Digital Rights Foundation’s (DRF) Executive Director Nighat Dad has joined the United Nations Secretary General's high-level advisory board on Artificial Intelligence (AI) along with esteemed distinguished individuals from across the globe. The board will address the overarching theme of addressing global governance of AI.
https://press.un.org/en/2023/sga2236.doc.htm
https://www.un.org/en/ai-advisory-body

Press Coverage:

Geo TV	https://www.geo.tv/latest/516314-pakistans-nighat-dad-joins-un-chief-antonio-guterres-high-level-ai-advisory-board
Samaa TV	https://www.samaa.tv/208733373-nighat-dad-joins-un-s-advisory-board-on-artificial-intelligence
We News	https://en.wenews.pk/nighat-dad-joins-unsgs-high-level-advisory-board-on-ai/
Voice pk	https://voicepk.net/2023/10/nighat-dad-joins-un-secretary-generals-high-level-advisory-board-on-artificial-intelligence-ai/
The Express Tribune	https://tribune.com.pk/story/2443255/nighat-dad-joins-un-secretary-generals-advisory-board-on-ai
The Nation	https://www.nation.com.pk/27-Oct-2023/nighat-dad-joins-unsg-s-high-level-advisory-board-on-artificial-intelligence
Arab News	https://www.arabnews.com/node/2398681/pakistan
The News	https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/1123585-pakistan-s-nighat-dad-joins-un-chief-s-high-level-ai-advisory-board
Dunya News	https://dunyanews.tv/en/Pakistan/766036-Nighat-Dad-joins-UN-Secretary-General/%27s-advisory-body-on-AI
Dawn	https://www.dawn.com/news/1784356/nighat-dad-joins-un-chiefs-ai-advisory-board
Pakistan Observer	https://pakobserver.net/nighat-joins-unsgs-advisory-board/
Yahoo Finance	https://finance.yahoo.com/news/openai-google-digital-anthropologist-un-140258678.html?guccounter=1
Business Plus	https://businessplus.ie/news/abeba-birhane-un/
Associated Press of Pakistan	https://www.app.com.pk/national/nighat-dad-joins-un-secretary-generals-high-level-advisory-board-on-artificial-intelligence/
Bol News	https://www.bolnews.com/videos/nighat-dad-became-part-of-un-ai-advisory-board-big-achievement-for-pakistan-breaking-news/

Digital Rights Foundations signs an MOU with DC Lahore to conduct Digital Safety and Literacy Sessions for Young Adults

Digital Rights Foundation (DRF) and Deputy Commissioner (DC) of the Lahore District Administration Rafia Haider signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on a series of upcoming digital safety and literacy sessions for young adults titled, ‘Hamara Internet Mahfooz Internet’.

 

 

Press Coverage:

The Urdu Point	https://www.urdupoint.com/en/pakistan/mou-signed-to-conduct-digital-literacy-and-sa-1761880.html
Voice PK	https://voicepk.net/2023/10/digital-rights-foundation-hamara-internet/
Dawn	https://www.dawn.com/news/1784554/digital-safety-sessions-at-public-schools

Digital Rights Foundation, along with many other Civil Society Organizations signed the  petition to 'Stop War Crimes in Gaza'

Policy Initiatives:

World Development Information Day

On #WorldDevelopmentInformationDay, DRF reaffirmed its commitment to empowering human rights defenders, especially women, in the digital realm.

In Collaboration with Coalition Against Online Violence

DRF with the support of Coalition Against Online Violence (CAOV), produced 6 animated videos, arranged a play and developed a comic book to highlight the lived experiences of the most marginalized people in Pakistan. Keep a lookout on our campaign with the hashtag #SaanjhiKahaniyan.

World Mental Health Day

Digital Rights Foundation collaborated with Tiktok to produce and publish content regarding World Mental Health Day (WMHD).

