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December 16, 2024 - Comments Off on No plans to block VPNs despite technical capacity, PTA Chairman

No plans to block VPNs despite technical capacity, PTA Chairman

The government has the technical capability to block VPNs but will not do so, the chairman of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) claimed at an event. The PTA had earlier declared November 30 to be the deadline for VPN registrations, with non-registered VPN connections to be blocked from 01 December. This was overturned and the ban rescinded, after an initial statement that the deadline would be extended, after the Ministry of Law could not give legal cover to the ban. Though the PTA has not provided an official statement as to why the ban was rescinded, media outlets have quoted anonymous sources within the government who pointed towards the legal ambiguities in this regard.

The proposed amendments to the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) might help the government in tackling the government’s legal trouble with blocking VPNs in the future.

December 16, 2024 - Comments Off on Bill to centralise citizen’s data tabled in the National Assembly

Bill to centralise citizen’s data tabled in the National Assembly

The government of Pakistan has proposed the “Digital Nation Pakistan Bill, 2024”, to centralise the data of Pakistani citizens, into a unified “digital ID”, introducing the bill in the National Assembly. Tabled by the Minister of State for  IT and Telecom Shaza Khawaja, the bill also establishes two agencies as part of the data centralisation drive: the National Digital Commission (NDC), and the Pakistan Digital Authority (PDA).

The NDC – headed by the Prime Minister, chief ministers and heads of government departments – would be tasked with developing the “required policy, provide governance and ensure necessary coordination amongst federal, provincial, and sectoral bodies” in regards to the data of citizens. The PDA, according to the report, would be led by “top industry experts”, and “would develop, implement, monitor and periodically update the national digital masterplan, including sectoral plans and implementation plans, to ensure alignment with the strategic guidelines of the NDC.” News reports pertaining to the bill and the agencies that it creates, however, do not go into details as to how the data centralisation would take place. The reports do not discuss the safety of that data, or the privacy of citizens – not just in terms of the right to privacy, but a matter of concern given that the data of at least 2.7 million Pakistanis stored with NADRA had been leaked over a five year period.

December 16, 2024 - Comments Off on November 2024 Newsletter: DRF collaborates with CSOs to set up Global Majority House in Brussels

November 2024 Newsletter: DRF collaborates with CSOs to set up Global Majority House in Brussels

DRF—in collaboration with the Center for Studies in Freedom of Expression and Access to Information (CELE), 7amleh, WHAT TO FIX, The London Story Foundation, Citizens’ Association (CA) “Zašto ne (Why not)”, and Myanmar Internet Project—set up the Global Majority House on 15 November to drive critical dialogue and collaboration between the Global South and Europe on digital governance. According to DRF Executive Director Nighat Dad, “We hope to contribute to conversations on systemic risks and crisis protocols while engaging with the broader ‘Brussels effect’ to shape global standards that resonate with the values and realities of the Global Majority.” Read more here.

 

Policy Initiatives:

Meeting with President Macron on tech and human rights

DRF’s Executive Director Nighat Dad participated in the Paris Peace Forum as part of the tech leaders cohort. The Paris Peace Forum is a platform that puts global governance, rule of law and peace on the international agenda. Ms Dad met with President Emmanuel Macron and other industry leaders to discuss the human rights implications of emerging technologies like AI, and challenges to digital governance.

 

Asia-Pacific Civil Society Consultation Report for Beijing+30

The Beijing+30 Asia-Pacific Civil Society Steering Committee, of which DRF is part, released a report titled Forging Gender-Just Futures ahead of the Beijing+30 proceedings in November. This report highlights priority areas of action to advance women’s human rights and gender equality based on the lived experiences of civil society members in the region. Read the report here.

 

Campaign on International Day to End Impunity Against Journalists (2 November)

On International Day to End Impunity Against Journalists, DRF called attention to the lack of implementation of the Protection of Journalists and Media Professionals Act, specifically regarding the non-establishment of a Commission for investigating, prosecuting and penalising rights violations against journalists. See our explainer here.

 

 

Campaign on International Day for Tolerance (16 November)

To mark International Day for Tolerance, DRF reshared the story of Laila, a trans femme TikTok influencer who experiences a unique form of online gender-based violence. See the English version here, and the Urdu version here.

Campaign on 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence (25 November to 10 December)

DRF kicked off its campaign on 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence with ‘Stay Cybersafe’ daily tips. Women and girls also shared their vision of what Pakistan would look like free from gender-based violence, a fitting reminder on International Day to End Violence Against Women (25 November). On 29 November, DRF marked International Women Human Rights Defenders Day by saluting women activists who raise their voices to help others, and raising awareness about psychosocial support for their emotional wellbeing.

