We are excited to announce the release of our comic, Code of Courage: A Comic About Digital Security for Activists. This project draws inspiration from the stories of resilience shared by over 90 activists from Myanmar, Colombia, Costa Rica, Bolivia, Nicaragua, and Cameroon (see e.g., Guntrum 2024 & Guntrum and Reuter 2024). The comic addresses the challenges of technology-facilitated violence and provides strategies to enhance privacy and security. While it offers general guidance, we acknowledge that security is deeply personal, influenced by unique circumstances and constantly evolving risks. Our hope is to spark meaningful conversations and raise awareness, while honoring the expertise of activists who navigate these challenges daily. A heartfelt thanks to the interviewees for sharing their invaluable insights, to Charikleia Livani and Franziska Schraut for their brilliant ideas and illustrations, and to Julian Lawrence for his exceptional guidance and support. Without you the comic would not have been possible!
We encourage you to share the comic, explore new ideas it inspires, and localize or translate it. If you have any feedback, suggestions, or concerns, feel free to reach out to Laura Guntrum at guntrum@peasec.tu-darmstadt.de. Additionally, let us know if you’re interested in acquiring the design files. The comic is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0). The comic was already presented and distributed at RightsCon 2025, a major international summit on human rights in the digital age, which was held in Taiwan and the Night of Libraries at PRIF (Frankfurt, Germany).
What is the comic about?
A story of activism, digital courage, and resilience.
Follow four friends as they face surveillance, threats, and censorship—yet stay strong through knowledge, adaptability, and solidarity.
Alex, Sarah, Maria, and Daniel are four friends deeply committed to human rights activism in a country facing rising authoritarianism. As they organize protests and use social media to spread awareness, they’re met with powerful digital threats: internet shutdowns, account hacking, surveillance, and intimidation. When Daniel is arrested, the danger becomes painfully real for the group.
Still, the others don’t give up. Alex, Sarah, and Maria grow more determined. They start learning how to protect themselves: improving their digital security, understanding what information could be used against them, and identifying who might be behind the attacks. They realise that not every app or tool is safe. Some can attract attention even if they are secure. They learn to balance visibility and protection, constantly adapting their strategies and learning how to stay one step ahead.
The comic shows that by sharing knowledge, supporting each other, and adapting fast, activists can keep their voices strong—even under oppression. With courage and teamwork, they prove that the fight for justice can go on. ✊🕊️
Click 👉 here to download the comic directly!
Prefer to read it online? You can read it directly below. For online viewing, the comic’s text is unselectable and only scrollable. For this reason, please download the comic PDF if you want to make full use of the accessible text.
A German translation can be downloaded 👉 here:
Thanks to PRIF & TraCe knowledge transfer for the translation.
Further helpful information:
- Holistic security
- Security in a box
- Digital security helpline (Access Now)
Livani Charikleia, Franziska Schraut, Laura Guntrum, Julian Lawrence (2025): Code of Courage: A Comic About Digital Security for Activists.
Darmstadt, Germany: Universitäts- und Landesbibliothek Darmstadt. doi:10.26083/tuprints-00029108
Feedback
Funding
This comic was funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) within the framework of TraCe, the Regional Research Centre on Transformations of Political Violence (01UG2203E), and by the Hessian Ministry of Higher Education, Research, Science, and the Arts as part of its joint support for the National Research Centre for Applied Cybersecurity ATHENE.
Publications
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- Laura Guntrum (2024): Keyboard Fighters: The Use of ICTs by Activists in Times of Military Coup in Myanmar. Proceedings of the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, New York, NY, USA. doi: 10.1145/3613904.3642279
- Guntrum, Laura/ Lasso Mena, Verena (2025): Unmasking digital threats in the pursuit of human rights and environmental defense in La Guajira, North Colombia. Information, Communication & Society, 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2025.2503444
- Laura Guntrum, Christian Reuter (2024): From Internet Shutdowns to Personal Harassment: Examining the Spectrum of Digital Violence Against Social Activist. TraCe Policy Brief No. 4. doi: 10.48809/PRIFTraCePB2404
- Laura Guntrum, Christian Reuter (2025): Digitale Gewalt gegen Aktivist:innen: Risiken und mögliche Handlungsmöglichkeiten 2025. Online available: https://gi-radar.de/373-digitale-gewalt/
- Laura Guntrum, Sofía Cerrillo, Christian Reuter (2024): Navigating the Pandemic through Technology: Colombian NGOs Promoting Peace during the COVID-19 era. Peacebuilding & Development. doi: 10.1177/15423166241293856