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VIVX
By defenders, for defenders, benefitting all of us

The most dangerous region to defend human rights and the environment is Latin America.

During the initial phase of the Covid pandemic, when individual defenders were especially isolated, the number murdered in Colombia alone skyrocketed to 310. Even when the rhythms of life returned to something closer to normal in 2021, 171 human rights leaders were murdered in Colombia. While Colombia tops the list, Mexico and Guatemala are not far behind.

Rarely, if ever, are the perpetrators held to account. Impunity reins in large part because, as a group, defenders are maligned and criminalized by the repressive governments they challenge, circumstances that compel them to hide and render them invisible outside of their small circles of trusted allies.

These individuals defend some of the most precious and threatened aspects of life. Who will defend them?

Download VIVX Overview (PDF)
What is VIVX?

Beginning in 2016, a handful of Colombian defenders and media makers convened by Skylight SolidariLabs united in their commitment to human rights decided to create a virtual network in which supporters of human rights could virtually accompany, champion, and make visible the work of defenders—protecting defenders and at the same time shifting public narratives.

Over the next five years, as the idea attracted defenders and media makers stretching from Peru to Mexico, the original idea morphed to focus more on mutual support: a network by defenders for defenders. Understanding the concept of protection in a broader and more holistic way to include resources and access to self-care practices, legal advice, digital security, and secure spaces for mutual support.

The VIVX app

With support from Skylight, input from defenders and a team of Latin American creative programmers at 3Pixels Media, the VIVX app was born. A mobile app developed and designed in workshops with defenders provides the connective tissue and tools for the VIVX network, featuring:

  • Toolbox: includes access to pro-bono legal services, pro-bono psychological support, digital security guidance, provided by volunteer professionals in those fields, and key contacts for organizations that serve as resources and support for defenders.
  • Alert button: the alert button is programmed by each defender to include his/her circle of trust, people who will already know what to do when they receive the alert pre-programmed by the defender.
  • Defenders News Digest: a curated feed of news relevant to the struggles of the defenders.
  • Secure archive in the cloud: through the app each defender can create private folders in Google Cloud where photos, videos and documents will be automatically uploaded from their mobile phones. This will keep the content that could be used as evidence in a secure space in case their phones are destroyed or hacked. These private folders can be shared with others at the discretion of each defender.
  • Short film profiles gallery: the stories of each defender and their communities told in short film profiles created in collaboration with filmmakers from the Skylight SolidariLabs network, illuminating their causes, their motivations, why they risk their lives for a verdant, equitable and sustainable future. We are producing film profiles with defenders in Colombia, Guatemala, and Mexico.
  • Messaging system: VIVX’s messaging system is based on the open source MatterMost platform, with end-to-end encryption and available only to members of the VIVX network. Its functions allow, in addition to direct or group messaging, the creation of thematic channels, such as water protection or anti-mining struggles, that can serve as transnational discussion forums for sharing experiences and strategies amongst defenders and allies. The messaging system is end-to-end encrypted and a key element for mutual support among network members.
  • VPN Access: through a partnership with the Internet Freedom program of Tunnelbear, a secure Virtual Private Network service, VIVX provides free VPN accounts to its members, to protect them by enabling them to hide their location and data when using the app in their activism.
Opening Civic Space for Defenders

One of the most recent developments initiated by defenders in the VIVX network has been the launch of dynamic knowledge sharing spaces to strengthen the transnational links of the network, on specific struggles such as resistance to toxic mining, land defense, forced disappearances, defenders in exile, and racial and gender equity.

We have begun a series of hybrid thematic meetings, that is, face-to-face combined with virtual.  The first was held in Oaxaca, Mexico, on August 10, 2022, on the theme of water protection in resistance to mining companies.  A delegation of defenders from Guatemala came to Oaxaca and met face-to-face with the delegation from Mexico and were accompanied virtually by defenders from Colombia.

Another meeting will be in Medellin in October 2022 on the issue of forced disappearances, with defenders from the VIVX network working in collaboration with members of Comuna 13, an organization of family members of the disappeared.  Defenders from Mexico and Guatemala will participate virtually with their counterparts in Colombia.

Communicating VIVX to the World

Put on pause to attend to more pressing needs, the original vision of shifting public narratives is the next frontier. The next iteration of VIVX will have a public facing external communications strategy designed to cultivate a media ecosystem that will promote a positive perspective on the role of defenders as the frontline protectors of our world, and why society needs to protect them for the benefit of all.

Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy for skylight
At skylight.is/vivx, accessible from skylight.is/vivx, one of our main priorities is the privacy of our visitors. This Privacy Policy document contains types of information that is collected and recorded by skylight.is/vivx and how we use it.

If you have additional questions or require more information about our Privacy Policy, do not hesitate to contact us.

This Privacy Policy applies only to our online activities and is valid for visitors to our website with regards to the information that they shared and/or collect in skylight.is/vivx. This policy is not applicable to any information collected offline or via channels other than this website.

Consent
By using our website, you hereby consent to our Privacy Policy and agree to its terms.

Information we collect
The personal information that you are asked to provide, and the reasons why you are asked to provide it, will be made clear to you at the point we ask you to provide your personal information.

