Photo – FRED DUFOUR/AFP/Getty Images

Are you are journalist? A blogger? A photographer? A media activist?

Sign up for the open online “Digital Safety for Journalists” workshop being offered by DW Akademie in the first week of December, 2013.

The workshop, which is being held in conjunction with Reporters Without Borders, will give you a better understanding of how to protect your communications and your data.

All over the world, media professionals are increasingly using digital devices such as cameras, recorders, mobile phones and computers to do their reporting. These might make our lives easier, but they also mean we are increasingly being subject to digital surveillance and hacking attacks. This means digital security has become an imperative.

The “Digital Safety for Journalists” workshop kicks off on Monday December 2 at 4 pm Central European Time with a livestreamed panel discussion about the digital dangers facing journalists and media activists. Hear about Bahraini journalist’s Ala’s Shehabi confrontation with high-grade surveillance software and what she now does to protect herself. Find out from about digital threats from Anna Roth of Tactical Tech, one of world’s leading NGOs working on digital security for activists and dissidents, and learn more about the situation on the ground for journalists from Hauke Gierow from Reporters without Borders.

Or else take part in one (or all) of our daily live online sessions running from Tuesday December 3 to Friday December 6. There are seminars on topics ranging from mobile phone safety and how hackers can attack you computer to surfing the net without being tracked and collaborating security with other journalists.

The open online format emphasizes sharing and interaction. You can ask questions via chat during the live seminars, leave comments on the Digital Safety Google Plus community page or contribute via Etherpad.

Take a look at the Digital Safety for Journalists website for more details about sessions and further information on how to participate. Blog posts and interviews on different aspects of digital security will also appear daily from November 25 through until the end of the workshop.

And don’t forget, onMedia has been publishing posts on digital security for the past year. Here’s what we’ve covered so far.