Nighat Dad meeting with UK High Commisioner to Pakistan Jane Marriott

DRF’s Nighat Dad met with the UK High Commissioner to Pakistan Jane Marriott in Lahore to discuss the current state of Digital rights in Pakistan among other civil society leaders.

Policy Intiatives:

Digital Rights Foundation Joins Global Network Initiative (GNI)

DRF is thrilled to join GNI; GNI helps companies respect freedom of expression and privacy rights when faced with government pressure to hand over user data, remove content, or restrict communications. They are a growing alliance of Internet and telecom-munications companies, human rights and press freedom groups, investors, and academic institutions from around the world. We are pleased to be part of a network that works on advancing accountability to advocating for laws and policies that protect free expression and privacy rights worldwide, our members are working together to get results.

DRF issues statement on the horrible Jaranwala incident

DRF launches Exploring Jurisprudence on Transgender Rights: A Comparative Study on Modern Islamic Frameworks, Equality, Privacy Rights and Gender-based Violence.

In light of the recent Federal Shariat Court judgment on the ‘Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2018’, DRF conducted a study understand the legality of transgender rights from a constitutional, Islamic jurispduence, privacy and gender-based violence perspective.

Read here

Review of 2023: Digital Rights in Pakistan

DRF's interns Rameen Durrani and Maham Sohail this year developed a Review of 2023: Digital Rights in Pakistan of the digital rights space. The review seeks to study the impact on the digital economy due to frequent internet shutdowns.

Read here

Intern Blogs: Creative Freedom vs. Societal Sensitivities

Our brilliant intern Rameen Durrani wrote a thought-provoking and timely blogpost on the limitations placed on creative expression through vague and arbitrary decisions by regulatory bodies in Pakistan.

Read the blog here.

National AI Policy

DRF submitted a comprehensive analysis on the current National AI policy including a section by section breakdown with international best practices and the current complementary legislation. Read in detail here

Legal Analysis: Personal Data Protection Bill 2023

DRF published a legal analysis of the personal data protection bill 2023 introduced in Pakistan’s parliament. Digital Rights Foundation welcomed the progression of the Personal Data Protection Bill, and raised questions regarding data localisation requirements and independence of the proposed Commission.

Read the detailed analysis here

DRF gives Public Comment on Meta Oversight Board Political Dispute Ahead of Turkish Elections cases

DRF submitted its public comment in a case where the Meta Oversight Board overturned Meta's original decisions to remove the posts of three Turkish media organisations containing a similar video of a politician confronting another in public. DRF’s comment also posited that the removal was against norms of free speech, speaking from its experiences of political speech being censored in Pakistan.

Link to DRF’s comment.

Link to OSB decision.

Press Coverage:

Muzzling digital media | The News

DRF’s Director of Research and Policy wrote about the barrage of legislation that are tightening the noose on digital rights in Pakistan and making it hard for the average person to keep up with all the new developments.

Link to article: https://www.thenews.com.pk/tns/detail/1097230-muzzling-digital-media

Ambassador Amina Mohamed, Kenya’s former Cabinet Secretary for Education and Foreign Affairs to lead Commonwealth observers for Zimbabwean Elections | The Zimbabwean

The Executive Director of Digital Rights Foundation, Nighat Dad, was mentioned in the article as one of the Commonwealth Observer Group members.

Link to article: https://www.thezimbabwean.co/2023/08/ambassador-amina-mohamed-kenyas-former-cabinet-secretary-for-education-and-foreign-affairs-to-lead-commonwealth-observers-for-zimbabwean-elections/

Ahead of election, Pakistan introduces new laws to stifle dissent | Global Voices

DRF’s Legal analysis of the Personal Data Protection Bill 2023 was cited in this article and the critique and recommendations in the article were highlighted and it was mentioned that it was presented to the government in July 2023 to enhance the bill draft's quality.

Link to article: https://globalvoices.org/2023/08/17/ahead-of-election-pakistan-introduces-new-laws-to-stifle-dissent/

AI Charter in Media: 10 individuals and 6 additional partner organisations join with RSF before the first working session | Reporters Without Borders RSF

Nighat Dad, Executive Director of the Digital Rights Foundation was mentioned

Link to article: https://rsf.org/en/ai-charter-media-10-individuals-and-6-additional-partner-organisations-join-rsf-first-working

Decolonising Data for Data Justice

DRF’s programs and communications lead wrote a piece for GenderIT.org on Decolonising Data for Data Justice and highlighted the social injustices through the datafication of our lives.

Read the piece here

Nighat Dad’s interview with Ayaan Hirsi Ali Foundation

DRF’s Nighat Dad’s interview was featured in the Ayaan Hirsi Ali Foundation highlighting her journey as a digital rights feminist activist working in Pakistan and the journey of Digital Rights Foundation as an organization tackling cyber harassment in the country.

Link to piece

Events:

DRF Executive Director’s meeting with NCRC Pakistan Chairperson

DRF's Executive Director, Nighat Dad met with National Commission on The Rights of Child (NCRC) Pakistan Chairperson Ayesha Raza Farooq. discuss online abuse, digital safety, and ways to protect children from cyberbullying and online sexual abuse.  The two also discussed measures to be adopted in light of the country's growing number of child abuse cases.

 

 

DRF attended a consultation hosted by HRCP on Tackling Misinformation Surrounding The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act

DRF provided its input based on its research on gender disinformation and rising trends of disinformation targeting the transgender and khawajasira community in Pakistan. The consultation was held on August 8, 2023 by a range of lawyers, journalists, and members of civil society.

Read DRF’s comparative study on the jurisprudence regarding transgender rights here.

AprIGF 2023: Malicious Convergence: Addressing Emerging Trends of Gendered Hate Speech in South Asia

DRF conducted a session with POV and Hashtag Generation on Malicious Convergence: Emerging Trends of Gendered Hate Speech in South Asia at the Asia Pacific Internet Governance Forum 2023. Shmyla Khan the research and policy director at DRF moderated the session and Seerat Khan programs and communications lead spoke on the panel. The session highlighted the emerging trends of hate speech in South Asia. Saritha Irugalbandara from Hashtag Generation spoke about similar trends in Sri Lanka and Prarthana Mitra from POV India also presented case studies from India. Rumky Farhana from Article 19 also shared insights from Bangladesh and moderated the session on-site. DRF’s team also presented the work of the cyber harassment helpline and resource mechanisms available to counter gendered hate speech.

Splice Media Workshop

DRF attended a workshop hosted by Splice Media, supported by Free Press Unlimited. The workshop focused on strategies to build a viable and sustainable media start up.

Provincial Ombudsperson Punjab organized a meeting/discussion on better implementation of the Protection against Harassment of Women at Workplace Act 2010 (Amendment 2012)

On 28 August 2023, DRF attended a meeting titled “Better Implementation of Protection against Harassment of Women at Workplace Act 2010 (Amendment 2012)” arranged by the Ombudsperson, Ms. Nabila Hakim Khan, in Lahore. In light of the increasing number of harassment cases within educational institutions, this meeting included a panel discussion consisting of human rights activists, lawyers, and stakeholders from civil society. Starting with a brief presentation on the Protection against Harassment of Women at Workplace Act 2010 (Amendment 2012), the meeting then led to a discussion about introducing methods for public awareness regarding anti-harassment laws, while also addressing challenges pertaining to human rights enforcement. The objective of the meeting was to collaboratively devise a plan to address challenges regarding the effective implementation of the law and to propose amendments and recommendations for strengthening the application of anti-harassment laws.

Training with Human Rights Defenders by DRF’s Legal Team:

On 17 August 2023, DRF conducted a training session with human rights defenders. The session was initiated with a brief overview of the FIA and proceeded to cover the comprehensive discussion on Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights), Act 2018, cyber laws, and defamation law concerning human rights defenders and activists. The discussion further focused on the recent Shariat Petition verdict, which striked down some provisions of Transgender Act, and explored its impact on the community.

Investigative Fact Checking Skills Training with Africa Women Journalism Project (AWJP)

DRF conducted an online training workshop with women journalists from across Africa on the issue of gender disinformation on August 30, 2023. The session built the capacity of these journalists to monitor, document and report on gender disinformation trends in their region as well as providing an opportunity for knowledge-sharing across the Global South.

Peacemakers Program about Social Media and Hate Speech

DRF representatives partook in a session at the Grief Directory and the session was about making young adults aware of the different ways in which hate speech manifests on digital platforms and the safety measures we can take address the issue. This was arranged for their summer interns.

DRF’s Online Safety Training Session at Maati TV

DRF’s communications manager and digital security trainer  gave a training at the Interactive Resource Centre and Maati TV residency for Digital Storytelling and Social Media Advocacy workshop for journalists and content creators from Multan and Quetta.

DRF at Meta APAC Youth & Safety Summit

The Digital Rights Foundation was invited to join in the Meta Youth & Safety Summit that took place in Singapore from the 28th-30th of August 2023.

Program Manager Zainab Durrani represented the organization and delivered a spotlight presentation on the work our Cyber Harassment Helpline does and the StopNCII.org partnership DRF maintains with Meta through which non-consensual image sharing can be reported. The portal then designates a unique identity to each reported image and ensures said data cannot be shared online.

Additionally, the Summit allowed for a robust exchange of ideas, trends and projects that each organization has accomplished or is currently working on, with excellent strategies and initiatives coming to light from Indonesia, Bangladesh, Australia, Taiwan, Thailand and many more Asia Pacific countries.

Centre for Excellence in Journalism Session:

The Digital Rights Foundation was represented in a session held by the IBA Centre for Excellence in Journalism on the 1st of August 2023.

The session ‘Data Protection: Is the law actually protective?’ was conducted online and streamed live via CEJ at IBA’s Facebook as well and can be viewed here.

Zainab Durrani, Program Manager for DRF’s data privacy portfolio participated in the session and addressed queries regarding the latest (2023) draft of the Personal Data Protection Bill by the Ministry of IT, including reservations and our legal analysis of the proposed legislation.

The session was moderated by Farieha Aziz of Bolo Bhi and other esteemed panelists included Mubariz Siddiqui of Carbon Law, Misbah Naqvi of i2i Ventures and Imran Moinuddin of VentureDrive.

Consultation Session with National Commission on the Rights of Child (NCRC):

DRF attended a consultative meeting with NCRC and civil society organizations on “Child Rights Issues, Challenges and Way Forward in Punjab.” The meeting was chaired by NCRC chairperson Ayesha Raza Farooq. The purpose of the meeting was for civil society organizations to discuss the challenges and rights violations that children in Pakistan experience, and civil society organizations’ experiences and hurdles in working on child rights issues.

DRF highlighted that while the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act 2016 was passed, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) lacks the resources and staff to deal with the sheer number of cases they receive. This results in many cases being overlooked as FIA has to prioritize based on the severity of cases. DRF explained the need to take preventive measures related to online harms by raising awareness of the youth and educators on privacy and consent, online safety, responsible online behavior and how to report cyber harassment. DRF also spoke about its current efforts with the Punjab Education Department to start digital literacy and safety training with students and teachers in public schools.

