Our Executive Director Nighat Dad was interviewed by WIRED magazine. The feature traced her journey from escaping an abusive marriage to becoming a vocal advocate for women’s social and digital rights, and founding the Digital Rights Foundation (DRF). The feature was also covered in WIRED’s weekly wrap! Read the interview here.

 

 

 

 

Policy Initiatives:

Platforms at the Polls

DRF released a report analyzing platform accountability during Pakistan’s 2024 general elections, focusing on how social media platforms have increasingly become critical tools for political parties in order to influence and win over voters. Analyzing 225 social media posts depicting technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV) and gendered disinformation against electoral candidates, activists and journalists, it became evident that platforms failed to actively remove harmful content or regulate political spending by parties. Our complete report is available here.

Campaign on 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence and Human Rights Day

DRF’s 16 Days of Activism campaign continued with more #StayCybersafe daily tips. Our series envisioning what Pakistan would look like free from gender-based violence also continued. The campaign finally culminated on 10 December with an online panel discussion titled ‘Achieving Gender Justice & Digital Equity in Pakistan post Beijing+30’. The panelists were National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW) standing chair Ume Laila Azhar, former NCSW chair Khawar Mumtaz, Global Network of Women Peacebuilders senior programs officer Sophia Dianne Garcia, and DRF programs lead Seerat Khan. Watch the livestream recording of the event here.

Campaign on International Day for Minorities

To mark International Day for Minorities (18 December), DRF reshared its policy brief titled ‘Countering Online Misinformation Against Religious Minorities in Pakistan’. DRF called for safer, inclusive digital spaces through collective effort from state authorities, platforms and civil society. Read the brief here.

 

Blog post on Platform Accountability

DRF team member Sara Imran wrote a blog post analyzing the recent crackdown on data scraping by X and other platforms. The piece highlighted the impact of such restrictions on academic research that relies on publicly available data, and concluded that “blanket bans on data scraping are not a one-size-fits-all solution”. Read the blog post here.

 

 

Press Coverage:

Nighat Dad in AP News

In AP News’ piece on how deepfakes have been weaponized against Pakistan’s women leaders, DRF Executive Director pointed out that Pakistan’s laws related to online safety have also been used to block sites as “a quick solution for the government... violating other fundamental rights". Read the article here.

DRF in Index on Censorship’s article

DRF team members Anam Baloch and Seerat Khan highlighted the impact of increasing Internet restrictions  in Index on Censorship's article on increasing censorship in Pakistan. Read the article here.

DRF in Kashmir Express News segment

DRF team member Aneeqa Shahid appeared on Kashmir Express News to explain to viewers how they can protect themselves from scammers online, particularly in light of the HEC scam which led to financial loss and stealing of WhatsApp accounts. Watch the segment here.

Nighat Dad on the Digital Nation Pakistan bill

In a Samaa TV news segment on the digitization of Pakistan via the Digital Nation Pakistan Bill, DRF Executive Director Nighat Dad weighed in and emphasized that personal data protection legislation is imperative. Watch the entire segment here.

Nighat Dad talks about Internet outages in Pakistan

DRF Executive Director Nighat Dad told Geo News how Internet disruptions not only deny access to information, but are “also economically costly and damage Pakistan's reputation as a reliable player in the global IT industry". Read what she recommends to improve Pakistan's digital future in the article here.

Nighat Dad at SAMAAJ Seminar on Preventing Child Sexual Abuse

DRF Executive Director Nighat Dad contributed to a discussion on preventing child sexual abuse in Pakistan on 30 December. The event titled “Beyond Silence and Shame: Preventing Child Sexual Abuse in Pakistan” was organized by SAMAAJ in partnership with the German Embassy. She also spoke on the topic to VoicePK and Lahore News, underscoring the need to increase digital safeguards for children and ensure safer online spaces.

