Deadline: 24 February 2019
Open to: postdoctoral, doctoral students, and researchers from any country in the world
Benefits: monthly stipend of 4,200 USD

Description

The Open Technology Fund (OTF) supports projects and people that develop open and accessible technologies promoting human rights and open societies, and help advance inclusive and safe access to global communications networks. Its Information Controls Fellowship Program (ICFP) aims to provide support on examination into how governments in countries, regions, or areas of OTF’s core focus are restricting the free flow of information, cutting access to the open internet, and implementing censorship mechanisms, thereby threatening the ability of global citizens to exercise basic human rights and democracy. The potential areas of focus include:

– Development and refinement of tools and techniques to continuously monitor internet interference on a global scale;

– Investigation of information controls, security, and privacy in popular applications such as search engines, social media platforms, and instant messaging clients;

– Testing creative methods of censorship circumvention;

– Examination of the impact of internet censorship and the use of circumvention tools;

– Experimental techniques to limit pro-government manipulation of online discussions;

– Analysis of targeted threats against civil society organizations, including internet filtering, denial of service attacks, and targeted malware;

– Other novel ideas and approaches relating to the study of global and regional information controls.

Eligibility

ICFP fellows have experience in fields such as computer science, engineering, information security research, software development, social sciences, law, and data visualization, among others. Applications are open to people from a variety of backgrounds and disciplines and can include students and junior to mid-career practitioners and they can choose to specify any host organization to the period of the fellowship. The ICFP is open to individuals:

– of all ages irrespective of nationality, residency, creed, gender;

– who demonstrate skill and ability to assist in efforts to overcome information controls;

– have a desire to grow their knowledge and skills through a collaborative, cross-discipline approach;

– are committed to reaching audiences outside the research community.

Benefits

– Three, six, nine or twelve-month fellowships available;

– Monthly stipend of 4,200 USD;

– A travel stipend of 1,250 to 5,000 USD depending on the fellowship length.

How to apply?

When applying, applicants can specify any host organization of their choosing. Regardless of whether it is a previous or new host organization, justification needs to be provided in the application. Non-academic host organizations are welcome, as are those based outside the United States. While fellows are ideally able to work locally within their host organization, applicants who wish to work remotely will also be considered with the expectation that a strategy for remote communication will be established. With the exception, OTF is not able to support applicants within countries that the United States has trade restrictions or export sanctions as determined by the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).

In order to apply, please fill the application form.

For more information, please visit the official web page.