DRF Updates:

Cyber Harassment Helpline

The Cyber Harassment Helpline received 198 complaints in total August, with 130 complaints by women. If you’re encountering a problem online, you can reach out to our helpline at 0800-39393, email us at [email protected] or reach out to us on our social media accounts. We’re available for assistance from 9 am to 5 pm, Monday to Friday.

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/

 

DRF released its new edition of Digital 50.50 on 'Women, Technology & Gig Economy' in July. The edition focused on the role of women in the digital gig economy in Pakistan and its opportunities and challenges. You can read our new features in the link below:

https://digitalrightsfoundation.pk/women-technology-and-gig-economy

 

DRF Strongly condemns the recent incident of sexual exploitation and harassment at the Islamia University Bahawalpur.

DRF Strongly condemns the recent incident of sexual exploitation and harassment at the Islamia University Bahawalpur. This distressing turn of events marks the third high-profile case in many years. In 2019, a similar incident like this took place at the University of Balochistan, Quetta, and later at the King Edward Medical University Lahore.

Incidents like these are indicative of an alarming pattern of misconduct emerging, where at least two of the known cases implicate the chief of security as the primary accused.

Click here to read our statement:

https://digitalrightsfoundation.pk/drf-strongly-condemns-the-recent-incident-of-sexual-exploitation-and-harassment-at-the-islamia-university-bahawalpur/

Online Campaigns:

The Digital Rights Foundation spoke on the judgment of the Lahore High Court (LHC) dated 13th of July, 2023.The judgment is a seminal development in terms of creating a precedent that highlights the importance of the right to privacy, with respect to seizure of devices, particularly mobile phones, during an investigation.

Here the LHC reads Articles 13 and 14 of the Constitution of Pakistan in conjunction to highlight privacy of individuals and declares spying or extraction of data without a Court order to be unconstitutional and illegal.

DRF is heartened by the take of the honourable justices of the provincial High Court, who have placed emphasis on the protection of the crucial right to privacy.

Policy Initiatives:

July was a busy month for DRF as we worked on policies and proposed laws put forward by the government. DRF is committed to providing feedback to all government stakeholders to improve laws and policies and ensure they are in compliance with international best practices and responsive to local context.

Feedback on ‘Draft National Artificial Intelligence Policy 2023’

DRF submitted it’s detailed feedback to the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunications (MOITT) on the ‘Draft National Artificial Intelligence Policy 2023’. Emerging technologies such as AI are rapidly informing our everyday lives and it is essential that regulation takes into account human rights and Pakistan’s specific context. Our submission seeks to provide a digital rights perspective and signpost loopholes within the existing policy.

The feedback document can be accessed here.

Legal Analysis: Personal Data Protection Bill 2023

The Cabinet has approved a draft of the Personal Data Protection Bill on July 27, 2023 and the Bill is expected to be presented in Parliament soon. DRF has consistently been providing feedback on all versions of the Bill since 2018 and has produced an updated analysis of the latest publicly available version of the Bill (dated May 2023) raising concerns regarding data localisation requirements and independence of the proposed Commission, among other issues.

The updated analysis can be found here.

Blog Post: Digital Rights in Pakistan: A Review of 2023

DRF’s research interns this summer, Maham Sohail and Rameen Durrani, put together a timeline of digital rights-related events in the first six months of 2023 highlighting issues of internet shutdowns, new digital policies and prosecutions based on digital speech.

The blog can be accessed here.

Exploring Jurisprudence on Transgender Rights: A Comparative Study

In light of the recent Federal Shariat Court judgment on the ‘Transgender Persons

(Protection of Rights) Act, 2018’, DRF conducted a study understand the legality of transgender rights from a constitutional, Islamic jurispduence, privacy and gender-based violence perspective.

The study can be found here.

Submission to Meta Oversight Board on Gender-based Violence

DRF submitted its comments for the Meta Oversight Board (OSB) two cases regarding Gender-based Viiolence (2023-002-IG-UA and 2023-005-IG-UA ON VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN (SWEDISH)), the judgment for was issued by the Board in July 2023. DRF’s submission (available here) highlighted the importance of digital spaces in raising issues of Gender-based Violence and how removing content raising awareness regarding these issues is tantamount to gender discrimination.

Cyber Harassment Helpline Policy Brief 2022

DRF launched its cyber harassment policy brief of 2022. The policy brief aims to analyze the work of the helpline with cases of online harassment and violence against journalists and media practitioners.

Link to policy brief:

https://digitalrightsfoundation.pk/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Policy-Brief-Cyber-Harassment-Helpline-2022.pdf

Link to Press Release:

https://digitalrightsfoundation.pk/digital-rights-foundation-received-75-cases-of-online-harassment-against-journalists-in-2022/

Press Coverage:

DRF received 75 cases of Online Harassment of Journalists

DRF’s policy brief was covered by Ananke magazine highlighting the 75 cases of online harassment the helpline received in 2022.

Link to article:

https://anankemag.com/2023/07/24/drf-pakistan-received-75-cases-of-online-harassment-against-journalists/

75 Journalists reported Cyber Harassment in 2022

DRF’s policy brief was covered by Dawn in detail particularly about the 75 online cases the helpline recieved.

Link to article:

https://www.dawn.com/news/1766675/75-journalists-reported-cyber-harassment-in-2022

Events:

Nighat Dad at TrustCon

DRF’s Nighat Dad spoke at TrustCon on a panel discussing  her role at the task force report on the future of web by Atlantic Council. On the panel at the event Nighat also spoke to importance of not just saying “civil society” as if a monolith. Being a civil society group in Pakistan is not the same as US. We don’t always engage w/ those most impacted, or prioritize what they flag. Folks not talking about this years’ Pakistan elections

You can see the newly launched report here:

Scaling trust on the web

Twitter Space: the role of women in the gig economy

Digital 50.50 contributors Wajiha Hyder, Sabin Muzaffar and Aneela Ashraf were part of a twitter space on the role of women in the gig economy highlighting their contributions in the second edition of Digital 50.50.

You can listen to the conversation here:

Thank you to our contributors for such wonderful insight on the topic of Women in the Gig economy @critoe @wajihahyder @AneelaAshraf14 @anankemag @msm_mirza

If you've missed the conversation you can listen to it here again:https://t.co/b1hFGY69f8

— Digital Rights Foundation (@DigitalRightsPK) July 18, 2023

Training with Human Rights Defenders on Digital Safety and Legal Recourse

DRF conducted a series of workshops with human rights defenders on legal recourse and digital safety in the month of July. The team discussed relevant laws with respect to human rights defenders and activists along with online safety tips for them. The workshops took place on the 13th, 17th, 19th and 21st of July.

Workshop on Geolocating Images: Methods, Tools, and Creativity - ETI - 20 July 2023

DRF’s Aqsa Javed attended a workshop on “Geolocating Images: Methods, Tools, and Creativity” which was organized by ETI, on the 20th of July 2023. The workshop was initiated with a brief introduction to the concept of geolocating and image analysis and then led to an overview of how geolocation technology works. Following the initial overview, the workshop delved into a comprehensive discussion of tools, and methods employed for geolocating images by using different techniques, including map markings. Furthermore, the workshop touched upon real-life examples and different online platforms that are available for geolocating images effectively.

DRF Updates:

Cyber Harassment Helpline

The Cyber Harassment Helpline received 250 complaints in total July, with 112 complaints by women and 5 from transgender persons. If you’re encountering a problem online, you can reach out to our helpline at 0800-39393, email us at [email protected] or reach out to us on our social media accounts. We’re available for assistance from 9 am to 5 pm, Monday to Sunday.

DRF NCHR Complaint Cell for Journalists

DRF and NCHR are operating a Complaint Cell to support journalists that have been the target of human rights abuses. The contact information for the Journalist Complaint Cell is available on the NCHR website at https://nchr.gov.pk/contact-us/

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.

 

DRF attended RightsCon this year in San Jose, Costa Rica from July 6th - 8th. The organisation hosted three sessions and spoke at

DRF hosted a dialogue on “Demystifying Self-Regulation Models for Tech Accountability” with Catalina Botero-Marino and Pamela Saint-Martín from the Meta Oversight Board, Mark Howard Stephens, and Maria Luisa Stasi, Head of Law & Policy for digital markets, Article 19. Furthermore, DRF co-hosted two workshops on “Responding to online gender-based violence: co-creating guiding principles for the global south” along with other organisations from South Asia, Delete Nothing and Point of View and on “Co-designing guidelines with first responders”.

The organisation’s Executive Director, Nighat Dad, spoke at 8 panels and Director of Policy and Research at 3 panels on subjects varying from digital regulations, data localisation, transparency, internet shutdowns, online gender-based violence, and digital futures.

 

 

 

Online Campaigns:

#InternationalDayForCounteringHateSpeech

This #InternationalDayForCounteringHateSpeech let's pledge to make our online spaces more safe and inclusive for all.

#StopCyberbullyingDay

Cyberbullying refers to threatening or harassing individuals online using electronic mediums through intimidation and discriminatory messages.

Let's pledge to put a stop to cyberbullying on this #stopcyberbullyingday

DRF Annual Report 2022

DRF's Annual Report 2022 is out now! You can see what we've been up to in 2022 and all our achievements in the link below:

https://digitalrightsfoundation.pk/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Annual-Report-2022.pdf

Policy Initiatives:

Task Force for a Trustworthy Future Web’s report

DRF’s Nighat Dad is now part of the steering committee and bringing the perspective of the global majority in the report by the task Force for a Trustworthy Future Web.

Click here for more information:

https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/in-depth-research-reports/report/scaling-trust/

Press Release:

Gender and the Disaster Response Framework in Pakistan

Last year, our contributor for Digital 50.50, Sana Rizwan Gondal, wrote about Gender & the Disaster Response Framework in Pakistan. A year ahead, we are sharing this to shed light on how relevant it is to talk about disaster response amid the current monsoon & flooding situation.

Read the piece here:

https://www.canva.com/design/DAFQBoYqigE/ukiaqgpXqr1MspxP1ogJAQ/view?utm_content=DAFQBoYqigE&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link&utm_source=homepage_design_menu#5

Events:

Chatham House Rules Cyber Conference 2023

DRF’s Nighat Dad spoke at the Chatham House Cyber Conference and discussed how we can make an open and free internet a reality in an increasingly fragmented world.

London Tech Week

DRF’s Nighat Dad spoke at the London Tech Week focusing on how the internet has empowered women and how technological innovations are important in this day and age.

DRF at NUR Student Leadership Program

DRF’s Seerat Khan conducted a workshop with Nur Student Leadership program on Anti Cyberbullying and Digital awareness with young adults from olevels and alevels. A discussion around what is cyberbullying, consent and safe practices online took place at the workshop.

