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Ten Liberian civil society organizations have formalized plans to establish a new digital rights coalition aimed at strengthening data protection, improving oversight of surveillance powers and promoting accountability for internet shutdowns.
The organizations signed a founding Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) establishing the Digital Advocacy and Rights Alliance (DARA), a coalition that emerged from the WASCI Digital Rights, Advocacy, Activism and Security Training Program held in Monrovia earlier this year.
The ten founding organizations are InfoQuest, Center for Human Rights and Democracy (CHRD), WE4SELF, White Rose Alliance, ySTEM, Center for Transparency and Accountability in Liberia (CENTAL), BASA Development Initiative, YALL, CEPDEV and LEN.
By signing the agreement, the organizations committed themselves to a coordinated advocacy framework ahead of a formal Founding General Assembly that will establish the coalition’s permanent structures.
A major priority under the MOU is advocacy for the passage of a Data Protection Law and the establishment of an independent Data Protection Authority in Liberia.
The coalition also plans to engage lawmakers on amendments to Liberia’s Cybercrime Act of 2025, with the stated objective of narrowing broad cybercrime definitions and strengthening oversight of government interception powers.
Internet shutdowns constitute another major area of concern for the new alliance.
DARA members intend to advocate for a formal accountability framework requiring judicial authorization before any internet shutdown, mandatory public reporting and civil liability for unlawful disruptions.
The coalition’s position comes amid concerns over internet disruptions in several African countries during periods of political unrest, when governments have faced criticism over the use of shutdowns and other restrictions on digital communications.
Beyond legislation and government surveillance, DARA’s advocacy agenda will include online gender-based violence.
The alliance plans to address issues such as non-consensual sharing of intimate images and targeted online harassment, while also monitoring emerging developments in artificial intelligence and surveillance.
Its monitoring activities are expected to cover both Liberia and regional institutions, including the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union.
Under the founding MOU, an Interim Coordinating Committee comprising one representative from each of the ten founding organizations will oversee the coalition’s affairs until a Founding General Assembly adopts DARA’s constitution.
The agreement requires the Founding General Assembly to be convened within 90 days of the MOU’s final signature.
The assembly will be responsible for electing DARA’s first Executive Committee and approving the coalition’s initial budget and work plan.
The founding agreement also makes clear that DARA will not merge the ten organizations into a single entity.
Each organization will retain its independence, including control over its individual mandate, governance structure and finances.
However, members have committed themselves to a set of common principles governing their cooperation.
These include confidentiality safeguards, disclosure of conflicts of interest and adherence to a “do no harm” standard in advocacy activities involving vulnerable communities.
The MOU also establishes conditions for organizations seeking to withdraw from the coalition.
Any founding organization that decides to leave must provide 60 days’ notice and remain subject to confidentiality obligations during that period.
The provision underscores the founders’ intention to establish a structured and accountable framework for the alliance as it moves toward permanent institutional arrangements.
The organizations behind DARA say the coalition represents an effort to build a broader and more resilient digital rights movement in Liberia.
The alliance’s founders envision eventually expanding participation beyond the initial organizations to include journalists, lawyers, technologists and regional partners.
Through coordinated advocacy, the coalition intends to strengthen Liberia’s digital rights environment while addressing emerging challenges surrounding data protection, online safety, government surveillance, internet access and new technologies.
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