View this post on Instagram

 

Blogpost on Platform Accountability

As part of DRF's new series on Platform Accountability, DRF analyzed a case of online gendered violence against trans community member Dolphin Ayan Khan, in which a video containing sensitive images of her was posted non-consensually on Facebook, X and YouTube. Did these platforms act to take the video down, or suspend accounts posting malicious web links that claimed to offer full access to the video? Read DRF’s analysis here.

 

Press Coverage:

CII decree against VPN usage criticized

Along with other rights activists, DRF's Executive Director Nighat Dad responded to the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) decree against VPN use. She pointed out that the move to block VPNs conflicts with our fundamental right to privacy, and aims "only to target certain social media users". Read more here.

A study on AI generation of hyper-realistic images

Commenting on a study on AI, DRF's Executive Director Nighat Dad highlighted inclusivity issues and the potential misuse of hyper-realistic AI images. She said, “Including local skin tones within a predominantly white dataset is an essential step toward building inclusive AI models.” She also expressed concern about AI's accelerated progress, particularly in Pakistan where such technology is still a new phenomenon and has been used for exploitation and scams. Read more here.

DRF was also cited in the following press coverage:

Date Article Media Outlet
1 November 2024 #KeepItOn Mauritius: global coalition urges first-time offender to end crackdown on social media Access Now
5 November 2024 Experts call for balanced social media regulation Business Recorder
12 November 2024 Statement on the targeting and killing of journalists in Palestine and Lebanon APC
14 November 2024 Advocates and Researchers Set Up "Global Majority House" in Brussels to Engage with Digital Services Act Tech Policy Press
17 November 2024 Council of Islamic Ideology under fire over decree against use of VPNs Dawn
17 November 2024 Pakistan: Council of Islamic Ideology faces backlash over anti-VPN decree ANI
17 November 2024 Pakistan’s ‘VPN use un-Islamic’ edict by top religious body draws widespread backlash New Indian Express
17 November 2024 Pakistani religious body faces backlash over anti-VPN decree The Week
18 November 2024 Pakistan religious body issues 'Diktat' on using VPNs Times of India
18 November 2024 Criticism of Islamic Ideology Council for declaring VPNs un-islamic Minute Mirror
25 November 2024 Protecting women Dawn
29 November 2024 HCSTSI urges stronger cyber crime measures Minute Mirror

Events:

DRF participates in this year's Beijing+30 review

DRF participated in the final review of the Beijing Platform for Action (BPfA), of which Pakistan is signatory, known as the Beijing+30 review. As a member of the Beijing+30 Asia-Pacific Civil Society Steering Committee, DRF was honoured to work together with civil society groups around the region to advance Beijing+30 gender equality goals.

DRF representative Irum Shujah, participated in the Young Feminist Forum on 16 November, where over 135 young feminist leaders from the Asia-Pacific shaped key demands for the Beijing+30 review. Their collective statement highlighted systemic oppressions rooted in colonialism, patriarchy, and racism, calling for transformative, intersectional, and inclusive feminist actions to reclaim rights and address the lived realities of youth in diverse contexts.

Ms Shujah also attended the preparatory CSO Forum held on 17-18 November, which brought together diverse voices from across the region to drive civil society engagement in the process.

 

 

 

 

 

Finally, Ms Shujah participated in the Ministerial Conference on the Beijing+30 Review, held on 19-21 November. This high-level forum, organized by the Asia Pacific Forum on Women in collaboration with UN Women, convened ministers, officials, and key stakeholders to evaluate the region's progress under the BPfA, address legal and policy challenges, and strengthen commitments to gender equality and women's empowerment.

Digital Literacy & Citizenship Bootcamp in Bagh, Azad Kashmir

DRF conducted its fifth Digital Literacy and Citizenship Bootcamp for 58 students at the Women University in Bagh, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, with the support of the U.S. Embassy, Islamabad. The students learnt about cyber harassment, online safety safety, disinformation and misinformation in today’s digital ecosystem, as well as the emergence of AI and what tools they can use to optimize the use of digital technology.

Other events:

  • As part of the Beijing+30 process, the DRF legal team attended an online info session titled Road to Beijing+30 and Beijing 101 organized by the Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law, and Development (APWLD) on 5 November.
  • The DRF legal team participated in a UNESCO webinar titled "AI in the Courts: Transforming Justice with Practical Applications and Use Cases" on 21 November. The webinar brought together representatives from various countries to share insights on integrating AI into judicial processes. The discussion highlighted innovative approaches to leveraging AI for enhancing judicial efficiency, while emphasizing the importance of safeguarding justice, protecting human rights, and ensuring ethical, responsible implementation.
  • DRF took part in the iMap’s Community Of Practice, a regular gathering of those who are affected by network interference and where regular updates are discussed among iMap’s community of civil society organizations.

