It is becoming a dangerous digital world out there with everything from hackers phishing for passwords to governments spying on communications. Journalists are often in possession of very sensitive information and there is the persistent danger of it falling into the wrong hands. Learning how to securely save and transfer information has therefore become vital to the skill set of modern journalists.

DW is on the front line in the fight for digital security. This week, DW Akademie is hosting free online workshops about Digital Safety for Journalists, in cooperation with Reporters Without Borders. The seminar is open to everyone interested in learning more about Internet security and consists of six sessions held by digital safety experts and journalists.

Some of the experts include Ala’a Shehabi an activist and journalist based in Bahrain, Anne Roth from Tactical Tech, an NGO that works on digital security for activists and Morgan Marquis-Boire, a digital security researcher and technical advisor. You can explore the issues on the community page which will be continuously updated and you can follow the sessions on Twitter at @dw_akademie and #digisafe. Don’t miss out, register now for the seminar and learn how to protect yourself online.

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DW Akademie is also currently accepting proposals for papers to be presented at the fifth Deutsche Welle Media Dialogue in May. The topic this year addresses different social and structural challenges affecting the media in Kenya.  Media academics, political scientists, economists, academic lawyers and journalists can register online to join the symposium and upload their proposals. The deadline for submissions is January 31, 2014.

The symposium will be held in two parts. The first session will cover media legislation and media ownership in Kenya with a look at the current media landscape and what developments are to be expected. The second session will look at journalistic standards and ethical practices with an extra focus on election coverage. The development of communication technology in Kenya has been seen as an African success story. The next step will be to ensure that the information being shared on the new networks meets journalistic standards. The symposium and presentations will be in English.

DW Akademie has announced a call for papers for its Media Dialogue on May 29, 2013.  This is the fourth installment of the symposium which will focus on “Pakistan’s Media Landscape: The Effects of Liberalization”. The event will be held in Bonn and will welcome international media researchers, political scientists, economists, legal experts and journalists to discuss recent developments as well as future trends in Pakistan’s media landscape. DW Akademie is organizing the Media Dialogue in collaboration with Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences. The deadline for paper proposals is February 25, 2013.