Press Coverage:

MM News	https://mmnews.tv/tiktok-pledges-to-foster-mental-health-awareness-in-pakistan/
The Nation	https://www.nation.com.pk/11-Oct-2023/tiktok-promoting-mental-health-awareness-in-pakistan

Press Coverage:

Jhoot Such Segment | PTV News

DRF’s Program Lead Seerat Khan was featured on PTV News Jhoot Such program where she talked about looking beyond the headlines especially in the time of rampant misinformation.
https://youtu.be/lpGp4hwrWaM?si=rSHTxDbN5JnL6oyi

Online, unsafe and censored | The News | Big News Network

The Digital Rights Foundation (DRF), in this article where women journalists share how they’re met with threats, abuse and harassment in online spaces, reports that, in 2022, its helpline received 75 complaints from journalists, with 51 of them related to cyber harassment, emphasizing the pressing need for secure online spaces for female journalists. The report highlights that Punjab accounted for the highest number of complaints. Despite the alarming rise in digital violence, women often hesitate to report incidents to law enforcement agencies, citing a lack of confidence in the seriousness of their complaints.

https://www.thenews.com.pk/tns/detail/1114300-online-unsafe-and-censore
https://www.bignewsnetwork.com/news/273986143/online-unsafe-and-censored

Resilient media voices | IFEX

IFEX member Digital Rights Foundation hosted a gathering which recognized the role of the nationwide network of women journalists in building a “safe space where women turn to each other for support and solidarity in the absence of support mechanisms.”

'They're afraid of joy': Pakistan's trans community fights hate | The Manila Times

Digital Rights Foundation, a nonprofit that also runs Cyber Harassment Helpline, has recorded 74 complaints registered by the trans community since the start of the hate campaign.

https://www.manilatimes.net/2023/10/10/world/asia-oceania/theyre-afraid-of-joy-pakistans-trans-community-fights-hate/1914105

Online freedoms | Opinion | Dawn

Nighat Dad, the Executive Director of the Digital Rights Foundation, emphasized the alarming use of AI by governments for digital repression and misinformation, as highlighted in the Freedom on the Net 2023 report. She called for global collaboration, autonomous oversight, and prioritization of data protection to address the escalating challenges to internet freedom.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1781020

OurNet: The Internet Is Ours | The Internet Society

According to Nighat Dad, the adverse effects of Internet fragmentation disproportionately affect marginalized communities, lacking access to resources or knowledge to safeguard their digital rights. As a human rights lawyer and digital rights advocate, she asserts that the offline gender gap in Pakistan is mirrored online, motivating her to tirelessly offer a platform for marginalized voices to be amplified.

OurNet: The Internet Is Ours

Mobilising for Data Justice | The Alan Turing Institute

In the concluding episode of the Advancing Data Justice series, Shmyla Khan discusses the myriad complex and systemic challenges on the path to data justice. She also shared insight into the transformative activism and advocacy efforts, revealing the actions required to disrupt longstanding structures of inequity as individuals and communities worldwide pave a hopeful path toward data justice.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0nCU9ptWqc

Human rights organizations call for an immediate physical and digital ceasefire in Gaza | Global Voices

Global Voices, alongside 140+ civil society organizations and activists, has joined the call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and Israel amid the escalating crisis. Digital Rights Foundation has signed on for this collective plea that emphasizes the urgent need to halt violence and prevent further loss of innocent lives.

Human rights organizations call for an immediate physical and digital ceasefire in Gaza

Events:

Digital Rights Foundation at United Nations’ Internet Governance Forum 2023

Digital Rights Foundation actively participated in the United Nations’ Internet Governance Forum held in Kyoto, Japan from 8 to 12 October. Starting off with the pre-events, DRF was one of the co-organizers of the day-long Gender at the GDC conference, which was attended by civil society members as well as representatives of various governments. On Day 0, DRF hosted a lightning talk titled ‘Global South Perspectives on Governing AI’ which comprehensively covered the AI policy in consideration in Pakistan and a comparison with other AI policies introduced around the world. On Day 3, DRF was part of a panel and networking session hosted by NDI titled ‘Networking for Information Integrity in Asia and Globally’, in which we gave an overview of our extensive work on promoting information integrity. The second session of the day was titled ‘Viewing Disinformation from a Global Governance Perspective’. Nighat Dad was invited to the panel by APC, and she spoke strongly about the effects of disinformation on democracy and regulating disinformation.

