Every day, Internet users come across dozens of dubious publications: fake news, Telegram channels with Russian propaganda, pages spreading fraudulent schemes, drug advertisements, or calls for hostility. Most often, people simply close such publications or scroll further, believing that they cannot change anything.

In reality, this is not the case. If a large number of users report a dangerous resource, digital platforms respond to complaints much faster and can limit its operation or completely block it. This principle is the foundation of the social project BRAMA, created by volunteers with the support of the Cyber Police of Ukraine – this was stated by Anatoliy Fil, head of the Cybercrime Prevention Department in the Odesa region of the Cyber Police of Ukraine.

The name of the project is symbolic. For centuries, a gate was not just an entrance to a city or fortress — it served a protective function, safeguarding the community from external threats. Today, the Ukrainian information space needs the same kind of defense, which faces daily attacks from Russian propaganda, disinformation, and cybercrime.

Anatoliy Fil notes:

The main goal of BRAMA is to cleanse the Ukrainian information space of Russian propaganda, disinformation, and other sources of illegal content. At the same time, the project's activities are much broader. Its participants help combat online fraud, cyberbullying, the spread of drugs online, and promote digital literacy and safe behavior on the Internet.

A feature of BRAMA is that the project combines two important directions.

The first is practical. Users can report suspicious resources and join in mass sending of complaints about pages, channels, or publications that contain propaganda, fakes, or other unacceptable content. This mechanism works through the official tools of the platforms themselves and does not require any special skills.

The second is educational. Community members regularly receive materials on cyber hygiene, media literacy, and information security. They learn how to recognize manipulation, verify information, avoid becoming victims of online fraud, and protect their personal data.

Today, the project unites hundreds of thousands of participants from all over Ukraine. For coordination, a Telegram bot, a Telegram channel, a community in Viber, and pages on Facebook and Instagram are in operation. It is through these resources that participants receive information about new tasks and can report discovered sources of dangerous content.

An important component of the project has also become specialized information resources. On the website “Cyber Gate”, users can familiarize themselves with the most common schemes of online fraud and receive practical recommendations for safe behavior online. At the same time, the platform “Online Chats” contains materials on media literacy, information hygiene, as well as a list of pseudo-Ukrainian Telegram channels used to spread Russian propaganda and disinformation.

Participation in BRAMA does not require financial contributions or special training. The most valuable resource that each participant can provide is their own time and concern. It is precisely through the joint actions of thousands of users that it is possible to gradually reduce the amount of dangerous content in the Ukrainian segment of the Internet.

Information security today depends not only on state institutions or social media administrations. It starts with the responsibility of each user. And BRAMA proves that even a few minutes dedicated to fighting propaganda and fakes can contribute to the security of the entire country.