“Code of Courage: A Comic About Digital Security for Activists” is based on the work of TraCe researcher Laura Guntrum. The comic sheds light on the challenges of technology-facilitated violence and provides strategies to enhance privacy and security. Based on the stories shared by over 90 activists from Myanmar, Colombia, Costa Rica, Bolivia, Nicaragua, and Cameroon (see Guntrum 2024; Guntrum & Reuter 2024), the comic follows four friends, who are deeply committed to human rights activism in a country grappling with increasing authoritarianism. In their attempts to organize via social media, the group is confronted with relentless challenges such as internet shutdowns, hacked accounts and direct threats. Facing constant danger and surveillance, the activists must find ways to adapt to the continually changing circumstances in order to counter the oppression.
A new interactive version of the comic is now available at: https://codeofcourage.dev.peasec.de/. There, you can listen to the comic in Spanish, Russian, German, and English, and test your knowledge through short quizzes designed to make learning more engaging.
The following translations are available for download:
Besides the research of Laura Guntrum, the project is based on drawings and ideas of Charikleia Livani and Franziska Schraut and was editorially assisted by Julian Lawrence (Teesside University, Senior Lecturer in Comics, Graphic Novels & Sequential Arts).
Charikleia, Livani/Guntrum, Laura/Lawrence, Julian/Schraut, Franziska (2025): Code of Courage: A Comic About Digital Security for Activists. Darmstadt: Universitäts- und Landesbibliothek Darmstadt, DOI: 10.26083/tuprints-00029108.