Tech trends and tips

New tech and platform developments:

Unregistered VPNs are being blocked in Pakistan

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has started its second trial to block unregistered VPNs ahead of a nationwide crackdown starting December 1, citing security risks and misuse concerns. Over 25,000 VPNs have been registered so far, with the PTA streamlining the process to ensure compliance.

Tip of the month:

Every time you post on social media, send an email or do a Google search, you leave a trace. These traces are actually permanent data trails which are tracked, analyzed and used to construct your 'profile'. Your profile is then used by businesses to bombard you with offers and adverts. This trail, consisting of information you leave and activities you do on the Internet, is called digital footprint.

You can reduce your digital footprint by:

  • Self-Doxxing: Google yourself first and then contact the relevant sites to take down your personal information
  • Setting up Google alerts: Set up a Google alert to keep yourself updated if your name is being mentioned somewhere on internet
  • Deactivation of unwanted accounts: Delete or deactivate any of your accounts which are no longer required otherwise your profile will still be visible to others
  • Privacy Policy: Always read the terms and condition before subscribing to online services
  • Don't be fooled by surveys: Never fill out any survey that pops-up while browsing because someone is collecting your data
  • Clearing cookies and caches: Always make sure to clear cookies and remove caches to prevent site tracking

 

DRF Resources:

Cyber Harassment Helpline:

The Cyber Harassment Helpline received 186 complaints in total in November 2024, around 80% of which were related to cyber harassment.

 

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/

December 15, 2024 - Comments Off on Govt expected to push amendments to expand PECA powers this week

Govt expected to push amendments to expand PECA powers this week

The Pakistan government is pushing to have amendments to the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) tabled “as early as” this week (December 16-20), that would create a new authority body with controversially broad powers to block access to social media and to specific online content. As reported upon earlier in December, the amendments are part of the government’s strategy to tackle what it regards as “fake news”.

The proposed PECA amendments include the creation of a Pakistan Digital Rights Protection Authority (DRPA), which would, according to Human Rights Watch, “be authorised to prosecute people for sharing or accessing prohibited content, and take action against social media platforms that host such content.”

In addition to the creation of DRPA – to replace the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) concerning the monitoring of social media content - the amendments also introduce language to expand upon and redefine terms. For instance, the term “Social media platform”now includes the use of any software or tools that would be used to access social media platforms. The redefining of “Social media” points to the government potentially giving itself legal power to block tools such VPNs, after the PTA ban on VPNs was blocked by an opinion from the Ministry of Law.

December 14, 2024 - Comments Off on Journalists, vloggers among 150 booked under PECA for “maligning security agencies”

Journalists, vloggers among 150 booked under PECA for “maligning security agencies”

Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has registered cases against 150 individuals, including journalists and vloggers, “for their involvement in maligning security agencies over the Nov 26 incident”, referring to the controversy surrounding the number of deaths at a protest march by PTI supporters in late November 2024. According to the FIA, Harmeet Singh, a Pakistani Sikh journalist, had ostensibly promoted a “false narrative” concerning the four day-long protest, and claimed that he had incited violence against the state. He and others were being booked under Sections 9 (“Glorification of an Offence”), 10 (“Cyber Terrorism”), 11 (“Hate Speech”) and 24 (“Cyber Stalking”) of the PECA.

The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) condemned the 150 arrests, calling them “a blatant attack on press freedom and freedom of expression in Pakistan and depicts the authoritarian mindset of the so-called elected government.” The PFUJ stressed that it does not condone “fake news”, but that “due process” was vital when registering cases against journalists.

December 13, 2024 - Comments Off on Senate passes Digital Forensics Agency Bill

Senate passes Digital Forensics Agency Bill

Pakistan’s Senate (upper house) unanimously approved the passage of the “National Forensic Agency Bill, 2024” paving the way for the creation of an independent forensic agency (NFA) at the national level. The NFA will upgrade existing capabilities of conventional forensics labs across Pakistan. Furthermore, NFA will set up a digital forensics lab to provide services to governments across Pakistan. Furthermore, NFA will integrate “digital and cyber forensics to combat crimes involving electronic devices, deepfakes, and other electronic offences.” The Bill must now be approved by the National Assembly (lower house) before it can become an Act. Proposed by the government earlier this month, the soon to be established National Forensics Agency (NFA) comes as part of a muscular legislative and political push over the course of this  year by the Pakistan government, in what it has framed as its war on “fake news”, or disinformation and misinformation.

