digisec.wiki flyers displayed at the DRAPAC24 booth alongside promotional materials from other projects

At the Digital Rights in Asia Pacific 2024 (DRAPAC24) held in Taiwan last August, EngageMedia introduced the digisec.wiki initiative—a volunteer-run community wiki for human rights defenders to share knowledge and resources on digital security and online safety resources available in various Southeast Asian languages. This wiki is an evolution of the previous digital security directory, which only allowed users to list resources. The revamped version now enables contributors to create and add new wiki pages, transforming into a dynamic, community-managed repository.

Built by contributors from EngageMedia’s Localization project, the wiki offers a diverse collection of tools and guides aimed at helping civil society organisations and activists across Southeast Asia manage risks and mitigate threats in their digital work. The Greater Internet Freedom (GIF) Program’s South and Southeast Asia cohort has also joined the initiative, contributing resources developed through their projects to digisec.wiki.

Within the wiki, you’ll find useful tools and information on circumvention and anonymity, secure communications, documentation and data management, internet browsing, productivity, and more. Additionally, digisec.wiki hosts help guides, support contacts, and other digital security resources in several languages, including Burmese (မြန်မာဘာသာ), Tagalog, Indonesian (Bahasa Indonesia), Khmer (ភាសាខ្មែរ), Thai (ไทย), and English.

Addressing Key Challenges in Digital Security Resource Sharing

The digisec.wiki initiative attempts to address several challenges faced by digital security practitioners:

• Fragmented Resources: Digital security tools and guides are often scattered across various platforms. digisec.wiki seeks to centralise these resources into a single, community-managed directory.
• Outdated Information: Resources can quickly become outdated when maintained by individuals. digisec.wiki encourages continuous updates through community collaboration, ensuring that content remains relevant and current.
• Barriers to Contribution: Security practitioners often create resources tailored to specific situations and audiences, but inviting broader contributions and sharing these resources can be difficult. digisec.wiki simplifies the process, fostering greater collaboration.

The earlier version of this initiative, known as the digital security directory and launched in February 2023, relied on GitLab for contributions, which created challenges for users unfamiliar with the platform. By transitioning to the more user-friendly MediaWiki engine, digisec.wiki now allows anyone to contribute without technical barriers. This shift enhances inclusivity and sustainability, enabling real-time updates from a diverse range of practitioners.

EngageMedia’s Digital Security Project Coordinator from the Greater Internet Freedom team speaking at DRAPAC24’s Fortifying Frontlines session, introducing the digisec.wiki initiative

Get Involved: Contribute to digisec.wiki

digisec.wiki is an ongoing project, and we invite changemakers interested in using localized digital security tools to contribute by adding new pages or updating existing ones. An editing guide is available on the platform to help new contributors get started.

We are also looking to expand digisec.wiki into additional South and Southeast Asian languages, including Bengali (বাংলা), Cebuano, Ilokano, Dhivehi (ދިވެހިބަސް), Nepali (नेपाली), Tamil (தமிழ்), and Sinhala (සිංහල).These languages currently lack content, and we’re seeking wiki maintainers to help localize key resources from the English version of digisec.wiki. However, contributors are encouraged to select and adapt relevant content to meet the specific needs of their communities, rather than translating everything directly.

Each language version of digisec.wiki is a standalone resource, not a replica of the English version. It is designed to be shaped by its community to ensure the content is relevant and useful.

If you’re passionate about digital security and want to help grow this community, reach out to us at [email protected] to become a wiki maintainer or contribute in other ways.