Hamara Internet, Mahfooz Internet Session at Public School

The first session of 'Hamara Internet Mahfooz Internet' was a success, with the Digital Rights Foundation (DRF) engaging students and educators in public school. This milestone marks the start of DRF's impactful journey to provide essential tools for online safety, ethical social media use, and resilience against digital threats to the youth.

Resilience Workshop

The Digital Rights Foundation recently organized a Resilience Workshop in late October. The workshop had a transformative objective of strengthening interpersonal and employer-employee relations within our workplace. The session, facilitated by an experienced professional, was designed to enhance communication skills, support mental well-being, cultivate trust, and encourage collaboration. Everyone actively participated in interactive exercises, acquiring practical tools to effectively navigate workplace dynamics. The workshop has garnered positive feedback, with attendees expressing a newfound sense of confidence in effectively managing day-to-day challenges.

Lincoln Corner Workshop with Fatima Jinnah University

DRF’s Senior Project Manager and Digital Security Trainer conducted a ‘Securing Digital Spaces’ workshop with Lincoln Corner Pakistan. It aimed to empower women by significantly enhancing their digital security prowess, fostering a safer and more confident online presence.

Training of Trainers Workshop | Digital Safety Awareness Sessions for Marginalized Communities | Lahore

DRF's Communications and Engagement Manager and Digital Security Trainer led a training of trainers workshop for marginalized communities' digital safety. It included a digital security roadmap as well as reporting and legal mechanisms for protecting oneself online. Participants came from a variety of backgrounds and actively participated and provided constructive feedback.

Freedom on the Net 2023 | Report Launch

The Digital Rights Foundation's Executive Director, Nighat Dad, spoke at the Freedom House event to launch "Freedom on the Net 2023: The Repressive Power of Artificial Intelligence." The event aimed to shed light on key findings from the 2023 report against the backdrop of increasing scale, speed, and efficiency of digital repression driven by advances in artificial intelligence. The event, which featured eminent speakers such as Michael J. Abramowitz, Allie Funk, Audrey Tang, Teresa Hutson, and Kara Swisher, provided a thorough examination of global trends, country-specific developments, and best practices to protect internet freedom in the face of evolving challenges.

DRF’s Online Safety Training Session at Maati TV

On 5th October, DRF’s communications manager and digital security trainer gave a training at the Interactive Resource Centre for Maati TV residency workshop Digital Storytelling and Social Media Advocacy. They talked about digital safety  content creators from all over Pakistan.

Gender Sensitive Campaigning during Elections Workshops for Simorgh

DRF in collaboration with Simorgh held Gender Sensitive Campaigning during Elections Workshops in Kasur from 12th to 13th Octobar, 2023 and in Tob Tek Singh from 18th to 19th Octobar, 2023. The workshop aimed to explain to the political party members the concepts of elections and democracy, emphasizing the importance of conducting fair elections in the country. In addition to this, the trainers delved into discussion differentiating between gender and sex within the framework of patriarchy, emphasizing the need for women's participation in politics and elections for the country’s welfare.

Further, a detailed discussion was held regarding Pakistan's election-related laws as well as its legal obligations to the international community. Toward the end of the workshop, all participants engaged in an activity of making manifesto points for women, disabled, Khawaja Sira, children, and religious minorities.

Network of Women Journalists for Digital Rights (NWJDR), Digital Well-being and Safety Fellowship 2023

The Digital Rights Foundation (DRF) in collaboration with the Network of Women Journalists for Digital Rights (NWJDR) conducted a three day Digital Well-being and Safety Fellowship, of which second day was spent on focusing the legal dimensions of journalism. The fellowship featured insightful sessions by the DRF legal team on 31 October, 2023,  focusing on defamation laws and the PECA Act of 2016, along with in-depth discussions on the correlation between freedom of expression, hate speech, and responsible reporting. This initiative aimed to empower journalists, especially women, equipping them with the necessary legal and ethical knowledge for safe and ethical digital reporting in today's media landscape. The fellowship fostered impactful conversations and collaborative solutions for challenges in the digital journalism sphere, highlighting the commitment to a safer and more responsible online environment.