Sub Regional Launch Addressing Hate Speech Through Education - Nepal 20 - 21 June 2023

DRF was part of the sub-regional launch addressing hate speech through education in Nepal with other UN agencies, regulatory bodies, internet and social media companies, educational stakeholders and youth leaders throughout South Asia in Kathmandu, Nepal on 20 and 21 June 2023. The event marked the launch of the new policy guide published in English – Addressing Hate Speech through Education: a guide for Policy-makers. The event explored the root causes of hate speech in the region and the role that education can play to counter-narratives of hate and promote global citizenship and digital citizenship based on human rights.

Legal Experts Consultation on the Implementation of the Punjab Protection of Women Against Violence (Amendment) Act 2022

DRF participated in a consultation arranged by the Shaikh Ahmad Hassan School of Law, LUMS, Social Welfare Department Government of Punjab, Punjab Women Protection Authority (PWPA) and Dastak Charitable on the 5th and 6th June. The dialogue between the participants entailed reviewing and discussing the implementation of the Punjab Protection of Women Against Violence Act 2016 in light of Sindh’s approach. Besides the procedural and legal ambiguities persistent within the Act, the problems faced by lawyers and human rights defenders were also elaborated upon. The consultation was a healthy discussion about basic women rights and the available forums for women to seek redressal for their domestic issues.

DRF conducted two workshops with the journalist community in Lahore and Islamabad on the 14th and 21st June 2023

As part of DRF’s ongoing work on online safety, DRF conducted two workshops in June with the journalist community to build their capacity in using online space safely and effectively. The workshops were held on 14th and 21st June and were attended by 33 and 27 journalists respectively. The workshop was focused on enhancing the ability of journalists to better utilise online platforms for their work.

MeedanxDRF

DRF was invited to address Meedan’s weekly in-organization meeting on 21 June. The presentation focused on the ways in which gendered disinformation manifests in Pakistan and its effects. The Meedan community engaged enthusiastically with the presentation and had a lot of questions for Nighat and DRF.

HRCP National Consultation on Enshrining the Right to Health

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) conducted a national consultation on enshrining the right to health in the Constitution of Pakistan on the 16th of June, 2023 in Islamabad. The event included policymakers and parliamentarians as well as healthcare and public policy veterans, leading to a robust conversation from a myriad of relevant perspectives.

Program Manager Zainab Durrani attended the consultation on behalf of DRF and shared our report on Data Privacy in Pakistan’s Healthcare Sector while highlighting the need to push for privacy and confidentiality protections within the right to health that HRCP and the civil society are seeking to constitutionally codify and protect.

Oxford Internet Institute (University of Oxford) Community Consultation on UNESCO’s Guidelines for Regulating Digital Platforms (Version 3.0)

On June 20th 2023, DRF’s Senior Research Associate, Noor Waheed,  participated in a hybrid online/in-person community consultation organized by the  Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford to discuss UNESCO’s v3.0 draft of the Guidelines on Regulating Digital Platforms. The session brought together a remarkable group of participants from various stakeholder groups, including doctoral candidates, researchers, policy makers etc. each offering unique research interests and global perspectives, and valuable insights on contentious perspectives that had emerged in previous rounds of consultation.

DRF Updates:

Cyber Harassment Helpline

The Cyber Harassment Helpline received 195 complaints in June, with 55% of the cases being of women. If you’re encountering a problem online, you can reach out to our helpline at 0800-39393, email us at [email protected] or reach out to us on our social media accounts. We’re available for assistance from 9 am to 5 pm, Monday to Sunday.

DRF NCHR Complaint Cell for Journalists

DRF and NCHR are operating a Complaint Cell to support journalists that have been the target of human rights abuses. The contact information for the Journalist Complaint Cell is available on the NCHR website at https://nchr.gov.pk/contact-us/

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.

DRF launched its Cyber Harassment Helpline Annual Report 2022. The Helpline reports over 2500 Cases of Digital Harassment in 2022 and a total of 14,376 cases reported in the last six years.

Click here to read the report:

https://digitalrightsfoundation.pk/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Cyber-Harassment-Helpline-Annual-Report-2022-1.pdf

 

Online Campaigns:

World Press Freedom Day #WPFD2023

3rd May marks World Press Freedom Day and today we pledge to make our spaces more inclusive, safe and free for journalists and the press. DRF initiated an online campaign to mark the day and held a Twitter space with renowned women journalists to discuss pressing issues that journalists face in this day and age.

This World Press Freedom Day DRF held a Twitter Space with Asma Shirazi, Afia Salam and Mehmal Sarfraz on this year’s theme of #WPFD2023 on Shaping a Future of Rights: Freedom of Expression as a driver for all other Human Rights.

You can tune into the conversation here:

https://twitter.com/DigitalRightsPK/status/1653661121092415489?s=20

#CensorshipAwarenessCampaign

DRF joined Free Press Unlimited in a #CensorshipAwareness campaign to mark the #WPFD2023 under which a custom font #Erased erases 363 words, one for every imprisoned journalist across the globe. We stand up for journalists & highlight the importance of free press because we can’t read what is never published.

Policy Initiatives:

#PushBackUNESCO

CSOs from the Asia Pacific are highly alarmed by the newly proposed guidelines by UNESCO on regulating digital platforms. We ask for a review of these guidelines keeping in mind the human rights framework. #PushbackUNESCO

CSOs from the Asia Pacific are highly alarmed by the newly proposed guidelines by UNESCO on regulating digital platforms. We ask for a review of these guidelines keeping in mind the human rights framework.#PushbackUNESCO pic.twitter.com/LPoHKS1rK4

— Digital Rights Foundation (@DigitalRightsPK) May 31, 2023

The proposed @UNESCO 'Guidelines for Regulating Digital Platforms' has significant risks to human rights. Support the joint statement signed by civil society organisations (including @engagemedia).https://t.co/7sVO63jPit

#PushBackUNESCO pic.twitter.com/xTPLrmmYOr

— EngageMedia (@EngageMedia) May 31, 2023

Press Coverage:

DRF’s Cyber Harassment Helpline Annual Report 2022

The Cyber Harassment Helpline Report 2022 has been extensively covered by media outlets in the country.

Dawn: https://www.dawn.com/news/1754718/2600-harassment-complaints-received-in-a-year-drf

Express Tribune:

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2417727/1

Samaa English:

https://www.samaaenglish.tv/news/40035841/pakistan-rights-helpline-reported-over-2500-cases-of-digital-harassment-in-2022

Ebuzz:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CseYKtdrvSp/?igshid=MmJiY2I4NDBkZg==

The News:

https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/1072502-drf-s-reports-over-2-500-cases-of-digital-harassment-in-2022

Voice.pk:

https://voicepk.net/2023/05/pakistans-cyber-harassment-crisis-drf-report-reveals-2695-new-cases-in-2022/

Daily Times:

https://dailytimes.com.pk/1095531/online-harassment-2/

The News editorial:

https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/1073283-harassment-online

Tribune editorial:

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2418053/online-harassment

Tribune editorial 2:

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2418801/digital-hate-speech

Dawn editorial:

https://www.dawn.com/news/1755206/cyber-complaints

DRF on Dawn News

DRF's Nighat Dad spoke to Dawn News about whether our devices are secure and highlighted if WhatsApp is really secure and what other alternative options are available.

https://twitter.com/DigitalRightsPK/status/1655526477645897729?s=20

DRF at Geo Pakistan

DRF's Nighat Dad spoke to Geo Pakistan about the need to use social media platforms in a responsible manner.

https://twitter.com/DigitalRightsPK/status/1659176159282860032?s=20

Appearance on ‘Suno Pakistan’

DRF was invited to Suno News’ morning show ‘Suno Pakistan’ to talk about its Helpline report, digital safety tips and responsible digital citizenship.

The news segment can be accessed here:

https://www.facebook.com/sunopakistanHD/videos/262652242823030/.

Events:

Stockholm Internet Forum:

DRF was invited to participate in SIF’23 held in Stockholm, Sweden from 30-31 May. The first panel held on Day 1 was titled ‘Disinformation and everyday surveillance: lessons from locally-led responses to democratic crises, natural disasters, and conflicts’ where DRF highlighted three ways in which disinformation manifests in Pakistan currently, including attacks on women journalists and the transgender community, and how it affects democracy. On Day 2, Nighat Dad spoke on the panel titled ‘Internet shutdowns; Weaponizing of access’, where she underscored the different ways in which an internet shutdown can take place other than just blanket bans, and the massive economic burden of the shutdowns in Pakistan.

Palestine Digital Activism Forum

DRF’s Nighat Dad spoke on the Palestine Digital RigHTS Forum on a fireside talk around how Meta moderates content in Arabic and Hebrew with 7amleh.

Training at Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) on cybercrime and redressal pathways

Nighat Dad delivered a training workshop to participants on May 19 from across Pakistan on digital harassment and gender-based violence for first responders. The workshop entailed appraising participants of ways to address cases relating to digital spaces keeping in mind gender-sensivity, consent and data privacy of survivors.

Training with journalists during Workshop on ‘The International Human Rights System and its Uses for the Safety of Journalists in Pakistan’

Organised by OHCHR, PCHR and PFUJ, DRF delivered a session on online challenges faced by journalists in Pakistan on May 19 in Lahore. The workshop focused on digital safety and disinformation as major reasons digital insecurity of journalists and media practitioners in Pakistan.

GNMI Consultation on GBV Literature

Zainab Durrani and Zoya Dawar from the Digital Rights Foundation attended a multi-stakeholder consultation conducted by the Global Neighbourhood for Media Innovation (GNMI) on Thursday the 25th of May, 2023. The consultation included members of the civil society, NGO representatives, journalists and human rights activists who were gathered by GNMI to offer feedback and validation to the 3 recent publications that have been published by them under their Gen-J (Gender Justice) project.

The literature was well-researched and put together as a tool for journalists and GBV survivors both, and included reporting and referral mechanisms and a directory of relevant laws. Ms. Durrani commented on the need for focusing on tech-facilitated GBV (TFGBV) in digital spaces and calling for platform accountability, as a core avenue for advocacy, to strengthen the much-needed work GNMI is doing around GBV in Pakistan.

Ms. Dawar shared how streamlining issues faced by a survivor can be streamlined by introducing a collective which keeps a survivor updated with the tools and practices that they can facilitate the process of receiving justice. It was also discussed how DRF facilitates this through their helpline for cyber harassment cases. Contact information and the number of the helpline was shared with different shelter homes, journalists and NGOs which were present at the meeting.

DRAPAC’23:

DRF participated in the Digital Rights Asia-Pacific Assembly (DRAPAC) organized by EngageMedia and held in Chiang Mai, Thailand from 22-26 May. Four sessions were hosted by the DRF team during the intensive week, including ‘Investigating VPN censorship with Open Data: landscape survey and research questions’, ‘Technology exacerbated new forms of online gender-based violence (OGBV)’, ‘Decolonizing Data for Data Justice’, ‘Defaming criticism: the use of defamation laws to silence voices’. The DRF team members were also asked to speak on two other panels: ‘Building Momentum on Digital Rights’ and ‘Internet Shutdown: Risks, Needs and Challenges’. The week was full of insightful conversations, and eye-opening learnings with the opportunity to connect with peers working in digital rights spaces from the Asia Pacific region.

