What we do
Team CommUNITY (TCU) is a community-based membership network that brings together digital defenders from across the globe fighting surveillance, censorship, and other issues sitting at the intersection of human rights and technology.
Our mission is to foster and nurture healthy and resilient digital rights networks so they can better achieve digital rights and Internet freedoms for all.
We do this by offering services and creating community spaces that further members’ work and wellbeing, while enhancing collaboration and solidarity in the wider digital rights field.
More than half of our members are part of at-risk groups who experience acute threats to their digital rights and online security
“We are currently conducting research on the internet freedom ecosystem and overwhelmingly, people who we surveyed and interviewed indicated that the spaces they felt the safest to collaborate and work together are Team CommUNITY’s events, especially the in-person gathering. The lack of it has had a real negative impact on the work of digital rights and digital security networks throughout the world.”
Our Programming
2. Community Building & Events
Weekly Town Halls, Regional Meetups, and Mattermost
Our virtual Mattermost is home to over 2,000+ digital rights defenders and several projects and groups. We host weekly town halls, bimonthly regional meetups, and other diverse events, where you can meet digital rights defenders from all over the world. In addition, TCU staff regularly provides networking support to individuals and organizations, helping them connect with the right people, resources, and help. Check our upcoming events!
Concierge Services
On a daily basis, our community managers receive requests from diverse members asking for help with specific and unique challenges they are facing. We connect them to the people, resources, tools, or opportunities they need.
Sample of requests range from at-risk groups looking to connect to rapid response networks; toolmakers looking to connect with on-the-ground users; grassroots organizations seeking help with community dynamics; and much more!
3. Information Services
Weekly Digital Rights Newsletter
TCU’s newsletter provides weekly updates on community news, job and grant opportunities, educational resources, and developments in the greater world that affect digital rights.
Digital Rights Job Board
TCU runs one of the most popular job board in the digital rights field, used by 4,000-5,000 people a month.
Special Initiative
VPN Community Initiative
Through gatherings, events and community management, this initiative brings together diverse professionals and organizations to collaboratively work on challenges in the VPN ecosystem.
We believe those experiencing the most acute forms of digital repression bring unique expertise that enhance strategies, approaches and solutions coming from the field. Our programs can be divided into three areas:
1. Capacity Building and Mentorship
Our onboarding ramps, fellowship, and mentorship programs have been critical to support the onboarding of at-risk, frontline communities into the digital rights field so they can obtain the knowledge, resources and networks they need to address their acute challenges they face. Our programs also help technologists and security specialists better contextualize their solutions and approaches so they are more effective.
Global Gathering
One of our strongest onboarding ramps is our annual Global Gathering (GG). Considered one of the most trusted community hubs in the digital rights field, it attracts over 1,500 individuals from 144+ countries, who are working on the most urgent tech-related challenges affecting human rights, civil society, and journalists at local, regional, and global levels. Over 1,000 organizations and networks are represented. The convening’s success is thanks to the safe and secure environment we provide participants, and the collaborative design focused on fomenting collaboration, solidarity, and knowledge-share. Additionally, it is known for its safe and secure environment that cultivates creativity and restoration. Participants receive
customized visa sand holistic security support, and we implement strong security and safety protocols into every part of the design. Additionally, we provide travel funding to
low-resourced, at-risk communities facing the most acute digital threats and challenges.
“The CommUNITY Team cultivate communities with care. They have been essential in the Internet Freedom space to grow, connect and support a diverse network of human rights defenders, and the people that support them.”
Service Branch:
Hire us!
We provide organizations with consultation services in the areas we know really well:
Global community building and engagement. (workshops, trainings, strategy, etc)
Team building workshops / Allyship Training
Psychosocial processing circles lead by mental health professionals
Event design and management
Security and safety protocols for events and organizations
Open space facilitation
Digital strategy, campaigns, and communications
Make sure to check out our full list of services! All monies collected go to our Equity Fund.
“Team CommUNITY’s facilitation strategies has made it possible for experts and activists from all over the world to contribute towards a common goal. Their work in the digital rights communities have been instrumental in advancing human rights in and through online spaces.”
The Digital Rights Community
We have the rare experience of working with one of the most global communities in the world, because digital rights affect everyone, everywhere. What bonds us together is our desire for an internet that is accessible, affordable and open to everyone, free from surveillance and censorship. We work with people from every academic discipline and across all professional fields. This includes grassroots activists, journalists, human rights defenders, open source technologists, privacy and security advocates, researchers, and many more.
TCU community spaces bring together over 2,000+ FLOSS technologists, grassroots activists, researchers, journalists and human rights defenders from over 130+ countries.
“Team CommUNITY have been foundational forces to grow the Internet Freedom and digital rights space. They serve communities with humbleness and care, thoughtfulness and leadership, and are brilliant at centering and amplifying voices that need to be heard. Most importantly, they’re not afraid of a challenge, and continue to pave the way in shaping radical discourse and community-building.”
Notably, we were named in Mozilla’s 2020 Internet Health Report as one of the Internet’s healthy moments
during the height of the pandemic! This was because of how we quickly mobilized to provide digital rights defenders with the services, support and safe spaces they needed to better navigate new challenges.
Our Home
Team CommUNITY is proudly housed at ARTICLE 19, an independent human rights organization. With an extensive global network of offices, and over 100 partners in 60 countries, ARTICLE 19 works to protect and promote the twin rights to freedom of expression and freedom of information across the globe.