DRF was also featured in the following press coverage:

Outlet	Date	Article
Arab News	3 December 2024	Imran Khan’s party denounces Pakistan government task force against anti-state online campaigns
Arab News	3 December 2024	Deepfakes weaponized to target Pakistan’s women leaders
France 24	3 December 2024	Deepfakes weaponized to target Pakistan’s women leaders
AFP News	3 December 2024	Deepfakes weaponized to target Pakistan’s women leaders
Dawn	3 December 2024	Deepfakes weaponized to target Pakistan’s women leaders
Gulf Today	4 December 2024	Deepfakes targeting Pakistan’s women politicians
WIRED	5 December 2024	She Escaped an Abusive Marriage-Now She Helps Women Battle Cyber Harassment
IT Security News	5 December 2024	She Escaped an Abusive Marriage-Now She Helps Women Battle Cyber Harassment
The Straits Times	8 December 2024	Deepfakes weaponised to target Pakistan’s women leaders
Pen International	9 December 2024	India: Targeting of journalist Mohammed Zubair condemned by human rights organisations
Amnesty International	9 December 2024	India: International human rights organisations condemn the continued use of sedition to target Indian journalist, Mohammed Zubair.
Clarion India	11 December 2024	Global Rights Groups Condemn Sedition Case against Alt News Co-founder Zubair
India Tomorrow	11 December 2024	International human rights groups condemn sedition case against Zubair of Alt News
Access Now	12 December 2024	#KeepItOn: authorities in Pakistan must stop the ongoing suppression of digital rights
Dig Watch	17 December 2024	Balancing regulation, innovation, and rights in the digital space
Index on Censorship	19 December 2024	Pakistan faces increasing internet censorship
Israel National News	20 December 2024	Meta’s Oversight Board is stacking the decks against Zionism
Geo News	20 December 2024	Disinformation, hate rampant on social media during Feb 8 election: report
The News	20 December 2024	Disinformation, hate rampant on social media during 2024 elections: DRF report
Hum English	20 December 2024	Misinformation, disinformation and other digital woes: DRF analyses Election 2024
Kashmir Express Digital	20 December 2024	New WhatsApp hacking fraud : How to avoid hackers trap : HEC degree verification : Cyber Experts
SUNO FM 89.4	20 December 2024	Online Frauds and Scams and How to Prevent Becoming a Victim?
SAMAA TV	21 December 2024	Digitization of Pakistan | PM Shehbaz Sharif's major decisions | Breaking News | Samaa TV
Geo News	25 December 2024	Disconnected: How internet outages held back Pakistan in 2024
The News	26 December 2024	Unsung heroes

Events:

Meta Roundtable on Online Youth Safety

DRF, the Ministry of Human Rights, Meta, the National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR), and the National Commission on the Rights of the Child jointly hosted a roundtable on online youth safety in Islamabad, launching a comprehensive Youth Safety Policy Document with actionable recommendations for policymakers, educators, and tech platforms. DRF’s Seerat Khan shared findings from focus group discussions and surveys with parents and youth across the country. Meta showcased its safety tools. The discussion underscored the importance of collaboration to create inclusive and secure digital environments for young users.

Meeting with Rana Mashood on Collaboration with PM Youth Programme

DRF representatives met with Rana Mashood and his team to explore potential collaboration opportunities under the PM Youth Programme. Key discussions focused on expanding DRF initiatives, such as the Hamara Internet project and Digital Literacy Bootcamp, to the national level with the PM Office’s support. Both teams emphasized the importance of collective effort, particularly in addressing issues like personal data protection, digital scams, and enhancing youth-focused digital literacy. Future plans include joint awareness initiatives, sharing educational content, and participation in conferences.

Meta Community Summit 2024

DRF Program Lead Seerat Khan and Program Manager Anam Baloch participated in the Meta Community Summit 2024, a platform dedicated to fostering dialogue with civil society partners. The summit focused on social media best practices, online safety, and freedom of expression, underscoring Meta's commitment to cultivating a safe and open online environment in Pakistan.

 

 

 

 

Embassy of the Kingdom of Netherlands’ “Panel Discussion Voices for Change” and UN Women Pakistan’s “Theater on Wheels”

DRF attended and participated in these events held to mark the global 16 Days of Activism campaign. UN Women Pakistan’s "Theatre on Wheels" took place in Islamabad on 10-11 December, and aimed to strengthen civil society engagement to promote gender equality vis-a-vis the Beijing+30 goals. Representing civil society, DRF team member Irum Shujah shared her learnings and experiences from attending Beijing+30. DRF also attended the panel discussion "Voices for Change: Youth Perspectives on Challenges and Opportunities" hosted by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The discussion explored the challenges faced by Pakistani youth, particularly women and girls, and highlighted opportunities for their empowerment.

