Digital security has become a priority for journalists, activists, and civic organizations in Romania. But what concrete support currently exists, at present, for those who need training or assistance? We have centralized several free resources, available and identified by us, in a list that does not claim to be exhaustive. Although newly founded and facing the limitations of a non-profit non-governmental organization, we aim for Narațiuni S.A.F.E. to become one of these resources and a point of reference in the coming years, contributing, alongside the others, to a safer and more inclusive digital environment.

In Romania, the main Romanian organization with continuous and documented activity in the field of digital rights is ApTI — the Association for Technology and Internet. ApTI offers educational materials in Romanian on topics such as end-to-end encryption, personal data protection, and digital threat recognition, available for free at apti.ro. The organization has also intervened directly in defense of the Romanian press in cases where legislation was used as a tool of intimidation against journalists.

TechSoup Romania organized an event in March 2024 dedicated exclusively to digital security for NGOs in Romania (the first of its kind). Over 200 participants representing 192 organizations took part in workshops on topics such as account protection, password management, and recognizing phishing attacks. The resources created through the Digital Security Activator project are available here.

The Center for Independent Journalism (CJI) includes digital security components in its training programs for journalists, within the broader context of press freedom and source protection.

At the international level, there are many resources, some of which are also accessible from Romania:

Access Now — Digital Security Helpline offers free, real-time technical assistance for journalists, activists, and human rights defenders. The service covers risk assessment, account securing, and digital incident response, and is available via e-mail, chat, and phone. Accessible at accessnow.org/help. It should be noted that the service is not available in the Romanian language.

Front Line Defenders runs an active digital protection program, offering practical workshops, individual long-term assistance, and grants for security equipment. The organization has a page dedicated to Romania and documents the situation of human rights defenders at the local level. Accessible at frontlinedefenders.org.

Electronic Frontier Foundation — Surveillance Self-Defense (ssd.eff.org) offers detailed practical guides on communications protection, online anonymity, and securing devices, organized by risk levels. Partially available in Romanian.

Amnesty International Security Lab provides a resource hub for human rights defenders, activists, and journalists, covering risk analysis and protection tools, available at amnesty.org/en/tech.

Security in a Box (securityinabox.org), developed by Frontline Defenders and Tactical Tech, offers step-by-step guides for installing and using digital security tools, available in several languages.

None of the resources above can function in isolation. The digital security of civil society is built together, through the exchange of knowledge between organizations, through mutual support, and by bringing digital risks to the center of the conversation within the NGO and journalistic environment in Romania.

If you use or have used one of the resources above and want to share your experience, or if you know of other useful resources that we have not included, you can write to us. This list is open.