Free online courses on digital security in seven languages
Digital security is essential for journalists and activists to protect themselves and to keep doing their work. Totem is an online learning platform run by Free Press Unlimited and the Media Development Collective that offers free online courses on digital security. Six courses have been published in Bangla, making them available in a total of seven languages. This expansion aims to make the courses accessible to as many people as possible.
Due to the nature of their work: reporting the truth and exposing abuse of power, journalists and activists can become targets for powerful figures like big companies or governments. Oftentimes they are tracked online, and if they don’t protect themselves properly, valuable information about their activities, whereabouts and sources can be exposed. This can then be used against them, potentially leading to intimidation or attacks.
To help prevent that, Totem was created in 2016 by Free Press Unlimited and Greenhost. Now, Media Development Collective is working with Free Press Unlimited to further develop the platform and continue to publish new courses in more languages.
Types of courses
Totem now has 24 courses that are available for free on the platform for anyone interested. The course topics range from “How to secure your devices” to “How to protect your identity online”, they can be accessed anywhere, and have been carefully designed to be safe and prevent eavesdropping.
The courses are available in English, Spanish, Russian, Arabic, French, Farsi, and now also in Bangla. Free Press Unlimited and Media Development Collective are determined to keep developing the platform and adding new courses in more languages. If you have any ideas for new courses, or you would like to include Totem courses in your work, you can contact us at info@totem-project.org.
