THE PROJECT
When young queer, Black, Indigenous and racialized organizers show up for a rally or run an online campaign, they often quietly worry about who is watching, what data is being collected and what might happen if their visibility is turned against them.
Platform, (formerly the Young Women’s Leadership Network) is a Toronto-based national civic leadership organization that builds leadership capacity among Black, Indigenous, racialized and queer women and gender-diverse youth so they can advance gender equity and justice. For many of the community organizers and public-facing leaders Platform supports, being visible online can come with real risk. From harassment, hate and doxxing to privacy intrusions that target people specifically because of who they are and the roles they hold. Cyber Bytes, developed with support from a CIRA Net Good Grant, was Platform’s response: a national digital safety learning program designed to help queer and BIPOC leaders better understand online risk, strengthen privacy practices and feel more comfortable showing up in digital spaces.
To build to program around lived experiences instead of assumptions, Platform began with a digital safety needs assessment using surveys, interviews and small focus groups. A key insight was that many participants were treated as ‘digital natives’ yet still felt overwhelmed by the pace of technology and unclear about how to protect themselves—and their communities—online. Platform used those findings to shape plain-language content rooted in participant scenarios, then delivered 12 workshops on topics like digital safety basics and technology facilitated gender-based violence, supported by virtual learning assets, campaign content and research. To make the learning stick beyond a single session, Platform also created a dedicated Cyber Bytes hub on its website, housing recordings and tools that people can return to as their need evolves.
COMMUNITY IMPACT
Cyber Bytes targeted a safety gap that isn’t about devices or connectivity alone, it’s about whose risk is recognized, and whether people can access guidance that reflects identity-based harms. More than 1,200 people participated directly in programming, and over 10,000 encountered Cyber Bytes content through Platform’s website and social channels. Participants described concrete shifts in how they navigate daily digital life. One noted a stronger understanding of AI-related risks and everyday surveillance through phones, browsers, apps and accounts; another reflected on the importance of regularly reviewing privacy settings and how data can be gathered without clear consent. Even for those using digital tools professionally—like small business owners—the material prompted practical rethinking of platform use and personal boundaries online.
Just as importantly, participants reported that Cyber Bytes was one of the few digital safety offerings that felt designed with queer and BIPOC realities in mind, reducing isolation by naming the emotional weight of being watched, targeted or exposed. Platform’s Executive Director, Rowa Mohamed, described the program as “Having a role in validating concerns about individual and collective surveillance so participants felt less alone, while still gaining usable steps to protect themselves.” Internally, the project also strengthened Platform’s ability to plan what comes next—the team identified where knowledge gaps are most persistent, used the project’s evidence to secure at least one additional year of funding, and began mapping more advanced programming (Digital Safety 201/301) for grassroots organization, moving from awareness to deeper practice.
Cyber Bytes shows that when queer, racialized youth are supported as civic leaders and given tools designed for their realities, they are better able to stay online, stay visible and stay safer without having to face those risks alone. That desire to connect dots between issues, communities and organizations is part of the closing of the digital safety gap.
RELATED LINKS
- Cyber Bytes workshop – https://theplatform.ca/cyber-bytes/
