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Strengthening Civil Society in the Fight Against Spyware: The Selection Process of Malhas Digitais

The Malhas Digitais Program is proud to announce the three projects selected in its first funding round. Each of these projects was chosen after a rigorous selection process, bringing innovative and essential contributions to the field of spyware detection and forensic analysis in Brazil. The winning initiatives stood out for their potential impact and for employing technical and educational approaches that enhance digital security for civil society. They are:

• The project “Enhancing Support Systems in Feminist Helplines: Procedural Guides for Detecting Advanced Digital Threats” by MariaLab, a Brazilian feminist nonprofit organization working at the intersection of gender, technology, and politics. The initiative will develop a screening protocol for cases involving advanced digital threats, aiming to streamline and facilitate the identification of cases—particularly those related to technology-facilitated gender-based violence.
• The project “Forensic Analysis Tool for Spyware Detection on Mobile Devices Adapted to the Brazilian Context” by Associação Todas as Letras, a nonprofit organization composed primarily of LGBTQIA+ individuals in the tech sector, committed to promoting inclusion and technological empowerment for marginalized groups. The initiative will develop a Portuguese-language graphical interface for the Mobile Verification Toolkit (MVT), facilitating consensual forensic analysis of devices belonging to individuals who may be targeted by sophisticated spyware attacks—with a focus on social movement leaders, journalists, and marginalized communities.
• The project “Control and Surveillance of Women’s Online Presence Through Spyware” by the Institute of Reference on Internet and Society (IRIS), an independent and interdisciplinary research center dedicated to producing and disseminating scientific knowledge on internet and society issues, while advocating for public policies that advance digital human rights. The initiative will investigate how apps targeting women users can serve as gateways for spyware-enabled gender-based violence.

The selection of winning projects was supported by a technical advisory board of experts, who dedicated their time and expertise to thoroughly evaluate each proposal based on the following criteria: Objective, Methodology, Innovation or Adaptation, Goals and Indicators, Budget, and Applicability. The board consists of:

• Diego Cerqueira, Software Engineer and Fellow of the German Chancellor Fellowship program, working at the Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society (HIIG) in Berlin, Germany;
• Lux Teixeira, Researcher and founder of Mycelium Tecnologia, where they serve as director, and Internet of Rights Fellow at ARTICLE 19;
• Amarelu, conducts multidisciplinary research, currently focused on the protection of human rights defenders through transfeminist methodologies and principles. They were a Mozilla Foundation Fellow in the Tech and Society program and are currently a member of the Transfeminist Network for Digital Care.

The same advisory board is now actively engaged in the incubation phase, providing projects with mentorship, technical feedback, and strategic support to help them achieve their objectives and develop practical, effective solutions for spyware detection.

Strengthening civil society is essential to countering the abusive use of surveillance and monitoring technologies—a challenge that directly threatens fundamental rights in Brazil and across Latin America. Malhas Digitais represents a critical step in this direction by fostering a collaborative network of initiatives that collectively enhance the region’s capacity for spyware forensics and defense.

Through these projects, we are advancing the fight against spyware and contributing to a safer, more transparent, and just digital environment.