Local Digital Security Standards for CSOs

Project
Local Digital Security Standards for CSOs

Duration
01․10․ 2024 – 31․05․2025 (8 months)

Donor
UK government

Implementor
The project is implemented by Media Diversity Institute – Armenia (CyberHUB initiative) in cooperation with All for Equal Rights Foundation (ARF)

Project Goal

The project aims to develop unofficial digital security standards for local NGOs, which will guide the operation of information systems and the minimum conditions that civil society organizations must meet.

Context

“The ‘Digital Security Standards for Armenian CSOs’ project is funded with UK International Development from the UK government”.

It is crucial for civil society to have a guiding framework for managing data, covering methods and tools for data exchange, the use of public and private routers, data archiving, backup preservation, data processing, safe removal/destruction of data that is no longer needed, and other operations.

Cybersecurity risks and challenges are abundant in Armenia, including attacks on organizations and the targeting of individual employees to access corporate data through them. Media Diversity Institute has published several reports on the digital security landscape for civil society. One of the latest such publications can be downloaded from website https://mdi.am, it is entitled: “Armenia Digital Threat Landscape: Civil Society & Media”

https://mdi.am/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Armenia-Digital-Threat-Landscape-Report.pdf

Addressing these issues requires comprehensive studies, the development and discussion of standards based on these studies, and ultimately, the awareness-raising and training based on the final outcomes to ensure a stable and documented implementation process.

Objectives

The main objectives of the project that will contribute to the achievement of the goal are:

1. Standardization: Develop and implement a set of digital security standards based on international best practices and local needs.
2. Capacity Building: Provide training for CSO representatives on secure data management and communication.
3. Public Awareness: Raise awareness and encourage CSOs to adopt the standards through targeted campaigns.
4. Risk Mitigation: Equip CSOs with the tools and knowledge to mitigate cybersecurity risks and respond to threats.
5. Policy Advocacy: Collaborate with government and local partners to support the adoption and enforcement of these standards.

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“The ‘Digital Security Standards for Armenian CSOs’ project is funded with UK International Development from the UK government”.