ADVOCACY OPPORTUNITIES There are number of advocacy opportunities that are still available to journalists in the region to fend off surveillance. These include the following: Working with SCOs to set an agenda. CSOs are active in many countries. There are opportunities for productive collaboration between the media and CSOs in the fight against illegal, and non-transparent surveillance. The media, for instance, can use their power to set a public agenda on surveillance and put the matter on the limelight, while COSs use their infrastructures and power accumulated over time, to advocate for reform. CSOs can influence surveillance policy -making. Furthermore, they build new links with these global organisations. New links facilitate a broad dialogue and exchange of ideas on how to actively resist unfettered and murky surveillance practices. Exposing surveillance through the power of journalism; the pen remains the most potent weapon journalists have. By devoting time to write about it and keeping digital surveillance in the limelight, journalists can go a long way in fighting back against surveillance. Institutions that surveil on people thrive on secrecy much of the time. When they are exposed, they tend to lose the capital of their secrecy. Exposure is a very important weapon, hence in the arsenal of journalists. Lastly, journalists and CSOs have an opportunity to advocate the ratification of existing instruments at global and regional levels in which their countries are member states. A SURVIVAL TOOLKIT FOR JOURNALISTS A Just Model Surveillance Law for the SADC region? Active collaboration could lead to journalists and CSO organizations working together to advocate for a more just and unified model of surveillance for the benefit of all. Such a model law would have the following objectives: 1. Advocate for the creation of an enabling environment for journalism. 2. Protection of journalists’ rights to privacy 3. Foster a culture of legal and transparent surveillance in the region 4. Ensure surveillance does not target journalists on the basis of their community of practice. 5. Ensure that surveillance regulation in the region adhere to global standards as we outlined above, and that it reflects the common practice of targeted, time-framed and justifiable surveillance. 6. A model law that gives CSOs and journalists the power and opportunity to litigate. Page 23