Calls for Research Proposals
PrivacyCo funding opportunities provide a platform for researchers and postgraduate students to conduct original research and promote digital rights globally.
We are committed to provide funding for original research that helps advance digital rights globally. We are particularly interested in funding research that uncovers hidden threats to our digital rights through technical research methods.
Please note, applications are currently closed. Check back later or get in touch for more information.
Funding will be dependent on the quality and originality of the proposed research coupled with its potential to shape and influence digital rights debates.
The final report will be made available on Top10VPN.com. To apply, please email samuel@privacy.co a one page concept note outlining your methodology, potential findings and funding requirements.
Below are our current areas of interest. If you have a proposal outside of the areas listed below, please contact Samuel with a brief description of the topic prior to submitting a concept note.
Authoritarian Internet Governance
We are interested in submissions from researchers, postgraduate students, and academics looking to conduct original technical research on authoritarian internet governance practices.
Successful candidates will use innovative investigative techniques and uncover original findings that help shed light on some of the most pressing threats currently facing the web.
Potential topics may include uncovering the censorship tools used by the likes of Russia, China or Iran, and the role of middlebox manufacturers, ISPs, and other tech companies in undermining free expression online.
Censorship Circumvention Techniques
We are always looking to support innovative research into popular censorship circumvention technologies, including VPN apps, mesh networks, and Tor. We’re particularly interested in revealing the hidden privacy and security risks of many of the most popular apps to help promote best practices among developers.
Internet Shutdowns
Network interference and internet shutdowns are increasingly used to stifle the free flow of information during politically sensitive moments around the world. They risk exacerbating unstable conditions, frequently obscure human rights abuses, and fuel violence during protests.
We welcome submissions from researchers that will investigate the technology responsible, analysis of internet measurement data, and quantitative work that uncovers their reach and impact. Research may utilize publicly available data, such as OONI, Cloudflare and Kentik, or develop unique ways of measuring censorship and network interference.