If you contact us directly, we may receive additional information about you such as your name, email address, phone number, the contents of the message and/or attachments you may send us, and any other information you may choose to provide.

When you register for an Account, we may ask for your contact information, including items such as name, company name, address, email address, and telephone number.

How we use your information
We use the information we collect in various ways, including to:

Provide, operate, and maintain our website
Improve, personalize, and expand our website
Understand and analyze how you use our website
Develop new products, services, features, and functionality
Communicate with you, either directly or through one of our partners, including for customer service, to provide you with updates and other information relating to the website, and for marketing and promotional purposes
Send you emails
Find and prevent fraud
Log Files
skylight.is/vivx follows a standard procedure of using log files. These files log visitors when they visit websites. All hosting companies do this and a part of hosting services’ analytics. The information collected by log files include internet protocol (IP) addresses, browser type, Internet Service Provider (ISP), date and time stamp, referring/exit pages, and possibly the number of clicks. These are not linked to any information that is personally identifiable. The purpose of the information is for analyzing trends, administering the site, tracking users’ movement on the website, and gathering demographic information.

Cookies and Web Beacons
Like any other website, skylight.is/vivx uses “cookies”. These cookies are used to store information including visitors’ preferences, and the pages on the website that the visitor accessed or visited. The information is used to optimize the users’ experience by customizing our web page content based on visitors’ browser type and/or other information.

Advertising Partners Privacy Policies
You may consult this list to find the Privacy Policy for each of the advertising partners of skylight.is/vivx.

Third-party ad servers or ad networks uses technologies like cookies, JavaScript, or Web Beacons that are used in their respective advertisements and links that appear on skylight.is/vivx, which are sent directly to users’ browser. They automatically receive your IP address when this occurs. These technologies are used to measure the effectiveness of their advertising campaigns and/or to personalize the advertising content that you see on websites that you visit.

Note that skylight.is/vivx has no access to or control over these cookies that are used by third-party advertisers.

Third Party Privacy Policies
skylight.is/vivx’s Privacy Policy does not apply to other advertisers or websites. Thus, we are advising you to consult the respective Privacy Policies of these third-party ad servers for more detailed information. It may include their practices and instructions about how to opt-out of certain options.

You can choose to disable cookies through your individual browser options. To know more detailed information about cookie management with specific web browsers, it can be found at the browsers’ respective websites.

CCPA Privacy Rights (Do Not Sell My Personal Information)
Under the CCPA, among other rights, California consumers have the right to:

Request that a business that collects a consumer’s personal data disclose the categories and specific pieces of personal data that a business has collected about consumers.

Request that a business delete any personal data about the consumer that a business has collected.

Request that a business that sells a consumer’s personal data, not sell the consumer’s personal data.

If you make a request, we have one month to respond to you. If you would like to exercise any of these rights, please contact us.

GDPR Data Protection Rights
We would like to make sure you are fully aware of all of your data protection rights. Every user is entitled to the following:

The right to access – You have the right to request copies of your personal data. We may charge you a small fee for this service.

The right to rectification – You have the right to request that we correct any information you believe is inaccurate. You also have the right to request that we complete the information you believe is incomplete.

The right to erasure – You have the right to request that we erase your personal data, under certain conditions.

The right to restrict processing – You have the right to request that we restrict the processing of your personal data, under certain conditions.

The right to object to processing – You have the right to object to our processing of your personal data, under certain conditions.

The right to data portability – You have the right to request that we transfer the data that we have collected to another organization, or directly to you, under certain conditions.

If you make a request, we have one month to respond to you. If you would like to exercise any of these rights, please contact us.

Children’s Information
Another part of our priority is adding protection for children while using the internet. We encourage parents and guardians to observe, participate in, and/or monitor and guide their online activity.

skylight.is/vivx does not knowingly collect any Personal Identifiable Information from children under the age of 13. If you think that your child provided this kind of information on our website, we strongly encourage you to contact us immediately and we will do our best efforts to promptly remove such information from our records.

Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update our Privacy Policy from time to time. Thus, we advise you to review this page periodically for any changes. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page. These changes are effective immediately, after they are posted on this page.

User Image Upload and App Identification
Image Upload
At skylight.is/vivx, we recognize the importance of transparency in our handling of user data. If you use certain features within our application, such as profile customization or content sharing, you may be prompted to upload images or other media files.

Please be aware that by using these features, you consent to the collection, storage, and use of these images by us for the purposes disclosed within the app. We strive to use these images in accordance with our existing privacy practices, as well as any applicable laws and regulations.

Any uploading of user images without proper disclosure or consent within the Play Console is strictly prohibited, and we are committed to correcting any instances of non-compliance that may arise.

Entity Reference
The privacy policy in our Play-distributed app explicitly refers to the responsible entity named in the app’s Google Play listing, which may include the developer, company, or other affiliated organization. This reference ensures alignment with our commitments and obligations as outlined in this privacy policy and in accordance with the requirements of the Google Play Store.

For any questions or concerns about the handling of user images, entity references, or any other aspects of this privacy policy, please do not hesitate to contact us.

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