Insta live - Launch of Legal Toolkit

DRF conducted an Instagram Live to launch our "Countering Digital Threats" Toolkit. In the Instagram Live, along with our Legal intern, Ali Abbas Gillani, we talked about the growing need for an easy-to-read toolkit in the current landscape of social media usage, providing accessibility to online users on how to safeguard themselves against digital threats and approach online safety redressal mechanisms as well as know more about the legal recourse available to the public.

DRF conducted two workshops with the journalist community on Capacity building on Gender Sensitive reporting in the Media

As part of DRF’s ongoing work on online safety, DRF conducted two workshops in October with the journalist community to build their capacity to use online space safely and effectively. The workshops titled ‘Capacity building on Gender Sensitive reporting in the Media’ were held on the 16th and 26th of October and were attended by 24 and 29 journalists respectively. The workshop was focused on enhancing the ability of journalists to better utilize online platforms for their work.

Twitter space:  Artificial Intelligence and Bias

DRF organized a Twitter Space where we delved into the themes of the 3rd edition of Digital 50.50, focusing on 'Artificial Intelligence and Bias: Implications for Women and Minorities.' We were honored to host three distinguished contributors, namely Anmol Irfan, Zunaira Rafi, and Sadia Mazhar from Digital 50'50, with the aim of expanding the reach of their insightful articles. This engaging session took place on October 17, 2023.
You can access the recorded session here.

A session with Tech Sahelis

Digital Rights Foundation conducted a workshop on online harassment, the consent model, and the legal framework around harassment in Pakistan. This four-hour session includes an in-depth segment on digital literacy and security skills necessary for youth. The workshop were held on the 10th and 11th of October and was attended by more than 100 students.

Community session on Legal Certification of Digital Evidence

On 19th October, Minahil Farooq from the DRF Legal team participated in an online community session hosted by Digital Defenders Organization. This session was centered around sharing best practices for the legal certification of digital evidence to use in legal proceedings. This session aimed to foster discussion on how various feminist helplines handle digital evidence that they receive and to exchange insights on the processes, requirements, tools, platforms, methodologies, and strategies used in different countries. During the session, Minahil presented how the Legal team at DRF handled evidence received from its helpline and its effective use in legal proceedings.

DRF Updates:

Cyber Harassment Helpline

The Cyber Harassment Helpline received 190 complaints in total October, with 87 complaints by men. If you’re encountering a problem online, you can reach out to our helpline at 0800-39393, email us at helpdesk@digitalrightsfoundation.pk or reach out to us on our social media accounts. We’re available for assistance from 9 am to 5 pm, Monday to 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 celebrated it’s conference on seven years of resilient voices in the media in Islamabad on 15 September 2023 which marked the celebration of DRF's engagement with the media community, particularly women journalists. The conference brought together journalists, civil society, government representatives, and other stakeholders to discuss the state of media and the challenges that women journalists face in the country and celebrate their achievements despite the difficult circumstances they face working in the field. The conference had an exciting line-up of three panels to delve into DRF’s engagement with the journalist community in Pakistan and showcased an art exhibition of hand-drawn illustrations from DRF’s e-magazine, Digital 50.50.

Press Coverage for the event:

The Friday Times

https://thefridaytimes.com/15-Sep-2023/digital-rights-foundation-celebrates-seven-years-of-resilient-voices-in-the-media

Sehrish Khan Pakistan

https://sehrishkhanpakistan.wordpress.com/2023/09/15/digital-rights-foundation-celebrates-seven-years-of-resilient-voices-in-the-mediathrough-its-conference-today-islamabaddiscuss-the-challenges-that-women-journalists-face-in-the-country-and-celebra/

Bunjaarun - Youtube Channel

https://youtu.be/f39y__WkiUM?si=ublfFr3lzaWtX6Ip

Anake

https://anankemag.com/2023/09/15/digital-rights-foundation-pakistan-celebrates-seven-years-of-resilient-voices-in-the-media/