Peace Connects Consultation on Youth-Centred Digital Peacebuilding in South and Southeast Asia

                               

DRF participated in Peace Connects Consultation arranged by UNDP in Bangkok. Amongst the multiple sessions conducted during this 2-day consultation - DRF representative, Ms. Irum Shujah spoke about the digital harms in the context of Pakistan and DRF’s role in actively engaging with those online ills.

The session brought together individuals from various backgrounds and explored ways to employ comprehensive analytical frameworks to tackle digital harm effectively. The key takeaway from the session was starting the dialogue about the need to identify a "hateful environment" on the internet and the much-required sensitization of everyday internet users. The panel discussion also shed light on the fundamental imbalance of accountability within the tech industry.

Justice Project Pakistan organized a Consultative dialogue with UN OHCHR's Ms. Christine Chung

On 17 May 2023, DRF’s Shafia and Aqsa joined a consultative dialogue arranged by Justice Project Pakistan in Lahore titled “Consultative dialogue with UN OHCHR's Ms. Christine Chung” which included a panel consisting of lawyers, human rights activists, and stakeholders from the civil society. This consultation was held in light of the upcoming pre-session of Pakistan's review by the Human Rights Committee, as well as the ongoing international accreditation process of the National Commission for Human Rights under the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions, and the role of civil society in these matters. During this consultation, issues encountered by NGOs during the registration procedure, and challenges pertaining to human rights enforcement were discussed. The objective was to collaboratively devise a plan to address these challenges effectively.

ICRC and RSIL Diplomacy Law and Policy Roundtable on Cyber Security and Law

On May 17th 2023, DRF’s Senior Research Associate, Noor Waheed, was invited to a roundtable discussion on Cyber Security and the Law hosted by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Research Society of International Law (RSIL) in Islamabad as part of their Diplomacy, Law and Policy (DLP) initiative. The roundtable featured experts in the field of technology, policy,  human rights, security and international law that weighed in on the applicability of international humanitarian law on cyber-warfare and the effectiveness of Pakistan’s cyber-security legal and infrastructural framework.

Online Awareness Session in collaboration with Forman Christian College University (FCCU) on laws dealing with domestic violence in Pakistan

DRF participated in a session on domestic violence in Pakistan arranged by FCCU society in collaboration with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Ms. Aqsa Javed and Ms. Shafia Imran Lati spoke to FCCU students and the female participants from a local village on the Punjab Protection of Women against Violence Act, 2016, and the relevant provisions of the Pakistan Penal Code. The speakers elaborated upon the relevant procedure and the basics of domestic violence. The overall session revolved around the discussion on how to change the behaviour of individuals toward domestic violence. Ms. Shafia and Aqsa also addressed the queries raised by women related to their cases and their personal circumstances.

DRF Updates:

Cyber Harassment Helpline

The Cyber Harassment Helpline received 182 complaints in April, with most cases being around financial fraud. If you’re encountering a problem online, you can reach out to our helpline at 0800-39393, email us at [email protected] or reach out to us on our social media accounts. We’re available for assistance from 9 am to 5 pm, Monday to Sunday.

DRF NCHR Complaint Cell for Journalists

DRF and NCHR are operating a Complaint Cell to support journalists that have been the target of human rights abuses. The contact information for the Journalist Complaint Cell is available on the NCHR website at https://nchr.gov.pk/contact-us/

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.

 

 

Digital 50.50 feminist e-magazine Edition 1 on Innovation & Technological Change for achieving gender equality in the digital age is now live on our website.

https://digitalrightsfoundation.pk/innovation-and-technological-change-for-achieving-gender-equality-in-the-digital-age/

Policy Initiatives

Nadra launches ‘Ijazat Ap Ki’ Service by Zainab Durrani

DRF's new blog post reviews the newly launched 'Ijazat Ap Ki' service by Nadra and how it works. According to news coverage 'Ijazat ap ki' is a service which will be using a one-time password (OTP) to collect the authorization of the individual before verification of their Computerized National Identity Card (CNIC). The development of the app and safeguarding the rights of Pakistani citizens in digital spaces, especially through data privacy, is a positive first step  and one that must be accompanied by the principles of transparency and accountability by Nadra. We'd also like to acknowledge Chairperson Tariq Malik and Nadra for being forthcoming about the app & we reiterate the need for data protection legislation in the country. DRF will continue to monitor the developments under this new service & state of privacy in the country.

Read the blog here:

https://digitalrightsfoundation.pk/nadra-launches-ijazat-ap-ki-service/

Feminist Approaches to Digital Safety: Perspective from the Global South

DRF’s Shmyla Khan wrote about Feminist Approaches to Digital Safety: Perspective from the Global South'.

Link to blog:

https://digitalrightsfoundation.pk/feminist-approaches-to-digital-safety-perspectives-from-the-global-south/

Analyzing Content Regulation and Model of the Council of Complaints of the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA)

DRF published an analysis of PEMRA’s regulations, particularly in light of the C.P. No.3506 of  2020, PEMRA etc vs ARY Digital judgment by the Supreme Court this month authored by Justices Mansoor Ali Shah and Ayesha Malik on the composition of the Council of Complaints, process of decision-making within PEMRA and powers of regulating broadcast content.

Access here.

DRF partners with organizations across South Asia on Gendered Disinformation Project

DRF partnered with other organizations for a project of documenting gendered disinformation in South Asia as part of the Sexual Violence Research Initiative (SVRI) Knowledge for Action to End Violence Against Women and Violence Against Children Research Grant 2023. DRF will be working with lead organization Meedan for the project which will focus on weaponization of false information and narratives to silence and target women and gender minorities across South Asia.

Press Coverage

Digital rights activist makes Pakistan’s presence felt at democracy summit

DRF’s Nighat Dad speech from the democracy summit was featured at Dawn News. She emphasized the importance of margnalized groups being included in conversations online.

Read the full piece here:

https://www.dawn.com/news/1745290

DRF’s Irum Shujah speaking about Digital Right’s Foundation’s scope of work and impact

DRF’s Irum Shujah spoke to Sophie Flemming from Global Human Rights Defence (GHRD) in a short online interview wherein she spoke about Digital Rights Foundation’s scope and its subsequent impact. The prevailing issue of digital crimes and cyber harassment in Pakistan were discussed. The interview also entailed introduction of the DRF’s Cyber Harassment Helpline and its role in helping survivors of the crimes committed in cyber spaces.

Online Campaigns

#GirlsInICTDay

This Girls in ICT Day let's aim to ensure greater access of girls to digital devices and the internet to ensure gender equality on Hamara Internet and offline spaces.

Twitter Space &  launch of Digital 50.50 magazine on Innovation & Technological change for achieving gender equality

DRF’s Network of Women Journalists for Digital Rights (NWJDR) took part in our twitter space & launch of our latest edition of the Digital 50.50 magazine on Innovation & Technological change for achieving gender equality.

Listen to the conversation here:

https://twitter.com/DigitalRightsPK/status/1651893324502974464?s=20

Always make sure to sell or exchange your items in a public setting and avoid being alone.????

☎️ You can contact our Cyber Harassment Helpline for further queries at 0800-39393, [email protected] or on our socials.

International Health Day

This International Health Day we'd like to highlight our work on Data Privacy in Pakistan's Healthcare Sector and why it's important.

Here's our findings on Data Privacy in the healthcare sector:

https://digitalrightsfoundation.pk/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Study-Health-Care-Report.pdf

#HealthForAll #WHO75

Events

TED Conference 2023

DRF’s Nighat Dad attended the annual Ted Conference at e West Coast of North America, the TED Conference. The conference was attended by more than a thousand people attend for five-days discussing Technology, Entertainment and Design -- as well as science, business, the arts and the global issues facing our world. There were over 70 speakers on the main stage to give talks and shorter presentations, including music, performance and comedy.

Technology Facilitated Gender Based Violence (online event)

DRF’s Nighat Dad spoke in an online webinar with the International Feminist Legal Network (IFLN)  on technology-facilitated gender-based violence.

https://www.feminist-legal.com/events/technology-facilitated-gender-based-violence

Disinformation, Censorship and Eternal Search For Truth

DRF’s Nighat Dad spoke at the International Journalism Festival at Perguia Italy on how to tackle online disinformation in post-truth world. #ijf23

DRF Talk at Accountability Lab’s #ackCorruption Hackathon

Project Manager Zainab Durrani virtually addressed the participants at the second #ackCorruption Hackathon organized by Accountability Lab Global in Nepal on the 28th of April 2023. The theme of the conversation was around the concept of ‘Digital citizenship to constrain corruption’ where Ms. Durrani highlighted the importance of using technology to build the anti-corruption movement.

She also spoke about the open data and open governance movements and underscored the importance of transparency as the key element in eradicating corrupt practices and systems.

The talk was attended by participants from Bangladesh, Nepal and Pakistan who had been brought together for the 3-day event to brainstorm and present their ideas on tackling the epidemic of corruption in the region.

DRF Updates

Cyber Harassment Helpline

The Cyber Harassment Helpline received 182 complaints in April, with most cases being around financial fraud. If you’re encountering a problem online, you can reach out to our helpline at 0800-39393, email us at [email protected] 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.

 

Nighat Dad spoke at a high-level panel at the Summit for Democracy along with US Secretary of Sate Tony Blinkin, Ambassador of Argentina Jorge Argüello, and Funke Opeke. Nighat raised spoke about the important role of civil society in upholding digital rights and the ways states can strengthen democracies in their context and worldwide. #SummitForDemocracy

Policy Initiatives

Submission to the UN Global Digital Compact

In March, DRF held two online consultations to consolidate findings for their submission to the UN Global Digital Compact. The consultations were on the following topics: building climate change resilience in internet technologies and overcoming language barriers by developing technologies around local languages and contexts. DRF invited and interviewed experts and stakeholders in the field of law, policy, climate change, technology and design.

Online Campaigns

International Women’s Day 2023

DRF celebrated International Women’s Day and this 8th March we salute and celebrate the resilience, strength and power of all women and gendered minorities.

#InternationalWomensDay

#HamaraInternetSabKaInternet #OnlineSafetyForAll

DRF concluded it’s campaign on #HamaraInternetSabKaInternet #OnlineSafetyForAll which highlighted the importance of fact checking information online and curbing misinformation and disinformation in online spaces.

#IWD2023 - International Women’s Day

DRF went live on Instagram this International Women's Day with its program managers to showcase the important work they do to make online spaces a safe place for all.

