navigate a situation where someone has uploaded a photo or video of you on online platforms.
Note: We will be updating our guides and the list of guides periodically. Please remember to check this link for updates.
In September 2023, The Bachchao Project carried out its first offline Writing Sprint. Our intention with it was to focus on developing resources that provide guidance and strategies for addressing online hate and harassment. In our earlier work on online hate and harassment, we had spoken to many muslim women who had lived experiences of such kinds of harm. For this sprint as well, we wanted to work with a group of muslim women and queer people, to hear their experiences and highlight what they wanted to share with others in their groups, and with those in the social media industry.
When we embarked on this sprint, it was akin to navigating uncharted waters. The journey taught us profound lessons that have changed our team dynamics and collective understanding of the work we do.
As we as a team reflect on these challenges and triumphs, it has been evident that for projects such as these, with intersectional nuances and complexities, there must be intentional thought behind the alignment of skills and capacities. Digital security (especially for traditionally vulnerable communities) cannot just mean technical expertise, but includes a careful curation of diverse skills and experiences within the team. This is an acknowledgement of some of the challenges that such work can shine light on among team members and participants.
One of the crucial aspects of the work we do lies in how to highlight the lived experiences of the communities we engage with. This has always been a key point for The Bachchao Project. However, in this sprint, we did not extend this principle to the actual execution. While we scrutinised the online spaces where harassment occurs, we shifted some of the focus away from the essential step of unpacking the lived experiences, hindering the building of common ground and trust within the group. What we needed was a shift in perspective from being an outcome-focused sprint, to one designed for exploration, collaboration, and participation.
We also think we failed to to focus on a clearer delineation of roles based on the experience and capacity of the members, coupled with explicit project management structures. This sometimes gets confusing in a collective structure. But we understand that these hard steps are necessary going forward. Time, often underestimated, also emerged as a critical factor. The time to do programs when in a contract is usually cramped even when we plan in the best possible way. This often creates all sorts of constraints in how programs get executed. Even though for this contract we could define our work and out comes it still caused us discomfort. Going forward we want to work towards more realistic deadlines which also includes space for everyone.
The mental health of our participants as well as our team came into focus multiple times during, and after the sprint. Despite our awareness and efforts to support each other, we were unable to provide the kind of support for ourselves and others that was required for an event of this nature. What was required was expertise to recognise and address such topics. We were unable to budget support for a separate mental health practitioner for the sprint, and the absence of this severely curtailed our ability to respond to the situations that arrived in the sprint.
As the team members we were under prepared of how it would impact each of us and how we would react to the conversation in the space. As facilitators, it is essential to show up with authenticity in engaging with difficult issues; sometimes to establish potentially common ground, but also to show vulnerability. Acknowledging discomfort in engaging with certain topics and addressing this during project design will lead to a more transparent and conducive space for dialogue. It would also led to better project planning. This is an important take away for us to make space for these discussion during the planning period.
Many of these points were reinforced during a period of extensive participant feedback. These added to our own self reflection. Following the sprint, we revisited project design, made amendments where possible to the budget, to ensure a smoother experience for participants. We are committed to improving and adapting, and we hope our steps following the sprint displayed the same.
The kind of participant knowledge and experience that was collected, along with the team’s responses during and after the sprint are important indicators of learning meaningfully in the complex landscape of online harassment intervention. As we move forward, these lessons serve as guideposts, illuminating the path towards more intentional, inclusive, and impactful projects.
In December 2021 we received an email from one of the organisations we were in contract with informing us of receiving a whistleblower complaint against us. The complaint has not been shared with us till date. But, we underwent an investigation to honor the contract we had with them.
The organisation conducted an investigation with their internal team and we were also audited of our financial spending. The organisation informed us that we were cleared of the accusation of financial mismanagement and fraud in October 2023.
The entire process of investigation took two years to complete. We received the final email from the organisation on January 2024. In which they confirmed that we had completed our obligations towards them.
We are sharing this to be transparent with our community.