The Nation

https://www.nation.com.pk/15-Sep-2023/digital-rights-foundation-celebrates-seven-years-of-resilient-voices-in-the-media-through-it-s-conference

Voicepk.net

https://voicepk.net/2023/09/drf-holds-conference-to-celebrate-achievements-of-women-journalists/

 The News International

https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/1110377-resilient-voices-in-media-celebrated

Associated Press of Pakistan

https://www.app.com.pk/national/drf-celebrates-seven-years-of-resilient-voices-in-the-media/

Daily Times

https://dailytimes.com.pk/1132748/seven-years-of-resilient-voices-in-the-media-celebrated/

Urdu Point

https://www.urdupoint.com/en/pakistan/drf-celebrates-seven-years-of-resilient-voic-1749847.html

Online Campaigns:

In Collaboration with Coalition Against Online Violence

DRF with the support of Coalition Against Online Violence (CAOV), produced 6 animated videos, arranged a play and developed a comic book to highlight the lived experiences of the most marginalized people in Pakistan. Keep a lookout on our campaign with the hashtag #SaanjhiKahaniyan.

Identity Crisis: Roadblocks In Women's Access To Basic Id Documentation In Pakistan | GenderIT.org

To mark Identity Day 2023, DRF highlighted this article written by our Program Manager, Zainab Durrani and it talks about the discrimination by public service departments from a gendered and intersectional approach particularly in the case of accessing digital and passport ID for women in Pakistan.
Read it here.

Did you know? | Social Media Public Service Announcements Series

DRF has started on an online campaign on ‘Did You Know?’, to create mass awareness regarding the digital landscape in Pakistan and the rights afforded under it. It started as a part of The International Day for Universal Access to Information.

Press Coverage:

Nighat Dad on Bol News Network about weaponization of CCTV in educational institutes

DRF's Executive Director, Nighat Dad appeared on Bol News Network at the start of September 2023, to shed light on the weaponization of CCTV cameras in educational institutes. She emphasized on the lack of regulation, accountability & oversight regarding the use of CCTV cameras in schools & universities in Pakistan.

Nighat Dad explains how public comments play a vital role in making decisions by the Oversight Board | Oversight Board Twitter

https://x.com/OversightBoard/status/1701558969368457459?s=20

Pakistan: Groups win some concessions, but new laws threaten free speech | IFEX

The article provides a round-up of events related to free expression in Asia-Pacific in August 2023. It highlights the worsening repression in Afghanistan under Taliban rule, with a significant impact on media outlets and women's rights. Digital Rights Foundation was mentioned as an IFEX member and our analysis of the data protection bill was quoted.

https://ifex.org/two-years-of-taliban-and-a-love-letter-from-china/

https://ifex.org/two-years-of-taliban-and-a-love-letter-from-china/

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

Digital Rights Foundation was mentioned in this article because we raised concerns and provided recommendations regarding the Data Protection Bill, particularly emphasizing issues related to data localization and the independence of the proposed Commission, fearing they might infringe on digital rights and hamper the free flow of information.

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

Digital detox: Making internet safer for all age groups in Pakistan | Dunya News

DRF’s work was highlighted in the piece Digital Detox: Making Internet Safer for all age groups in Pakistan in Dunya News. The piece discusses the challenges of e-security and cyberbullying in Pakistan particularly in reporting and addressing issues faced by women. There is a need for strengthening laws and increasing awareness to create a secure and inclusive social media environment in Pakistan.

https://dunyanews.tv/en/Pakistan/754065-Digital-detox:-Making-internet-safer-for-all-age-groups-in-Pakistan-

Youth at risk: cyberbullying epidemic grips Pakistan | Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) (Digital)

The Digital Rights Foundation (DRF)’s Cyber Harassment Helpline is highlighted in this article as its data showcases the prevalence of cyber harassment, with a majority of victims falling in the youth sector. To address these issues, there is a call for strengthening laws and increasing awareness to create a secure and inclusive online environment in Pakistan.