December 13, 2024 - Comments Off on Only 38,000 freelancers have bank accounts in Pakistan: Government

Only 38,000 freelancers have bank accounts in Pakistan: Government

Only 38,000 of Pakistan’s 2.32 million freelancers - responsible for 15% of Pakistan’s overall IT exports - have bank accounts based in Pakistan, according to a statement made by the Finance Division of the Government of Pakistan last week. Disclosed during a meeting of the Prime Minister’s Committee on IT Export Remittances, this means that while IT exports are steadily increasing, remittances do not reflect this increase proportionately, as a substantial fraction of revenue remains unremitted. According to data by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), while on average 500 bank accounts are being opened weekly, the problem lies in retaining the account holders.

 

The meeting also discussed the urgency in bringing global payment options, such as PayPal , to Pakistan. Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb stressed the need to make Pakistan a key player in the global IT industry by resolving these current issues.

December 9, 2024 - Comments Off on Pakistan’s Internet Speeds Among World’s Lowest: Ookla

Pakistan’s Internet Speeds Among World’s Lowest: Ookla

A report by the web testing and diagnostics company Ookla – known for their internet speed tests – has indicated that Pakistan’s broadband and mobile internet speeds ranked among the world’s lowest 10 percent, as of October 2024. According to Ookla’s Speedtest Global Index, Pakistan ranked 100 out of 111 in regards to mobile internet speeds, and 141 out of 158 for fixed broadband speeds. While the global median mobile and fixed broadband speeds have been registered at 59.15 mbps and 94.52 mbps, respectively, Pakistan’s speeds in these two categories were at 20.61 mbps and 15.60 mbps, respectively according to the report.

 

These revelations have come against the backdrop of widespread concerns pertaining to persistent internet disruptions and slowdown since June 2024 particularly as Pakistan began to test and implement its controversial firewall or web management system. Such a situation continues to have a debilitating impact on the country’s nascent tech industry and growing freelance workforce, resulting in a   in work as a result.

 

That this snapshot of Pakistan’s slow internet speeds was captured during October is significant, as concerns and frustration with the government concerning the intermitted throttling of the internet since June 2024 threatened to come to a head in October and November, resulting in the impact on the country’s digital economy, as indicated above.

December 8, 2024 - Comments Off on Online smear campaigns against journalists

Online smear campaigns against journalists

In a continuation and worsening of the dangers for journalism in Pakistan, a number of social media accounts across various platforms have been involved in spreading “fake news”, and trolling and harassing senior journalists such as Talat Hussain, Muneeb Farooq, Hassan Ayub and Syed Muzammil Shah.

A video by the journalist Talat Hussain, discussing the sectarian attacks on Shia Muslims in the district of Kurram, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, which resulted in more than 130 deaths, was selectively edited to misrepresenting his statements, to make it appear that he was speaking about the controversy over the number of PTI protestors that died in the November 24-27 protest march on Islamabad.

Armed men broke into the home of journalist and vlogger Syed Muzammil Shah, threatening him and his family with shots fired into the air. Rather than this invasion of Shah’s home and danger to his family being unanimously condemned, a number of social media accounts appeared to consider it “retribution” for his reporting on the November 24-27 PTI Islamabad protest.

The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) has condemned these online smear campaigns against senior journalists and TV anchors. Claiming that many of the accounts in these campaigns belong to PTI supporters, the PFUJ has requested that the PTI leadership respect freedom of speech and tolerate criticism.

December 6, 2024 - Comments Off on Pakistan Army Chief calls for action against fake news, echoed by Minister for IT

Pakistan Army Chief calls for action against fake news, echoed by Minister for IT

Chief of Army Staff General Syed Asim Munir, the Pakistan Army’s most senior ranking officer called on the government to take action against “pre-planned coordinated and premeditated propaganda” that are allegedly being spread “by certain political elements as an attempt to drive a wedge between the public & Armed Forces and institutions of Pakistan.” Speaking to senior officers of the armed forces at the 84th Formation Commanders' Conference, General Munir called for stringent laws to combat “fake news”, and the “unethical use of freedom of expression to spread polarization.”

 

A day later, the Minister for IT and Telecommunication, Shaza Fatima Khawaja, briefed the Senate Standing Committee on IT and Telecommunication and stated that the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) would be amended to tackle “fake news”, echoing the concerns of General Munir and others. In response to a question raised by members of the committee pertaining to the proposed amendments,   she underscored that these  amendments were aimed at addressing “concerns related to fake news and online misinformation campaigns” and not intended to “restrict the internet” and the freedom of expression of citizens. The minister was also asked about the legal powers of the PTA or the government in regards to VPN shutdowns. The Minister downplayed concerns of the committee members on internet shutdowns, claiming that the issue had been “blown too much, but the government does not intend to take such extreme measures”.