In this entire process we have taken utmost care to protect the community from any risk. We have pushed back on asks for personal data. We will be happy to answer any questions you might have for us and we will be available for either one on one conversations or to answer any emails sent to theteam@thebachchaoproject.org.
The Bachchao Project supported EastMojo to build this guide on how news rooms can navigate workflows especially in North East India. The guide which was completed in 2023 is released under CC-BY-SA-NC here. It speaks in depth about how can a news room prepare for an internet shutdown, dos and donts while reporting and East Mojos self reflection on reporting during internet shutdowns in Manipur in 2023.
Navigating workflows amidst internet disruptions in a newsroomAs I embarked on the path of the Safe Sisters Fellowship 2023, little did I know that it would be a transformative journey, reshaping my perspective on online security and empowerment. The program’s commitment to equipping marginalized individuals with the tools to navigate the virtual world securely and confidently has left an indelible mark on my understanding of digital well-being.
The Training of Trainers Sessions
My journey commenced with the Training of Trainers sessions, where my initial expectations were quickly surpassed. The immersive exploration of topics like digital hygiene, antivirus protection, etc. left me empowered with practical strategies. The trainers’ expertise and their innovative approach to complex concepts made each session an enriching learning experience.
Empowering the Community
Armed with newfound insights, I took on the role of a facilitator for a group of 25 Muslim women. Conducted virtually, these sessions had a singular focus: arming participants with practical skills essential for navigating the digital realm. From setting strong passwords to recognizing phishing attempts and refining privacy settings, the emphasis was on tangible solutions. What resonated deeply was the participants’ fervor to understand privacy settings on social media platforms. Their enthusiasm underscored the importance of securing their digital identities and combating cyberbullying.
Employing a dynamic blend of lectures and interactive discussions, I aimed to cultivate engagement and foster the exchange of knowledge. This approach proved instrumental in sparking enlightening conversations and encouraging participants to voice their concerns and share experiences.
Celebrating Successes and Pioneering Pathways
The undeniable successes of the training sessions were apparent in the participants’ active involvement and their newfound sense of empowerment. Witnessing their growth, equipping them with the tools to navigate the digital landscape securely, and protect their personal information has been an immensely gratifying experience. Looking ahead, my vision extends beyond the training sessions. I’m driven to create a thriving online community platform—a space for ongoing discussions, workshops, and mutual support. This endeavor seeks to cultivate a robust network, nurturing the spirit of collaboration and empowerment that the fellowship embodies.
Exploring New Digital Frontiers
The Safe Sisters Fellowship 2023 showcases how the combination of knowledge and community can effectively tackle the intricate world of digital security. My personal experience underscores the power of customized training, inspiring conversations, and the significant chance for creating long-lasting change. As the online world continues to change, the fellowship’s influence persists, magnifying the voices and abilities of Muslim women as they establish safe and empowered havens in the virtual space.
Join the movement. Empower the community.
Together, we create safe spaces in the digital realm!
The Bachchao Project is now accepting applications for the 2023-2024 Safe Sisters India Fellowship program. This program will run from April – June 2023.
This is a Training of Trainers program that focuses on holistic digital security and privacy practices. This in turn assists you to make plans for yourself and communities you work with
This program is intended for women, and queer and trans* persons that belong to and work with gender and sexual minority communities or other traditionally vulnerable groups. Throughout this program, fellows will be provided training and support by The Bachchao Project, as well as a stipend of INR 60,000. We encourage participation from marginalized castes, ethnic and religious identities as well as from the differently abled community.
Fellow responsibilities
1. Must attend an initial training program that covers holistic security practices, planning and intervention
2. Must demonstrate application of these concepts at a larger community level
3. Come up with a plan of action, and conduct a similar training for at least 10 people in their own communities.
4. Share an event report following this training
5. Respond to any questionnaires sent during the fellowship program
How to apply?
