Meta Launches New On-line Security Course for Journalists

Meta has launched a brand new, free online digital security and safety training course for journalists and human rights defenders, which takes members via a variety of key parts to assist shield their privateness, counter harassment and extra.

As defined by Meta:

“Supported by the Meta Journalism Venture, the self-paced 90-minute course will educate journalists and human rights defenders how one can shield their digital belongings and improve the safety of their operations.”

The new program has been created at the side of the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) and the Border Center for Journalists and Bloggers (BCJB), and is on the market through the ICFJ website.

Course modules embrace

• Laying a powerful digital safety basis
• Safe social media utilization
• Methods to report from tough conditions in a safe trend
• Countering on-line harassment

Journalists and civil society advocates will quickly additionally be capable of take part in a sequence of webinars on digital safety to additional improve their studying.

The course couldn’t be extra well timed, with Russian authorities now banning social media platforms and information shops over what it claims has been misreporting of its invasion into Ukraine.

Each Facebook and Twitter have been blocked for Russian customers (Instagram and WhatsApp stay energetic), whereas the BBC is one in every of a number of main information shops that’s been forced to shut down its Russian operations as a result of a current legislation change which ‘seems to criminalize the method of unbiased journalism’ in Russia.

Amid efforts to manage what journalists can and can’t report, sustaining security for correspondents is essential, and this course will assist enhance digital literacy, as a way to maximize on-line sources with out placing your self or your contacts at undue danger.

It’s a superb initiative, and hopefully it’ll allow extra journalists to higher perceive their choices on this respect.

You’ll be able to learn extra about Meta’s new safety and security coaching course here.