Press Coverage

Women push back in Pakistan, coup anniversary, BBC raid, and silencing independent media across Asia

DRF’s Nighat Dad spoke with IFEX speaking about digital rights and women's rights in Pakistan.

https://ifex.medium.com/women-push-back-in-pakistan-coup-anniversary-bbc-raid-and-silencing-independent-media-across-fd1f87c77fda

Empowering Women and Girls through Digital Access and Technology

The World Justice Challenge network showcased DRF’s work highlighting our work on educating women & girls about online harassment.

https://worldjusticeproject.org/news/empowering-women-and-girls-through-digital-access-and-technology

Digital rights activist makes Pakistan’s presence felt at democracy summit

DRF’s Nighat Dad attended the US democracy summit highlighting the struggle to create room for the majority in the virtual space dominated by technology companies and governments.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1745290/digital-rights-activist-makes-pakistans-presence-felt-at-democracy-summit

Events

Global Launch Event of a policy guide on Addressing Hate Speech through Education

DRF's Nighat Dad spoke at UNESCO Costa Rica’s Global Launch Event of a policy guide on Addressing Hate Speech through Education at the University of Peace in San Jose, Costa Rica.

Listen to the conversation here:

Catalysing Collecting Action to End Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence

DRF’s Nighat Dad talks about transparency and accountability being the key for social media companies. She highlights how countries and tech platforms can be better partners to activists and civil society to address online harassment and abuse. #CSW67

Regional Consultation on the Adoption of the Bangkok General Guidance for Judges on Applying a Gender Perspective in South and Southeast Asia

DRF’s Nighat Dad participated at the Regional Consultation on the Adoption of the Bangkok General Guidance for Judges on Applying a Gender Perspective in South and Southeast Asia by ICJ Asia and Pacific.

Refresher Workshop for Prosecutors & Legal Aid Lawyer on Marriage Rights and Violence against Women

DRF’s Legal Team attended a one (01) day refresher workshop organized by Musawi in collaboration with the Center for Professional Development of Public Prosecutors, for prosecutors and legal aid lawyers on “Marriage Rights and Violence against Women” on 22 March 2023. The primary objective of the workshop was to involve prosecutors and legal aid lawyers in a dialogue about their roles in upholding rules/regulations and by-laws on women’s marriage rights in Punjab, such as Muslim family laws, including those related to child marriage, statutes on violence against women, and provision of legal aid regulations in Punjab. Furthermore, the workshop also covered a discussion on the practical implementation of laws including but not limited to the Punjab Protection of Women Against Violence Act 2016, the Anti-Rape (Investigation and Trial) Act 2021, the Muslim Family Laws Ordinance 1961, and the Punjab Legal Aid Act 2018, and others.

Virtual Awareness Session about the Importance of Digitalization

DRF spoke for Water Environment and Sanitation Society (WESS) at the Virtual Awareness Session about the Importance of Digitalization in Quetta online with girls and boys. Around 30 people attended the session and learned about how to protect themselves online.

Oxfam: From Hashtags to Action: Leveraging Digital Spaces for Feminist Activism

DRF’s Seerat Khan spoke on Instagram Live by Oxfam Asia on the topic ‘From Hashtags to Action: Leveraging Digital Spaces for Feminist Activism’ highlighting how women and margnalized groups are using online spaces to amplify their causes.

DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality

DRF’s Programs and Comms Lead Seerat Khan spoke on International Women’s Day on the panel “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality” Leveraging Technology to support the elimination of Gender-Based Violence and Women’s Empowerment. Seerat focused on technology-facilitated gender-based violence emphasizing the policy and legal solutions and gaps for survivors.

International Conference on Sustainable Development in Pakistan: Exploring local discourses and Seeking Solutions

The University of Home Economics, in collaboration with its internal Departments and other partners, collaborated to hold a dialogue about the problems and their solutions in the current circumstances where gender disparity has become an indefinite reality. Ms Irum Shujah, Senior Legal Associate at DRF, spoke in the conference’s first session, “Gender, Law and Social justice: Applied Perspectives”. She mainly discussed the possibility of the digital avenue(s) becoming hosts of gender-based violence and, in light of the same, elaborated upon the prevalent risks in the digital spaces which are faced by an average Pakistani woman on a daily basis. She shared her relevant experiences from courts while assisting complainants of cyber harassment and other cases registered under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016. The discussion revolved around online modesty and she concluded her part by giving possible solutions to these online abuses.

Panel Discussion: Hate Speech & Disinformation – Protecting the rights of women and girls in digital spaces

DRF took part in a panel discussion hosted by the British High Commission at March 17, 2023 on digital hate speech to understand the specific issues of digital hate speech directed towards women and the transgender community focusing on the role of regulation.

Panel: “Internet for All”

DRF took part in the panel discussion titled “Internet for All” at EconFest 2023 organised by Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE) on March 12, 2023 discussing issues of internet access, particularly around the gender digital divide.

MozFest 2023: Building escalation channels for online abuse: learning from fact checking systems to protect human rights defenders and journalists

DRF partnered with Meedan’s Check platform and PEN America to co-host a participatory and inclusive workshop on escalation channels in terms of the challenges faced, the models that can be adopted and recommendations to improve these channels.

WoW Festival

The Women of the World Festival was held in Karachi on 4th and 5th March, 2023. DRF participated in the festival by moderating the panel ‘Protecting Yourself Online’, which brought together Dr. Saiqa Imtiaz and Anusheh Naveed to discuss the ways in which women’s personal information and financial vulnerabilities have been targeted by online scams and what can be done to guard against these.

Session with IMC

To mark International Women’s Day on 8th March, the International Medical Corps invited DRF to address a virtual session with their employees titled ‘Digital Rights, Online Harassment, and Way Forward’. The session was interactive and the participants engaged thoroughly with topics such as consent, online harassment and legal protections available.

Creating Safe and Empowering Spaces for Women Online

DRF’s Nighat Dad, ahead of #InternationalWomensDay spoke on an Instagram Live session by Meta’s oversight board, looking at some of the ways we can make the digital world safer, more inclusive, and more equitable.

Shimshal Youth Forum: Digital Rights and Safe Spaces for Women

DRF was invited to speak at the Shimshal Youth Forum on the 3rd of March, 2023. Legal team member Shafia Imran, Helpline team member Zoya Dawar and Project Manager Zainab Durrani joined the session virtually and spoke with young girls from Shimshal, Gilgit Baltistan. The theme of the session focused on ‘Digital Rights and Safe Spaces for Women’, which allowed DRF experts to go over the basic parameters of Pakistan’s digital rights landscape.

Ms Shafia discussed the basic concepts related to privacy, and digital security under the ambit of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act 2016 and the accompanying legal framework surrounding cyber crimes such as that cyber stalking, cyber harassment and child pornography. The legal part of the discussion aimed at educating its audience about their fundamental digital rights in the digital spaces.

Ms Zoya spread digital awareness for girls in secondary schools and above; what constitutes online harassment and the common forms of online violence. It was also discussed how these attacks are usually gendered and what can be considered informed consent. Some digital security tips were provided to the children and different ways to secure their devices were shared.

PTA Digital Gender Inclusion Strategy

DRF was invited to attend the PTA’s Validation Workshop on Digital Gender Inclusion Strategy on 28th March, which was attended virtually. During the workshop, the draft strategy was introduced and the research methodology was explained after which input and questions were taken from the participants.

DRF Updates

Cyber Harassment Helpline

The Cyber Harassment Helpline received 225 complaints in March, with most cases being around the non-consensual use of information. If you’re encountering a problem online, you can reach out to our helpline at 0800-39393, email us at [email protected] 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.

 

DRF’s Nighat Dad joined UNESCO’S #InternetForTrust conference speaking on content moderation in crisis: the oversight board model. She highlighted that while we are looking at other content moderation mechanisms, we need to look at what’s already there. If we want to create a good framework, we must look at international human rights law. She also spoke about civil society spaces in some contexts are diminishing. How do we do a true multistakeholder process without having civil society meaningfully engaged.

Online Campaigns

#SaferInternetDay

This Safer Internet Day DRF strives to work towards making the internet a safe and inclusive space for all. #SaferInternetDay

Recent cases of women getting trapped in unsafe situations while going for job interviews

Recent reports have indicated women getting trapped in unsafe situations leading to harassment while going for job interviews. Before you go for an interview observe the following things about the situation.For further assistance and help contact our cyber harassment helpline on 0800-39393, [email protected] or our socials.

Policy Initiatives

DRF strongly condemns the downgrading of access to Wikipedia in Pakistan

DRF strongly condemns the downgrading of access to Wikipedia in Pakistan. The PTA has 'degraded' access to Wikipedia for 48 hours with the possibility of completely banning the platform if it does not comply with their requests. #SaveWikipedia

Press Coverage

Nighat Dad spoke to Dawn News about the Prevention of Electronics Crimes Act (PECA)

DRF’s Executive Director spoke to Dawn News regarding Sikander Sheikh’s arrest with three-year jail by using PECA. She highlighted how this particular incident is an attack on free speech and the fundamental rights of the citizens.

Link to video: https://twitter.com/NewsWiseDN/status/1626687545164677121?s=20

DRF's Executive Director Nighat Dad spoke to Dawn News on Internet Censorship and the recent Wikipedia ban.

DRF’s Nighat Dad spoke to Dawn News, highlighting the ban on Wikipedia in Pakistan. She shared how a 'disabling' environment is being created for the IT and communications industry despite the industry's major contributions to the economy.

Link to video: https://twitter.com/DigitalRightsPK/status/1623287035690733569?s=20

Nighat Dad on Bol News speaking about loan application scams

DRF's Executive Director Nighat Dad spoke on Bol News about the recent online loan application scam and how social media platforms are being used by mafias to scam innocent people.

Link to video: https://twitter.com/DigitalRightsPK/status/1620757684323770368?s=20

DRF's ED Nighat Dad is showcased on the current as Boss Ladies of South Asia.

Read the piece here: https://thecurrent.pk/boss-ladies-of-south-asia-women-entrepreneurs-are-taking-over-social-media-and-how/

DRF launched its report on Data Privacy in the Healthcare sector

Coverage of the healthcare data privacy report is below:

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2403632/patient-data-protection-stressed
https://www.dawn.com/news/1739478/law-to-protect-privacy-of-patients-stressed
https://www.samaaenglish.tv/news/40028399/pakistan-human-rights-focused-data-protection-law-demanded
https://dunyanews.tv/en/Health/702854-Report-on-%E2%80%98Data-Privacy-in-Pakistan%E2%80%99s-Healthcare-Sector%E2%80%99-launched
https://rava.pk/news/press-release/digital-rights-foundation-launches-report-on-data-privacy-in-pakistans-healthcare-sector/
https://jfhr.pk/only-40-9-of-medical-data-obtained-with-consent-survey/

Events

UN Women Panel: CSW 67: Addressing online and technology-facilitated GBV

DRF’s Executive Director Nighat Dad took part in a panel hosted by UN Women in preparation of the CSW 67 in March 2023 on tech-facilitated GBV. Nighat spoke from her extensive experience on the issue on adopting a holistic approach to tackling TFGBV, particularly investing in survivor-centric approaches.

Nighat Dad at #MSC2023

During #MSC2023 for the BMW Foundation, Nighat Dad emphasized on how technology looks in next democratic paradigm, and how we should bear in mind that govt regulation of platforms alone may not be a “cure-all.” It can even leave the door open for less democratic regimes to suppress free speech online.

