How can you stay in touch with human rights defenders if everything gets blocked? Let’s come up with ideas together at OVD-Info’s hackathon!

How can you stay in touch with human rights defenders if everything gets blocked? Let’s come up with ideas together at OVD-Info’s hackathon!

Imagine this: security forces detain a person on the street. Telegram is blocked. The VPN does not work. Mobile internet in the region has been shut down. How do you ask for help?

We plan to find an answer to this question at a hackathon, which we will hold in Berlin from June 19 to 21.

▶️ What’s the idea?

We want to develop solutions that will help people in Russia stay in touch with OVD-Info and other human rights projects under blocking conditions. The tasks include connecting new communication channels, connectors to messengers, analytics with anonymization, censorship circumvention, and campaigns to spread the solutions.

▶️ Who can join?

Engineers who understand network protocols, distributed systems, or digital security.

Experts in bypassing blocks.

Data engineers who know how to design analytical systems while taking the privacy of sensitive data into account.

Developers who can quickly build solution prototypes.

Product people who turn technology into useful tools for people.

▶️ What do you need to participate?

Register. You can do this via the link until June 17. You will also need a laptop; we will provide all other infrastructure.

▶️ What about security?

Cooperating with OVD-Info is not a punishable act in any country in the world. But if you have particular concerns about this, contact us directly and we will discuss everything.

▶️ And one last thing: what’s the format?

The hackathon will take place offline in Berlin, from June 19 to 21. It will be run by participants from OVD-Info and other organizations, as well as experts in bypassing blocks, cybersecurity and censorship, journalists, and developers of alternative messengers.

If you are not in IT yourself but know people who would be interested in participating, please forward this post to them!

All details at the link 🧡