How fun to come across the NGO-in-a-box project here. Hivos, the organization I work for, supports and makes available (together with the Open Society Institute, OSI) the NGO-in-a-box security edition to our partner organizations.

Its purpose is to broaden the user’s knowledge about ‘digital insecurities’ and equip them with the necessary tools to secure their computer activities, online privacy and information exchange. The project also promotes freedom of expression and the right to privacy. Our partners work predominantly in the field of human rights, civil society building, etc., often in societies where freedom of expression is not a given. As such it is of great importance that the ICT-resources they have available are secure, and this is the niche that this toolkit jumps into.

Just wanted to share this to illustrate that yes, these things are really used, and more than a philosophical advantage of the toolkit being open source, it fulfills a critical function to support the work of activists and human rights defenders around the world.