Panel Discussion on ‘Think Before You Type: A Discussion on Cyberbullying in Pakistan’ at LUMS

DRF’s executive director Nighat Dad spoke at LUMS on a panel discussion on ‘Think Before You Type: A Discussion on Cyberbullying in Pakistan’.  Experts on the panel dissected various aspects and types of cyberharassment, the legal repercussions and policy framework, the gender inequality and lack of safety, in the digital spaces in Pakistan.

#TSCollab Meta Oversight Board - how's it going so far?

DRF’s Executive Director spoke for the #TSCollab on how has the Board evolved from conception to practice. She spoke about her work on the board and the lessons learned in building a first-of-its-kind institution

Details of the online event below:

https://www.spectrumlabsai.com/tscollab-registration-february-10

Panel Discussion on “Ending Digital Violence Against Women” at LUMS

Shmyla Khan, director for research and policy, spoke at a panel hosted by VoicePK at LUMS titled “Ending Digital Violence Against Women”. The panel included parliamentarian Mehnaz Akber Aziz, Senator Ali Zafar and Punjab Cyber Crime Wing FIA Director Jahanzeb Nazir Khan, and hosted by Muneze Jahangir and Usama Khilji. The panel discussion was proceeded by the screening of a documentary on online gender-based violence. The documentary can be seen here.

Link to panel recording.
Panel coverage in Dawn.

Regional Event: Inclusive and Intersectional Digital Safety in South Asia

On 16th February 2023, Digital Rights Foundation in partnership with Meedan hosted a webinar on the issue of digital safety and human rights issues in South Asia on Zoom with pre-registered attendees.The webinar titled “Inclusive and Intersectional Digital Safety in South Asia” included a panel consisting of digital rights and security experts from across the South Asian region. The experts included Debarati Das, co-leader of Grassroots Capacity Building at Point of View, a feminist non-profit in India working with women, girls, gender minorities, and people with disabilities; Kat Lo, Content Moderation Lead at Meedan and Research Affiliate at the Center for Responsible, Ethical, and Accountable Technology (University of California, Irvine); Namya Gunawardena, Project Lead of ‘Prathya’ (an ecosystem of support for persons affected by Online Gender- Based Violence) at Hashtag Generation Sri Lanka; and Seerat Khan, Programs and Comms Lead at DRF. The panel was moderated by Senior Research Associate, DRF, Noor Waheed.

Training of Trainers (ToT) at Sukkur on 4th and 5th Feburary 2023

DRF conducted a pre and post-assessment of the participants attending the training of trainers with 33 participants, out of which 28 were trainees from the adjacent areas of Sukkur. The aim of the training was to build the capacity of the trainers so they’re able to deliver the tools and material provided to them ahead to their students as master trainers.

Twitter Space: Making digital safety more accessible in Pakistan

DRF hosted a Twitter space on how to make digital safety and security more accessible to general population in the country, particularly those communities which lack digital literacy. The space was hosted by Shmyla Khan with Noman Fareed, Digital Security Expert as speaker. A recording of the space can be heard here.

Workshop: Digital Safety at Human Rights Commission of Pakistan

DRF’s trainers conducted a workshop on Digital Safety at HRCP working with pariticipants on how to stay safe online while using social media, instilling basic digital safety tools such as strong passwords and 2FA.

WISE Virtual Cafe

Project Manager Zainab Durrani appeared in a Virtual Cafe webinar organized by WISE (Women in Struggle for Empowerment) on the 15th of February, 2023. The online session was cast live via the WISE Facebook page and focused on ‘Gender and Power in Digital Spaces’

Zainab shared the situation of the gender digital divide in Pakistan, the limited access provided to the women and girls in Pakistan and the dynamics of gender and privacy specific to the country.

The video can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/wise.npo/videos/1132619660737021

‘Data Privacy in Pakistan’s Healthcare Sector’ Report Launch

DRF launched its latest report ‘Data Privacy in Pakistan’s Healthcare Sector’ on February 27th with an event that was hosted at the Parklane Hotel in Lahore. The event started off with a brief discussion on the current status quo of healthcare privacy, led by Program Manager and lead researcher Zainab Durrani. This was followed by a comprehensive overview of the main objectives, key outcomes and findings of the study.

The session remained interactive throughout with great input from the audience which included healthcare workers, public health researchers and health IT specialists. Additionally, the second half of the event focused on gathering feedback from the attendees through a session titled ‘Pathway Building for Safer Data Practices’.

The report was well received and remarked upon as ‘the need of the hour’ by the attendees. Many of them also noted an interest in any future collaboration on the issues surrounding health IT and devisement of next steps that we can all take, as members of the civil society.

Consultation: ‘Gender Digital Divide in Pakistan’

Digital Rights Foundation was invited to present their expert opinion on the consultation hosted by the National Commission on the Status of Women on the topic ‘Gender Digital Divide in Pakistan’. The contribution focused on the state of online gender based violence in Pakistan and suggestions on how all stakeholders can tackle the problem.

DRF Updates

Cyber Harassment Helpline

The Cyber Harassment Helpline received 273 complaints in February with most cases being around financial fraud. If you’re encountering a problem online, you can reach out to our helpline on 0800-39393, email us at [email protected] or reach out to us on our social media accounts. We’re available for assistance from 9 am till 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.

 

 

 

DRF's Executive Director Nighat Dad represented Pakistan at the young global voices leader forum at the world economic forum in Davos this year touching key issues around digital rights and evolving technologies on the forum. She made essential interventions around digital rights & inclusion & around regulatory mechanisms sharing her work with Meta’s Oversight Board. Nighat highlighted the ethical, political, social & economic concerns around AI & regulatory mechanisms and the need to include global voices in these conversations to make these mechanisms more inclusive.

Online Campaigns

#OnlinePrivacyCheckup

DRF launched an online campaign in January titled, ‘Online Privacy Checkup’ in which infographics around data privacy were shared. The infographics covered important topics like sim spoofing, scams and safe ways to use Play Store apps.

Policy Initiatives

Policy Paper: Unpacking Content Moderation in Local Languages

DRF published its policy paper on the content moderation of non-English content by focusing on Dari and Pashto content to understand the unique challenges in moderating content in religional languages. Our findings were similar other research outcomes from across the Global South: automated and human-moderated systems particularly fail users from areas where English isn’t the primary mode of communication.

The policy paper can be accessed here.

#DataPrivacyDay

This data protection day DRF showcased our work on data privacy and its various scopes on healthcare data. Data privacy is paramount in our everyday lives, especially in hospitals, during the pandemic. Our research 'A Privacy Perspective The Collection & Use of Heath Data in Pakistan' highlights the importance of health care data.

Link to study:https://digitalrightsfoundation.pk/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Health-Data-Study.pdf

#DataProtectionDay  #DataPrivacyDay

Press Coverage

DRF Condemns the violent death of an 18 year old in Charsadda over a dancing video by her father

DRF worked on a statement highlighting the violent death of an 18-year-old in Charsadda over a dancing video by her father.

Read the statement here:

https://digitalrightsfoundation.pk/drf-condemns-the-violent-death-of-an-18-year-old-in-charsadda-over-a-dancing-video-by-her-father/

Nighat Dad Speaks On Digital Rights And Inclusion At Davos

The Friday Times covered DRF Executive Director Nighat Dad’s speech in Davos around digital rights and inclusion.

Read the piece here: https://www.thefridaytimes.com/2023/01/25/nighat-dad-speaks-on-digital-rights-and-inclusion-at-davos/

Events

Nighat Dad speaking at UNESCO headquarters on gendered disinformation and platforms

DRF’s Nighat Dad spoke at UNESCO headquarters on gendered disinformation and what steps platforms can take. She identified gaps as the Oversight Board member in their recent case decision and the recommendations they’ve given to Meta. She highlighted the aims of the oversight board and laid a special emphasis on Gender as their priority.

Cyber Laws and the Constitution of Pakistan

DRF’s Nighat Dad spoke at FC College on Cyber Laws and the constitution of Pakistan. She highlighted the current legislation along with the identity of each citizen being digital and the importance of the digital identity of students.

Interventions for Ending Online Violence Against Women in Politics

Shmyla Khan participated in the virtual launch of the ‘Interventions for Ending Online Violence Against Women in Politics’ organised by NFI. The panelists (Kat Lo from Meedan, Fernanda K. Martins from Internet Lab, and Catherine Gicheru from Pesa Check) shared their insights to how platforms can support women in politics globally.

The report can be access here.

DRF's ED Nighat Dad spoke at the School Education Conference at Lacas

DRF's ED Nighat Dad spoke at the School Education Conference at Lacas on 31st January on Safety in the Digital World. Nighat talked about online privacy for young adults and how support systems with parents and teachers are important for teens who're using the internet.

Open Tech Fund (OTF) Summit 2023

DRF took part in the OTF Summit held in Austin, US where it facilitated a workshop on “Government Regulation of VPNs: An Emerging Trend” and participated in a panel discussion on digital safety from a global south perspective. The Summit was an excellent opportunity to meet partners from across the world working to make the internet a safer and more free place.

FutureFest 2023

On 8th January 2023, DRF’s Senior Research Associate, Noor Waheed was invited as a keynote speaker to FutureFest, a national conference featuring leaders in the field of technology from all over Pakistan and abroad, to discuss “Is the Youth Ready for the Future? Using Media for Advocacy”. Here, Noor shared DRF’s  findings from their report Visions of Youth: Battling Myopia in Internet Regulation: How the Pakistani Youth Envisions the Internet in 2022 and discussed the importance of including young people in the conversation around media, technology and advocacy in Pakistan.

 

DRF Updates

Cyber Harassment Helpline

The Cyber Harassment Helpline received 266 complaints in January with most cases being around financial fraud. If you’re encountering a problem online you can reach out to our helpline on 0800-39393, email us at [email protected] or reach out to us on our social media accounts. We’re available for assistance from 9 am till 5 pm, Monday to Sunday.

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

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.

#FloodsInPakistan2022

Climate change has had devastating consequences for the country and with the ongoing flood crisis there has been immense loss to property and life. It’s important to donate in this hour of crisis, however it’s also important to verify who you’re donating to.

The following resources are available for anyone who wants to donate during this crisis.

https://www.floodpk.com/

https://www.gofundme.com/c/act/donate-to-pakistan-flood-relief

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1u4EcNZIhKUltDc7ZPiMT3CLrVooFLFd_4AyKM1raEZs/edit#gid=139435833

 

Online Campaigns

Digital 50.50: 16 Days of Activism on Gender-Based Violence

This 16 Days of Activism Digital 50.50 released its final edition on Gender-based violence and looking back at the year 2022. The pitches focused on different forms of violence against women and gendered minorities.