To apply, send a copy of your CV, and a cover letter answering the question; “How will this specific fellowship help you support yourself and your community?” to theteam@thebachchaoproject.org
As we come to the end of 2022 here are some highlights of our work this year:
We are now a four member collective with Chinmayi S K, Srujana Bej, Tania Devaiah and V. We look forward to growing the collective in 2023 & enable a safe, healthy, intersectional work space.
At the beginning of this year we co-produced podcasts for Cyberdemocracy season 3 with Makepeace Sitlhou and Suno India in which we focused on digital rights in North East India. We hope to support more understanding of this region from the lens of the people of the North East.
http://thebachchaoproject.org/digital-rights-in-northeast-india-cyber-democracy-season-3/
We looked at how women activists and political organisers who belong to marginalised groups interact with online civic spaces with our “Without Fear” Report . We believe this understanding is important to shape online spaces especially now when marginalised communities face the most harassment and censorship online. This work was carried out by Srujana Bej and Ayesha Minhaz. We will continue to work in this area in 2023.
http://thebachchaoproject.org/without-fear/
We supported Internews OPTIMA in their Internet shutdown Advocacy Needs Assessment for Prepare, Prevent, Resist: The OPTIMA Internet Shutdowns Resource Library. We believe this work is essential for thinking through resources and strategies for communities working on fighting internet shutdowns. This work was supported by Chinmayi S K , V and Srujana Bej
https://preparepreventresist.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/India-Needs-Assessment-Report.pdf
We shared our work at various conferences
http://thebachchaoproject.org/internet-shutdowns-diverse-risks-challenges-and-needs-at-igf-2022/
http://thebachchaoproject.org/tbp-at-ux-forum-2022/
The Bachchao Project is a techno-feminist collective that undertakes community-centric efforts to develop and support open source technologies and technical frameworks with the goals of mitigating gender-based violence and working towards equal rights for women, LGBTQIA+ persons, and gender diverse persons. We conduct research and training in all the above areas and guide communities in determining appropriate technological interventions for themselves.
We are looking for fellows who have experience and interest in the gender and development space, and bring fresh perspectives and potential solutions to threats faced by structurally silenced women and gender minorities in the country. Examples may include reporting harassment across social media sites, and strengthening support systems. You may choose to highlight ways of adapting and coping when dealing with the aforementioned threats. We hope to bring together a cohort that learns from itself and others, and looks at innovative tech based interventions and ideas.
The program will revolve around three central verticals; the social and development space, tech, and art. By inviting fellows from across these three groups, we hope to inspire cross-sector collaboration.
Selected participants will receive small grants (around INR 70,000) that allow them to focus their efforts on finding collaborative solutions while utilizing their experience and skill. Additionally, they will also be assigned mentors who can support their efforts and assist their concept ideas. At the end of the program period, there will be a virtual exhibition set up where the participants can display their concept solutions to a larger audience and incorporate public feedback. The program is estimated to be two months, including the training period and the exhibition.
Expected skills of the fellows:
-Experience working with women and gender minorities, or interest in doing so
-Experience in the vertical you’re applying to [tech, art, or the social/development space]
-Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written
-Available to work through December 2022 and January 2023
-Abiity to work collaboratively
-Strong creative sense
Do note, these positions are open only for women and gender minorities. We especially encourage applicants from traditionally underrepresented religions, castes, and ethnic groups to apply.
To apply, please send your CV (and portfolio, where relevant) as well as a thoughtful answer to this question; “What do you see as a threat, and what would your ideal response be to it” (max 500 words) to theteam@thebachchaoproject.org. The subject line should read “[Vertical applied for] Without Fear Fellowship Program”. The deadline for applying for this position is December 14, 2022.
The deadline for this position has been extended until December 17, 2022 12:00 pm.
Rohini Lakshané and Mythri Prabhakara participated in the hybrid edition of the Asia Pacific Regional Governance Internet Governance Forum (APrIGF 2021), that is, the online conference as well as Local Hub activities held in Hyderabad, from 27 to 30 September 2021. Ms Prabhakara also received the APrIGF 2021 Fellowship, which has been documented in this report. They also attended the launch event of the Internet Society (ISOC) Chapter Hyderabad at the APrIGF Local Hub. They made several contributions to the APrIGF 2021 Synthesis Document.
