The Digital Forensics Fellowship (DFF) is an opportunity for human rights defenders (HRDs) working at the nexus of human rights and technology to expand their learning on digital forensics. In 2022-2023, the Security Lab trained five Fellows from three different world regions during the inaugural year of the fellowship. The training curriculum included sessions on conducting threat research, doing forensic analysis of Android phones and iPhones, and malware traffic analysis. Throughout the year, fellows fine-tuned their own digital forensics research skills through independent research projects, two of which have been published on the Security Lab website.
The Fellowship is a key component of the Security Lab’s work to combat the mercenary spyware crisis. Advanced technical capacity is needed in all world regions to identify and reveal the full scope of the crisis. The Security Lab believes that by fostering a more decentralised, global, and diverse network of well-trained incident responders and investigators through the fellowship and other capacity building opportunities, we can jointly contribute to more timely and effective protection of HRDs and journalists against unlawful surveillance.
The second edition of the Digital Forensics Fellowship started in early 2024, following a recruitment at the end of 2023.