2024 Global Gathering Report: Advancing Digital Rights Resilience through Community Building and Solidarity
*ੈ✩‧₊˚ Save the Date! *ੈ✩‧₊˚
★ 2025 Global Gathering Dates
🪩 September 8, 9, and 10
Team CommUNITY is excited to release the 2024 Global Gathering (GG) report out, an event that brought together over 1,000 digital rights defenders from around the world this past September. These participants, coming from diverse disciplines and communities, are global leaders pioneering solutions to the most pressing technology issues and threats impacting civil society and the media.
GG24 doubled its capacity, and welcomed participants from 120 countries and 755 organizations. It marked the second year in TCU’s three-year launch plan for the event, and also featured the relaunch of the Equity Fund, which provides crucial support for individuals coming from low-resourced, at-risk communities.
The event focused on creating safe and inclusive spaces for open conversations, with programming spanning Circumvention Technologies, Security and Threats, Digital Rights 2050, and Ecosystem Wellbeing. GG’s focus on meaningful collaboration led to an environment where ideas, initiatives and collaborations could flourish.
Key Highlights:
755 total unique organizations
54% women or gender non-conforming
120 unique countries with 51% living in Global Majority
358 individuals provided with visa and/or security support
Formally re-opened TCU’s Equity Fund which received 227 requests totaling 715,761.60 USD
34+ Partners representing diverse projects and organizations
Three days of diverse programming including 116 Circles; 66 Booths, 6 Villages, 14+ self-organized meetups, and numerous satellite events
“Being used to a lot of structured conferences, where we talk ‘at’ each other, it was refreshing for me to talk ‘to’ each other instead…These conversations, especially with technologists, allowed me to deepen my understanding of forensics and digital tech tools that will surely improve my advocacy and policy work. I can’t wait to attend the next GG!” - Elina, Amnesty Tech
Featured Milestone:
Relaunch of the Equity Fund and Improved Visa, Security Support
Over 51% of GG24 participants live in the Global Majority. Check out more data in the GG24 Report here
One of the event’s most meaningful achievements was the relaunch of TCU’s Equity Fund. TCU received over 227 funding requests totalling $715,000, illustrating the clear need for this essential support. Specifically, it addresses barriers to participation for at-risk, low resourced communities, providing visa, security, and financial support.
This year, the fund supported 72 participants with travel and security needs, helping individuals connect individuals with global networks and access new resources. As one participant shared:
“Receiving the Equity Fund does not just benefit me; it opens the door for thousands in my community to gain exposure and access to new knowledge through me.” - Equity Fund Recipient from South Asia
The visa process is still a significant challenge for the community, but thanks to the creation of a robust security and visa team, TCU was successful at helping participants obtain earlier appointments when not available, and addressing roadblocks like visa rejections and applying for a Schengen visa as a displaced or exiled person. The comprehensive Travel and Safety Advice manual, available for all participants, was well received as well.
Preparing for the Future
The report includes high level notes collected from the various conversations that took place, organized by area (digital security, orgsecurity, media, etc). Some of the larger themes that spanned all conversations include:
Increased Surveillance and Censorship: Individuals are witnessing more oppressive regional censorship, rise of new restrictive laws, and the growing need for secure tools that speak to the real needs of those at-risk facing new, emerging challenges.
Access and Equity: Despite strides in connectivity, barriers remain for rural and low-income communities. Meanwhile, those connected are facing rising costs to access and tools that keep their organizations and individuals safe (servers, subscriptions, etc.).
Threat Sharing and Security Innovations: Networks, like TCU’s community spaces, are fostering stronger global collaboration and are essential for cultivating resilience, and improved threat intelligence sharing. More than ever, there is a need for a stronger collective approach to combat digital threats, that centers innovation and practical approaches that work.
Mentorship Needed for Emerging Talent: There is a critical need for stronger mentorship and support for emerging talent, particularly given the atrophy of networks across the world since 2020. It is also essential to improve the organizations and contexts we are working in, to prevent continued exodus from the field.
Tools: It is essential to continue advancing open-source tools, and ensure that security resources are context and culturally relevant.
Read the Full Report
The complete 2024 Global Gathering report is available here.
“It was truly a special and amazing experience to me. So well organized, inviting, and yea, just wow basically. Sometimes doing technical research is disconnected from the direct impact and so having that context was very humbling to me and I am full of gratitude.”
- Ben, Breakpointing Bad
“GG is a vibrant hub of information, with knowledge flowing in many directions at once. It's the perfect place for technologists in the human rights space to learn about emerging threats, bad actors, mitigation strategies, and cutting-edge technologies. For our team, it's a fantastic opportunity to showcase our work and tools, while also connecting with potential partners and collaborators. We find renewed motivation, and celebrate our successes.”
- Fabiola, Guardian Project
Check out our Community Series to hear the stories of the organizations and people that attended!