Human rights defenders face threats that go far beyond physical danger. Sophisticated spyware now infiltrates their phones. It tracks movements. It steals contacts. It silences voices before they can document abuses.
But a fresh alliance aims to flip that script. Surfshark just became a supporting partner of Amnesty International’s Digital Forensics Fellowship. The program trains activists and journalists to dissect their own devices for signs of intrusion. And the timing could not be more urgent.
Announced this week, the partnership builds on years of escalating digital attacks. TechRadar first reported the news, noting how the initiative decentralizes forensic expertise away from Western labs. Regional defenders gain tools to investigate locally. They expose abuses without waiting for outside help. Short. Direct. Necessary.
The fellowship didn’t appear overnight. It took shape after the 2021 Pegasus Project revelations. That bombshell investigation uncovered NSO Group’s spyware infecting devices of journalists, activists and even government officials worldwide. Molly Cyr, Training and Community Engagement Lead for Amnesty’s Security Lab, put it plainly. “The Digital Forensics Fellowship, or DFF, is a training program geared toward upskilling human rights defender-technologists in mobile device forensics.”
She continued in the Surfshark blog post that accompanied the announcement. “After the Pegasus Project, the DFF emerged in response to the growing number of civil society organizations seeking to protect themselves from advanced attacks made possible by spyware.” From its first edition to the current fourth iteration launching in 2026, the curriculum has grown more advanced. Fifteen fellows trained between 2022 and 2025. They came from regions where threats run high and resources run low.
Training focuses on Android and iOS forensics. Participants learn malware traffic analysis. They master threat research. Yet the approach stays grounded in consent. “Our team is focused on consensual mobile device forensics, which refers to analysis and research that is done with a person or an organization,” Cyr explained. No surprise inspections. No unilateral hacking. The targeted individual stays in control. They learn exactly what happened to their device. Then they decide next steps. This model protects dignity while delivering answers.
Surveillance tools evolve fast. Governments pair them with physical intimidation and legal pressure. Conflicts multiply. So do the countries deploying these tactics against citizens at home and abroad. Cyr described the pattern without exaggeration. “Technologies for digital surveillance are being rapidly developed and deployed, and used in conjunction with other tools and tactics to monitor people and movements in innovative ways.”
The Human Cost of Invisibility
Many attacks never make headlines. Defenders in Latin America, Africa and Asia document abuses only to find their phones compromised. Sources dry up. Networks shatter. Work stops. The fellowship counters this by creating a distributed network of skilled responders. Fellows return home. They train their communities. They set up secure helplines. They build procedures for handling cases safely while referring people to physical protection when needed.
Surfshark doesn’t sell forensics tools. Its products center on VPNs and antivirus software for everyday users. Yet CEO Dovydas Godelis sees clear alignment. “That vision isn’t limited to our products — it’s about the broader picture of digital safety and privacy,” he said in the company announcement. “While we help people stay safer online through accessible security solutions, the DFF addresses a different but equally critical piece of the puzzle: building the expertise needed to investigate and respond when digital rights are violated.”
The company has walked this path before. It partners with Access Now, the Internet Society and the International Press Institute. It has distributed free subscriptions to journalists and activists in multiple countries. This move with Amnesty takes the commitment deeper. It funds capacity where technical skills meet human rights work.
Amnesty’s Security Lab has tracked mercenary spyware for years. Its investigations regularly reveal how authoritarian regimes buy and deploy these tools. The lab also maintains a resource hub packed with guides for at-risk users. But training remains the bottleneck. Not enough experts exist outside Europe and North America. The fellowship attacks that gap head-on.
Recent coverage reinforces the stakes. Tom’s Guide detailed the program’s focus on this year’s curriculum, which includes setting up sustainable helplines and triaging cases. Fellows don’t just learn detection. They learn how to support others at scale. The ripple effects matter. One trained organization can protect dozens more.
Business involvement adds another layer. Tech firms increasingly face questions about their role in this fight. Some sell tools that end up in repressive hands. Others stay silent. Surfshark chose participation. Its support signals that privacy companies bear responsibility beyond product features. They must back the people who test those features under real fire.
Critics might ask whether one partnership changes much. Spyware markets keep growing. State actors innovate faster than defenders can respond. Yet history shows otherwise. The Pegasus revelations forced policy debates, export controls and lawsuits. Each exposed campaign raises the political cost of surveillance. Decentralized forensics accelerates those exposures.
And the benefits extend past activists. When researchers publish findings on new threats, the entire industry takes notice. Vendors patch weaknesses. Standards improve. Everyday users gain protection without realizing the connection. Cyr captured this dynamic. When tools get built with high-risk users in mind, the resulting security standards lift everyone.
The program runs selective recruitment. It targets those already at the intersection of technology and rights work. Not hobbyists. Not beginners. Professionals who will apply the skills immediately and share them widely. Fourth edition begins this month. Expectations sit high.
Digital repression doesn’t announce itself. It operates in shadows until someone shines a forensic light. Surfshark’s funding helps light more lamps. In more places. Handled by people who understand local contexts better than any distant lab ever could.
That decentralization represents real progress. It reduces single points of failure. It speeds response times. It builds resilience into the global human rights community. Threats will continue. So will the response. This partnership strengthens one important front in a long battle.
Surfshark Funds Amnesty’s Spyware Hunters: A New Front Against Digital Repression first appeared on Web and IT News.