Fellowship
Mythri Prabharakara received the APrIGF Fellowship, which ran from 1 August 2021 to 15 October 2021. It was an intensive fellowship involving courses, peer interaction, delivering talks and presentations, and receiving several hours of mentorship. The mentor assigned to Ms Prabhakara was Mr Eun Chang Choi.
She was the rapporteur for a session entitled “Transnational conversations on reclaiming freedom of expression online”, where she also made an intervention about the conceptualisation of online consent and the legal framing and categorisation of cybercrime victims. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTq1Mc3zDoQ
She made two presentations: one on her professional interests in law, gender and tech feminist spaces and the other for the fellows cohort. She represented the fellows cohort and presented a summary of the mentorship program that happened as part of the fellowship on the final day of the APrIGF. The presentation included a summary of all assignments completed and presentations made by the group, an e-course on Internet governance offered by the ISOC Foundation, and mock session proposals made to the UN Internet Governance Forum. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpCJISLJvOQ
Editors Note: The Author wrote this piece while they were exploring a blocker for their use. This piece speaks about the various considerations that the author took into account based on their use and how they made a decision on what they might use.
Disclaimer: This is an experiential piece not general advice. While the text might serve as a guide for you to choose a browser plugin we do not recommend this verbatim for everyone. The add-ons one choose varies for each person based on their circumstance. Please do write to us at theteam@thebachchaoproject.org if you would like specific advice or would like to explore what might suit your needs.
There are a lot of adblockers and scriptblockers available to use today. Among these, there are several open source ones for free, that are currently being actively developed. I tried out five highly recommended ones, and judged them on features and ease of use. The purpose was to find an ad blocker that worked well for my personal use. For this post, I ran the extensions on a Firefox browser across a mix of sites, and noted how they responded. I used a mix of sites ranging from videoconferencing to news to social media and entertainment;
1. News: The Hindu, Times of India, Indian Express, Washington Post and Al Jazeera
2. Videoconferencing: Jitsi, Google Meet
3. Entertainment: Youtube, Netflix, Disney+ Hotstar
4. Social media sites: Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, Instagram
1. Adblock Plus (ABP)
Available on: Chrome, Safari, Opera and Firefox
Ease of use: Very easy, no customization needed
By default, right after installing, it starts blocking ads and certain elements that it find malicious or sees as tracking behaviour. However, it maintains a whitelist of acceptable ads, which comply with do not track requests and fall under the criteria specified by the Acceptable Ads committee.
The extension interface is intuitive and easy to use. You can turn off the ad blocking on specific pages if needed, and if a site appears broken. While running the extension, I noticed that ads within videos (on Youtube and Dailymail for example) disappeared, but I still found sponsered ads in Google searches. It is possible to block these ads and also turn off additional tracking and social media tracking, but these are turned off by default. The extension blocks ads on the basis of filter lists that are community maintained. There is an option for user user created filter lists as well.
While visiting news sites, most did not allow me to proceed till I disabled the extension on the page- there didn’t seem to be a workaround for this via the extension alone.
The extension works in several Indian languages as well (via an IndianList filter), but adding too many languages will cause the webpage to load slower.
Final word: By default, blocks almost all ads, but sponsered suggestions do show up in search engines.
2. Disconnect
Available on: Chrome, Safari, Opera and Firefox
Ease of use: Has more content to show in the extension window, but still easy to use. Allows for some customization if needed.
This extension is similar to ABP in how it blocks only those ads it considers privacy-invasive. It also unblock ads that respect user Do Not Track requests. During my use of the extension, I encountered fewer ads, but unlike ABP, there were more frequent in-video ads. There does not seem to be a way to disable this feature, or to block all ads entirely.
While using Disconnect, it is possible to visit news sites without the site asking you to disable extensions.
