All I want for Christmas is… fundamental human rights. Following the celebration of International Human Rights Day, we are offering financial support for projects that directly tackle issues related to the violation of human rights.
The “right” to choose open source and non‑profit projects under the #SidnetDonations initiative went for the first time to Michał Zbytniewski, Senior Full‑Stack Developer, working from Lublin on a daily basis on projects for our long‑term clients: THG & Edge NPD.
The Tor Project
An open‑source web browser for (almost) anonymous Internet browsing. It works with Linux, Windows and macOS, as well as on mobile devices. Since 2003 it has been distributed under the BSD license.
The authors of the tool are against Internet spying and censorship. The multi‑layered encryption and limited user identification capability has made Tor popular among activists, journalists and whistleblowers. It helped Edward Snowden to release information about the PRISM program.
“Tor lets users share opinions, publish content and communicate in places where these activities are impossible or difficult, such as in countries censoring the Internet. It also protects users’ privacy by blocking the tracking of their Internet activities, for marketing purposes for example,” Michał explains.
Amnesty International Poland
This branch of a global organization that combats human right violations has been operating in Poland for 30 years. The organization carries out research, publicizes instances of right violations, helps victims across the world, and lobbies for legal changes.
“My first thought was to choose a non‑governmental organization supporting development and universal education. The recent events – the Women’s Strike and the Belorussian elections along with the repercussions – have swayed me to change my attitude,” our developer said.
Amnesty International Poland is credited with starting such initiatives as:
- Write for Rights – the largest worldwide human right campaign initiated by the Warsaw local group of Amnesty International. The action is about sending a massive number of letters appealing to the authorities or expressing solidarity regarding several specific individuals whose human rights have been violated.
- My Body My Rights – a campaign against limiting sexual and reproductive rights.
- The Border of Human Rights [PL] – a campaign against limiting the rights of individuals seeking asylum in Poland.
“When things spiral out of control, it is good to know there are people in this world who can help us selflessly,” Michał added.
Amnesty International was founded in 1961 in London. In 1977 the organization received the Nobel Peace Prize for its contributions to strengthening of fundamental freedoms, justice and world peace.