Digital 50.50 New Edition:

https://www.canva.com/design/DAFTt2Gipgg/HFCjwGKkIQ-FsL3Z2w-Vyg/view#1

#16DaysOfActivism

25th November marks the beginning of the 16 days of Activism highlighting the violence against women throughout these 16 days. Let's join hands to fight this violence and create safe spaces for women and gender minorities. #EndViolenceAgainstWomen

#HumanRightsDay

This human rights day DRF's women HRD's who shared their experiences & challenges in the field & focusing on the importance of the human rights principal model.

Listen to the conversation here: https://twitter.com/DigitalRightsPK/status/1601156779580063744?s=20&t=mhqkbZMf9PB3PAzDVDg37w

Policy Initiatives

Policy Paper: Unpacking Content Moderation in Local Languages

DRF launched its policy paper on the subject of content moderation in the regional context by conducting research on content shared in local languages on Facebook. Focusing particularly on Dari and Pashto, the policy paper makes important observations regarding the challenges faced by tech companies and automated systems in moderating content from different regional contexts.

The policy paper can be accessed here

Cyber Harassment Helpline completes 6 years of operation

These 16 Days DRF compiled 6 years at the Cyber Harassment Helpline with a total of 14,165 complaints received. Overall 60% calls have been by women whereas 32% by men in the last six years.

Click here to view the video:

https://twitter.com/DigitalRightsPK/status/1601530613240299520?s=20&t=mhqkbZMf9PB3PAzDVDg37w

DRF’s Nighat Dad joins Task Force for a Trustworthy Future Web

The Task Force for a Trustworthy Future Web will chart a clear and action-oriented roadmap for future online ecosystems to protect users’ rights, support innovation, and center trust and safety principles.

Press Coverage

Samavaya Podcast: Nighat Dad in Conversation with Savera Weerasinghe

DRF’s Nighat Dad joins the conversation with Savera Weerasinghe on the Samavaya podcast on free and fair internet for women across the globe.

https://anchor.fm/asia-society-india-centre/episodes/Samavya--Nighat-Dad-in-conversation-with-Savera-Weerasinghe-e1s44ka/a-a91f8vb

Thoughts on Safety and Survival on Twitter from the rest of the world- Nighat Dad

Nighat Dad pens her thoughts on safety and survival on Twitter emphasizing on building solidarity at the center of experiences from marginalized communities.

Click here to read the piece:

https://www.context.news/big-tech/opinion/safety-and-survival-on-twitter-around-the-world?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=context-share

Q&A with Meedan partner Digital Rights Foundation on digital rights and gender violence in South Asia

DRF’s Shmyla Khan speaks to partner Meedan in a blog post about her experience promoting digital rights in Pakistan and throughout South Asia, and her insights on the gendered dimensions of digital security and emerging challenges around online electoral violence.

Click here to read the piece: https://meedan.com/post/q-a-with-meedan-partner-digital-rights-foundation-on-digital-rights-and-gender-violence-in-south-asia

16 Days of Activism: Legal Remedies Available in GBV Cases

DRF's Senior Legal Associate/Program Manager, Irum Shujah spoke on FM 100 on legal remedies available in Gender Based Violence cases. Different scenarios and queries were posed which were then answered by Ms. Shujah.

DRF joined the radio session virtually to discuss the challenges and the non-implementation of the Punjab Protection of Women Against Violence Act 2016. It was further discussed that the country has laws for the protection of women but they are insufficient if not enforced, respected and implemented in letter and spirit without discrimination across the country.

Furthermore, the concept of cyber harassment was also elaborated upon and the general procedure of filing an FIA complaint with the Cyber Crime Wing was also discussed. Overall, the session aimed at educating the audience of their basic rights and responsibilities.

Link to listen: https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?ref=watch_permalink&v=473668811550216

Nighat Dad on podcast on Examining Meta’s Cross-Check Program

Nighat Dad spoke on the podcast The Sunday Show to discuss policy advisory opinion on how Meta moderate content for its most powerful users.

You can listen to the full episode here:

https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/examining-metas-cross-check-program/id1552627235?i=1000590161736

Events

Nighat Dad at the 10 Years of UN Plan of Action Islamabad Journalist Safety Forum

DRF’s Nighat Dad spoke at the 10 years of UN Plan of Action Islamabad Journalist Safety Forum sharing about the cyber harassment helpline in 2022 and how the helpline received 55 complaints from Pakistani journalists, with women journalists facing disinformation campaigns, harassment, and abuse whereas male journalists faced inquiries under PECA and losing access to their social media accounts.

Nighat Dad speaking on ‘US & International Law & Policies: A global perspective and response’

Nighar Dad spoke at UNFPA event on "U.S & International Laws & Policies: A global perspective & response" around online gender-based violence along with representatives of bumble and the National Domestic Violence Hotline amongst others.

https://gracefarms.org/the-virtual-is-real-bios/

DRF’s Nighat Dad on Twitter Space by Oversight Board

DRF’s Nighat Dad joins a Twitter space session about the oversight board’s findings and recommendations on cross-checking and an overall discussion around how Meta treats its most powerful users.

Nighat Dad at the Danish Parliament on Free Speech

Nighat Dad spoke at the Danish Parliament on issues of free speech and where we are today in the age of disinformation.

Online Training on Digital Safety for South Asia

DRF conducted an online training workshop for participants from across South Asia on the issue of online safety in partnership with Meedan as part of its Global Check program. To learn more about this work, you can read a recent blogpost by Meedan on the subject.

Digital Safety Sessions with Human Rights Defenders in Karachi and Lahore

Digital Rights Foundation’s digital safety team conducted four successful workshops with human rights defenders in Karachi on December 12, 16, 18 and 19 with support from the Norwegian Human Rights Fund. The sessions brought together members of civil society from across the city to understand the emerging challenges for them in the digital space and to equip them with the necessary skills to carry out their work in a safe manner.

Instagram Live Session with Instagram Influencer Baekartoot

DRF held an Instagram Live Session with Instagram Influencer Baekartoot and answered pertinent legal queries regarding digital rights and online spaces.
The procedure to register a complaint with the Federal Investigation Agency, Cyber Security Wing and all nuances regarding that, was also detailed in the session.

 

Countering Online Misinformation in Pakistan - Training Workshop - Islamabad

The third training workshop was organized by DRF in collaboration with CFLI in Islamabad on 3 December 2022. The purpose of the workshop was to identify misinformation and disinformation, document online disinformation and misinformation patterns, and improve fact-checking abilities. 19 people from varied backgrounds attended. After the session, participants were asked to report their encounters with misinformation on the internet and how the workshop will affect their future online interactions and personal communication.

Countering Online Misinformation in Pakistan - Training Workshop - Karachi

DRF, in collaboration with CFLI, also held the fourth and final training workshop on "Countering Online Misinformation in Pakistan" on December 17, 2022 in Karachi. The training drew 24 participants from Karachi and surrounding areas in Sindh. This platform was used to discuss the growing issue of online disinformation and misinformation directed at marginalized social groups. The goal of this workshop was to provide participants with the knowledge and skills needed to identify and document misinformation/disinformation online, as well as to develop fact-checking skills that can be used to combat misinformation/disinformation online. All attendees participated enthusiastically, sharing their personal experiences as well as providing suggestions for policy interventions and recommendations to address this growing problem.

HRCP Training Workshop

On the 26th and 27th of December 2022, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) held a two-day training workshop titled 'Human rights and advocacy for civil society groups'. Anam Baloch, Project Manager DRF was in attendance. The training seminar centered on the fundamental rights outlined in the Constitution of Pakistan, the international human rights framework, the intricacies of advocacy, and online safety.

Asia Pacific Justice Forum 2022

Digital Rights Foundation was invited to present their initiative under the 'Smart Regulations for a Healthy Information Ecosystem' interactive session at the Asia Pacific Justice Forum. The event was hosted by the World Justice Project in Jakarta, Indonesia from 8-9 December. As part of the 'best practices and innovations' segment, DRF presented the Cyber Harassment Helpline and how the initiative has helped to increase access to justice for women, minority groups, and vulnerable occupations in Pakistan.

IGF 2022

DRF hosted two workshops at the Internet Governance Forum this year. The IGF was held in hybrid mode (28 November to 2 December), and DRF hosted the two sessions ,'Cutting ties: Citizens caught between conflict and tech' and 'Safe Internet Use for All: Helplines working with communities’ virtually.

 

The former session aimed to start a discussion on the effect of cutting off internet access and online platforms by states and digital platform companies on the citizens of a country, particularly marginalized groups. The panel included Nighat Dad of DRF, Mona Shtaya of 7amleh, Tanzeel Khan of Kashmir Digital Rights, and Eliška Pírková of Access Now.

The second session was a networking session and an opportunity for IGF attendees to share their initiatives and experiences of providing direct support to victims of online harassment, and to learn from one another.

DRF Updates

Cyber Harassment Helpline

The Cyber Harassment Helpline received 216 complaints in December with 116 of these from women. If you’re encountering a problem online you can reach out to our helpline on 0800-39393, email us at [email protected] or reach out to us on our social media accounts. We’re available for assistance from 9 am till 5 pm, Monday to Sunday.

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.

 

 

                                 

DRF participated in the fifth edition of the Paris Peace Forum (PPF) from November 11 to 12 in Paris, France. The Forum brought together global leaders and innovators from across the world. DRF’s Executive Director Nighat Dad participated in three panels and roundtables along with our Director for Research and Policy. The discussions can be accessed virtually below.

Roundtables:

“Managing AI risk: perspectives from around the world”, Nighat Dad can be heard here.

“AI in International Development” can be accessed here.

Panels:

“International Mobilization for the Observatory on Information and Democracy” to be seen here.

“Framing freedom of speech in the digital age” which can be accessed here.

The fourth session of the Forum on Human Rights, Democracy & the Rule of Law at the UN General Assembly

Nighat Dad spoke at the Fourth session of the Forum on Human Rights, Democracy & the Rule of Law at the UN General Assembly on the Accelerated digital transformation and the seismic shift that will shape the 21st century. She spoke about accelerated digital transformation and highlighted the importance of online spaces & tech that provide make a global connection. She recognized that technologies have the ability to educate, unite & mobilize & widen democratic participation & discourse.

 Online Campaigns

#16DaysOfActivism

25th November marks the beginning of the 16 days of Activism highlighting the violence against women throughout these 16 days. Let's join hands to fight this violence and create safe spaces for women and gender minorities. #EndViolenceAgainstWomen

#InternationalWomenHumanRightsDefendersDay

This International Women Human Rights Defenders (WHRDs) Day let's stand in solidarity and support WHRDs across the globe and acknowledge the important work that they do in the field. #InternationalWomenHumanRightsDefendersDay

Digital 50.50

Edition 3 of this year's Digital 50.50 is focused on the impact of climate change on women with writings from women journalists from all across Pakistan.

Click here to read the edition below:

https://www.canva.com/design/DAFQBoYqigE/ukiaqgpXqr1MspxP1ogJAQ/view?utm_content=DAFQBoYqigE&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link&utm_source=homepage_design_menu

Policy Initiatives

RSIL CLC BLOG: “INTO THE METAVERSE: Insights from Meta’s Oversight Board Cases on the Conflict in Ethiopia”

DRF’s Senior Research Associate, Noor Waheed wrote an article analyzing Meta’s Oversight Board decisions as they relate to war and conflict using Ethiopia as a case study which was published in the Research Society of International Law (RSIL) Conflict Law Center Blog.