Disconnect has a very interesting visual feature, where it breaks down where the trackers are from, and what categories they fall under (content tracking being enabled by default). This can be accessed as a list, or as a map. On sites such as newyorker.com, the number of tracking sites go above a hundred for a single webpage. The purpose of showing the trackers is so that users get more control over the individual tracking requests. This is especially useful in case of a broken site.
Currently, there does not seem to be language support, or any attempts at localizing the extension.
Final word: The visualization element sets it apart from the other contenders.
3. NoScript
Available on:Chrome, Firefox, SeaMonkey and Tor Browser
Ease of use: Definately has a steeper learning curve. Allows for a lot of personalization, but needs a little time to get used it.
NoScript is a bit different from the previous extensions in terms of how it works. While Adblock Plus and Disconnect focus on blocking trackers and ads, NoScript pre-emptively blocks scripts, which can sometimes break the page you’re trying to visit. If a site uses JavaScript, Java or plug in executions, it will be disabled until the page or feature is whitelisted (either temporarily or permanently). What this means for functionality is that some sites heavily dependent on plug ins will appear broken, till these scripts are enabled from the extension. Other sites may appear different as well, even if they continue to function similarly. When I tried to run Jitsi Meet, for example, I had to choose to allow plug ins, even if temporarily. On certain news sites, pictures appearing alongside articles did not show up, along with videos.
There is a lot of scope for user customization- one can whitelist trusted sites and control their entire browsing experience. Having said that, NoScript is not an adblocker, and does have the same features Adblock Plusand Disconnect do. It can act as an additional level of security for a power user, but should not be used as an alternative for a tracker blocker or ad blocker.
Currently, there seems to be no language support for NoScript outside of English.
Final word: This extension will break a lot of sites. It’s important to know how to allow scripts and also balance risks at the same time.
4. Privacy Badger (PB)
Available on: Chrome, Edge Opera and Firefox
Ease of use: Ready to use out of the box, and does not need additional customizations for the average user.
Privacy Badger was created to be a single solution to the problem of non consensual trackers. As it was initially set up, PB took a little time to learn- it observed tracker behaviour across different sites, and if it found the same one across three different sites, it would block it. This allowed it to not rely on any one third party list, but instead learn from user experience.
In the latter half of 2020, PB changed this mechanism based on Google Security Disclosures. It turned off ‘local learning’ by default, relying instead on “Badger Sett”, an automated list of tracking domains. This list is not user generated, as is the case with most other similar extensions. Users can turn on local learning again, but theoretically, this can put them at risk of fingerprinting.
PB also has an option to enable preventing WebRTC from leaking IP addresses.
There is an open translation project for PB on Transifex, but so far, there is no localization done for any Indian languages.
Final word: The changes made to the extension in the last year make it rely on a list instead of individual user trackers. This made PB like a lot of other adblocker extensions.
5. uBlock Origin (uBO)
Available on: Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Opera and releases of Safari prior to 13
Ease of use: There’s a lot of scope for a power user to made personal lists, or to set rules for the extension to work, but this is not enough to intimidate a curious beginner.
uBlock Origin is not an ad blocker, it is meant to block specific content that is broader than just ads. However, while using it, I found no ads, and no loss of webpage functionality. The extension does not make an exception for the category of ‘Acceptable Ad’, which removes sponsored ad content from Google searches as well. There is a very active reddit community which reports on bugs found, and since the extension is in active development, these are handled quickly.
I ran the extension on Enhanced Easy mode, which keeps most of the default filters and settings and adds a few other settings to further reduce the number of trackers. You can further customise the extension to disable plug ins, similar to what NoScript does.
It is clear that the extension is very powerful, and heavily customizable. Still, this does not make it unapproachable to the casual user. There is a comprehensive wiki on all parts of the extension, with additional reading on how to use it best for a power user.
uBO prides itself on how light it is, and it definately did not slow down my browsing experience. However, there wasn’t a significant difference in the speeds I encountered in these five extensions. Perhaps the difference is more evident on further browsing.
There is translation support for a few Indian languages (including Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu) with translation still in progress for others.
Final word: The extension is very powerful, while still being light on the system itself.