Other events:

• DRF Communications Manager Maheen Rasheed attended a national conference titled "Inspiring Change & Empowering Humanity" Conference: Advancing Human Rights for All”, co-organized by the Khawaja Sira Society and the National Commission for Human Rights, on 2 December.
• DRF’s Legal Associate participated in Justice Project Pakistan’s consultation in Lahore with Ms. Christine Chung (UN OHCHR) on 5 December. Participants discussed the next steps for civil society engagement after Pakistan's ICCPR treaty body review.
• On 10-11 December, representatives from the American Institute of Pakistan Studies (AIPS) visited DRF to discuss the ongoing Digital Literacy and Citizenship Bootcamp programme.
• DRF conducted a session on navigating online safety in journalism at the Sahafi Summit conference, hosted by Media Matters for Democracy (MMfD) in partnership with the Association of Media and Communication Academic Professionals (AMCAP), at the Beaconhouse National University on 11 December.
• On 20 December, DRF team member Anmol Sajjad delivered an engaging virtual session on online fraud with Suno FM Radio (89.4-96). Nearly 30 callers asked questions about online fraud. Listen to the session here.
• DRF held a two-day digital skills training workshop on 30-31 December in Peshawar. This workshop provided training on essential digital safety practices, addressing legal challenges, reporting online hateful content and using open-source tools.

Tech trends and tips:

New tech and platform developments:

VPN Bans (or not): A new controversial scheme was introduced to allow local companies to provide “approved”, localised VPNs after paying for a 15-year license. The rescinding of the ban has not stopped the government from seeking to criminalise VPNs and other forms of proxy software either.

Fake News: The government declared the creation of a “fake news” task force to “identify individuals/groups and organisations involved in creating and spreading fake and misleading news surrounding political miscreants in Islamabad from Nov 24-27, 2024, including entire media campaign (sic) related to the issue.”

PECA Amendments: Amendments to PECA were tabled that would create the Digital Rights Protection Authority (DRPA) for prosecuting the sharing or accessing of prohibited content. More legal cover to block devices, such as VPNs would also be given.

Digital Nation Pakistan: The Digital Nation Pakistan Bill (DNPB) calls for the centralisation of citizen data to create a unified “digital identity”. Two government authorities – the National Digital Commission, and the Pakistan Digital Authority - would be created to develop  the “required policy, provide governance and ensure necessary coordination”.

Digital “Bill of Rights”: PPP co-leader Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari called for the creation of a digital “bill of rights”, drafted and contributed towards by Pakistani youth, which he declared would be presented in the National Assembly.

Tip of the month: Secure communication channels

Many messenger or email apps may be susceptible to interception and eavesdropping. To select a secure communication channel, one should consider the following:

1. Is your app open or closed source: In closed source apps, the source code is not made public, so there is no guarantee regarding its safety. In open source apps, the source code is publicly available for external security audits, which is why these apps are considered more secure. Basic versions of such apps are usually free unlike proprietary applications.
2. Does your app support end-to-end encryption (E2E): E2E means that messages are encrypted from sender to receiver, and the chat(messages) cannot be overhead or tampered with. One must take into account that all conversation should be end-to-end encrypted.

DRF Resources:

Cyber Harassment Helpline:

The Cyber Harassment Helpline received 237 complaints in December 2024, of which 82% were related to cyber harassment. The helpline also celebrated 8 years since its inception this month by sharing a case where the helpline team helped take down sensitive pictures of a complainant from social media platforms. Click here to listen to the story.

If you’re encountering a problem online, you can reach out to our helpline at 0800-39393, email us at helpdesk@digitalrightsfoundation.pk or reach out to us on our social media accounts. We’re available for assistance from 9 am to 5 pm, Monday to Sunday.

IWF Portal

DRF in collaboration with Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) and the Global Fund to End Violence Against Children launched a portal to combat children’s online safety in Pakistan. The new portal allows internet users in Pakistan to anonymously report child sexual abuse material in three different languages- English, Urdu, and Pashto.

www.report.iwf.org.uk/pk

StopNCII.org

Meta along with Revenge Porn Helpline (RPH) has launched a portal to support victims of Non-Consensual Intimate Image Abuse (NCII). NCII is a free portal for reporting cases of sensitive or sexual content existing online. Once you report a case, the necessary steps will be taken to block the images from the platform.

https://stopncii.org/