Link to post: https://rsilpak.org/2022/insights-from-metas-oversight-board-cases-on-the-conflict-in-ethiopia/

META’S Oversight Board Decision on UK Drill Music

Meta released its decision on its UK Drill Music case (2022-007-IG-MR) in November. For this case, DRF’s Research Team submitted a public comment advising the board by  highlighting policy and freedom of expression considerations of the case. In its final decision the Oversight Board took cognizance of some of the points raised by DRF including the need for greater transparency and adherence to due process especially when working with law enforcement officials.

Read the full decision here: https://www.oversightboard.com/decision/IG-PT5WRTLW

Read the full public comment here: https://oversightboard.com/attachment/857566115421658/

End Impunity Against Journalists

DRF collaborated with the National Commission of Human Rights (NCHR) on 2nd November on End Impunity Against Journalists highlighting to make online and offline spaces safer for journalists. DRF and NCHR also mapped a timeline of attacks against journalists in Pakistan and those who faced violence for sharing their voices and work on the Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists.

Press Coverage

Impact of Climate Change on Women (Radio show)

DRF hosted a radio show between journalists who discussed the impact of climate change on women on the 13th of November on FM96 (Multan).

16 Days of Activism: Violence against Human Rights Defenders (Radio show)

DRF hosted a radio show between Communications Officer at NCHR and Program Manager at the Cyber Harassment Helpline on the 29th of November on FM100 (Lahore).

Morning show at PTV News

DRF’s Legal Manager, Irum Shujah spoke on the morning show hosted by Sabookh Syed from PTV news. She joined the show virtually to discuss the role of DRF and its Helpline and then elaborated on the assistance that team DRF usually provides these survivors with. She also spoke about the forms of cyber harassment faced by social media users, DRF’s legal work, laws regarding online violence in Pakistan and the impact of legal irregularities on the criminal justice system in Pakistan.

Events

High-level panel on Implementation of the UN Plan of Action in the Digital Age

DRF’s Nighat Dad spoke at the high-level panel “Implementation of the UN Plan of Action in the digital age – tackling new challenges” at #SoJ2022 Vienna organized by UNESCO and MFA Austria. She focused on the challenges and solutions too. The panel served as an essential touchpoint for stakeholders to continue the discussion and create new synergies in the fight to make the online sphere one that continues to be conducive to the freedom of expression

#IBAMiami

DRF’s Nighat Dad spoke at the #IBAMiami on 2nd November at a panel. She represented the Oversight Board and talked about holding Meta accountable on the panel. She also focused on marginalized groups such as women & gender minorities, who are vulnerable to online violence. The panel was chaired by Baroness Helena Kennedy. Nighat shared when she started working on the issue of online violence, it was ignored but over the years we have seen this become endemic and have real-time implications for women across the world particularly women in the Global South, journalists, and human rights defenders.

IGF 2022: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly; online gender violence

DRF’s Nighat Dad spoke at the panel ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly; online gender violence’ at IGF 2022. Nighat Dad addressed the primary work of DRF around online gender-based violence through training, legal advice, and mental health support as well as training sessions around the world regarding online safety. It was shared that up to 70% of online harassment cases were reported by women. The main goal of the foundation’s helpline is to make women and girls safer and make them more confident and educated about how to protect themselves online.

Gender Sensitization Training ISB

DRF hosted its gender-sensitive workshops on the 9th of November in Islamabad attended by 24 journalists.

Gender Sensitization Training LHR

DRF hosted its gender-sensitive workshops on the 24th of November in Lahore attended by 16 journalists.

9th National Privacy Conference

DRF hosted its 9th annual National Privacy Conference on the 19th of November, 2022  in Lahore. The conference brought together experts from different fields to discuss this year’s theme of the conference “People & Privacy”, shedding light on the all-encompassing nature of privacy rights and violations that we experience in different strands of society.

The keynote speech was delivered by Angbeen Mirza, a legal academic and an Assistant Professor at the Shaikh Ahmad Hassan School of Law (SAHSOL), LUMS. Angbeen stated that Article 14 of the Constitution guarantees our privacy, however it is important to operationalize it through a law that protects our right to privacy.

The first panel ‘People on Privacy’ included transgender activist Jannat Ali, journalist Amel Ghani, and Barrister Jannat Kalyar. The panel highlighted the importance of privacy in social movements from a people’s perspective and the need for popularizing privacy and making it more accessible to the masses.

After the panel a debate took place on the topic: ‘This house believes that privacy is a western concept’. The lively debate was led by two teams, each representing participants from DRF’s legal team, Shehrzade Amin and Ms. Aqsa, as well as students from Forman Christian College (FCCU) and Government College University (GCU) Maria Waqar, Muhammad bin Munir, Muhammad Hamza Aziz, and Ali Zar.

The last panel ‘Ensuring Dignity in Privacy Rights’ included Bushra Mahnoor from the Mahwari Justice Campaign, Umer Rajpoot from Todd’s Welfare Society, journalist Mehmal Sarfaraz and senior lawyer and activist Saroop Ijaz. The panel took a different approach and focused on dignity-based perspectives on privacy, centering privacy subjects above all else. The perspectives shared by the panelists highlighted privacy rights in the realities of marginalized populations.The guest of honor and concluding remarks were given by activist and former chairperson of NCSW Khawar Mumtaz. In her closing remarks, she emphasized the importance of art, posters, poetry, and performance in ensuring social change within the feminist movement in Pakistan, and has the potential to change attitudes regarding privacy rights. Ms. Mumtaz announced the winner of the artwork competition Maha Bint Abid who won a cash prize at the event with her artwork which was also displayed at the conference.

Countering Online Misinformation in Pakistan

DRF hosted a second training workshop in Peshawar in collaboration with CFLI on 21st November, 2022. The workshop's goal was to identify misinformation/disinformation, document disinformation and misinformation patterns online, and strengthen fact-checking skills. It was attended by 29 people from various backgrounds. Following the training, attendees were invited to report their experiences with disinformation on the internet, as well as how the workshop will influence their future online interactions.

Workshops with working women on feminist cities and tech

The DRF team hosted a two-day focus group discussion with 10 women from middle and working class backgrounds to get an intersectional understanding of the city and internet infrastructures. The workshops used art as a tool of engagement, and resulted in some amazing feedback.

Regional Convening on Feminist Digital Rights and Justice

DRF took part in the “Regional Convening on Feminist Digital Rights and Justice” in Thailand from November 28 to 29, 2022. The convening was a coming together of feminists and digital rights organisations and activists from across Asia Pascific to chart the future of a feminist and fairer internet.

Design4Democracy (D4D) Coalition Event: Meta Consultation on Ensuring Global Access

In September, DRF was invited to be part of a global stakeholder workshop that drafted recommendations on platform data access for researchers to be presented to Meta’s Data Access Team.  Based on that consultation, DRF’s Senior Research Associate, Noor Waheed was selected by D4D from a global cohort to be one of 6 presenters of the final draft of the recommendations to the Data Access Team which consisted of Nicole Lyons (Strategic Partner Manager, Academic Partnerships at Meta), Lindsay Hundley (Countering Influence Ops at Meta)  and Olga Belogolova (Security Policy at Meta). The event held on 3rd November 2022 was hosted jointly by the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), the Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT), and the National Democratic Institute (NDI).

RSIL Conflict Law Center Podcast: “Social Media and War”

DRF’s Director of Research and Policy, Shmyla Khan and Senior Research Associate, Noor Waheed were invited by the Research Society of International Law to their Conflict Law Center’s (CLC) Podcast hosted by Team Lead and Research Fellow, Ayesha Malik. In the podcast, DRF’s team discussed the relationship between war and social media.

Link to podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftBnGhJe574

Roundtable Discussion on Academic Practice and Information Infrastructure in the Digital Transformation

On November 1st 2022, DRF’s Research Team was invited to participate in a roundtable discussion hosted by LUMS Shaikh Ahmad Hassan School of Law. The roundtable was led by Dr. Katharina de la Durantaye, Professor of Law at Freie University (Berlin, Germany) and Dr. Eric Steinhauer, Lawyer and Head of Hagen University Library and Honorary Professor at Humboldt University (Berlin, Germany). The discussion centered around the legal framework especially in the areas of copyright, platform regulation and digital human rights. Other participants included lawyers, policy experts and academics.

‘Gender-based Violence Strengthening Response Mechanism in Punjab’ in collaboration with Aawaz II, Peace and Justice Network and British Council

DRF’s legal team participated in the “Gender-based Violence Strengthening Response Mechanism in Punjab” consultation arranged by Aawaz II and Peace and Justice Network. The sessions had a diverse panel which included Ms. Rafia Kamal, Chairperson of Punjab Women Protection Authority, Ms. Nabila Hakim Khan, Ombudsperson and Ms. Imtiaz Fatima, representing persons with disabilities.

Other than the social challenges and the steps being taken to eradicate Gender Based Violence, the panel discussed prevailing practices which silently condone gender discrimination and violence. They also highlighted the first trans-school opening in July 2021 in the city of Multan and the significance of the recently passed Enforcement of Women’s Property Right Act, 2021, which allows women to approach the Ombudsperson and the civil court simultaneously.

Helpline and Legal session conducted in Bloomfield Hall School Secretariat

Helpline team along with Ms Sheherazade Amin, legal team, went to Bloomfield Hall to deliver a session to the students regarding their digital rights and safeguards that they should be aware of while being present in online spaces. DRF’s team and the students had an interactive session, in which the students posed their personal queries and the team assisted them as much as they possibly could.

Online Safety and Legal Landscape in Pakistan with marginalized groups - 28 November 2022

Legal and DST team delivered an online safety and legal landscape session to almost 15-20 participants. The legal session highlighted the online and offline threats normally faced by the trans community and the related misconceptions related to the Transgender Persons (Protection of Riqhts) Act, 2018. Other than the basic rights, police powers and responsibilities were also discussed. The overall session was interactive, and the participants shared their queries and personal experiences in detail.

DRF Updates

Cyber Harassment Helpline

The Cyber Harassment Helpline received 263 complaints in November with 134 of these from women. If you’re encountering a problem online you can reach out to our helpline on 0800-39393, email us at [email protected] or reach out to us on our social media accounts. We’re available for assistance from 9 am till 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

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.

#FloodsInPakistan2022

Climate change has had devastating consequences for the country and with the ongoing flood crisis there has been immense loss to property and life. It’s important to donate in this hour of crisis, however it’s also important to verify who you’re donating to.

The following resources are available for anyone who wants to donate during this crisis.

https://www.floodpk.com/

https://www.gofundme.com/c/act/donate-to-pakistan-flood-relief

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1u4EcNZIhKUltDc7ZPiMT3CLrVooFLFd_4AyKM1raEZs/edit#gid=139435833