https://www.app.com.pk/national/youth-at-risk-cyberbullying-epidemic-grips-pakistan/

The Nation

https://www.nation.com.pk/11-Sep-2023/youth-at-risk-cyberbullying-epidemic-grips-pakistan

The Express Tribune

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2435327/youths-at-risk-from-cyberbullying-epidemic

Explainer: What’s the debate over the wages paid to junior lawyers by law firms? | Dawn News

The article discusses the ongoing debate among junior lawyers in Pakistan about insufficient remuneration, especially for those working in law firms that primarily practice litigation. The issue was brought to attention during a panel discussion and has led to discussions about low pay, discrimination against female lawyers, and the lack of formal regulations in the legal profession. Various lawyers and experts have weighed in on the matter, highlighting the challenges faced by junior lawyers and the need for standardization and better compensation policies. Nighat Dad was quoted in this article.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1777625

Events:

Concordia Annual Summit | A Global Guideline for Digital Information

Nighat Dad, Executive Director of DRF, spoke at the Global Guideline for Digital Information event on 19th September during the 13th session of the Concordia Annual Summit, a leading public-private sector forum held alongside the UN General Assembly. Nighat spoke about examining how misinformation threatens democracy and development and what can be done to address it.

Berkman Klein Center - Harvard University | Now & Next: Platform Accountability and Content Governance - Oversight Board Mock Deliberation

At the Berkman Klein Center - Harvard University, DRF’s Nighat Dad participated in a live deliberation on 22nd September of the cases Oversight Board receives and examined the challenges and successes the board has faced in its first three years.

NIC Peshawar | Safeguarding Women against Online Abuse and Cyber Crime

The session on ‘Safeguarding Women against Online Abuse and Cyber Crime’ was conducted by Digital Rights Foundation’s Communication Manager and Digital Security Trainer in NIC Peshawar on 5th September, 2023. The training's goal was to provide an overview of digital safety awareness as well as knowledge of combating online abuse and cyber crime. The audience consisted of Peshawar women from various sociocultural backgrounds.

Leadership Institute CHANAN

On September 17th, DRF's Digital Security Trainer conducted a training workshop for participants from across Pakistan on Digital Safety and Security for Human Rights Defenders.
The workshop covered the holistic security approach for civil society organizations in order to protect both offline and online spaces.

Driving National Action against Child Sexual Abuse Online Using the Model National Response - the Experience of Indonesia

DRF attended the webinar organized by UNICEF in collaboration with WeProtect Global Alliance on Malaysia’s experience in implementation of the Model National Response (MNR). MNR was introduced in 2015 and used by many countries across the world to deal with online child sexual exploitation and abuse. Experiences and challenges on implementation, call to action and updates on MNR were shared with attendees.

Landscape of Hope (LoH) Meeting

DRF’s Programs Lead Seerat Khan attended the network meeting of landscape of hope (LoH) from 6th to 8th September 2023 in Beirut Lebanon. The meeting brought together organizations from across the globe majority in an annual meeting focusing on making cross collaborations and strengthening the network across the region.

Gender Sensitive Election Campaigns One Day Workshop with Simourgh

DRF conducted one day workshops on gender sensitive election campaigns on 20th and 21st September with political workers in collaboration with Simourgh Women’s Resource and Publication Centre. The workshop highlighted the importance of a gender sensitive approach in campaigning during the upcoming elections and have a human rights based manifestos.

HIVE Fellows visit DRF | Collaborative Meeting on rights of a marginalized community and combating extremism

Fellows from HIVE, a Pakistani social-impact organization dedicated to addressing extremism and marginalization through community-led efforts and collaboration, met with DRF team on  21st September 2023 to discuss shared research interests and their mutual commitment to uplifting marginalized communities in pursuit of inclusivity, equality, and peace in Pakistan.

Source Verification and Fact-checking workshop for Journalists during Elections held in Karachi

DRF and CEJ conducted a session on source verification and fact-checking in Karachi with the support of Meta keeping in mind the upcoming general elections. The two day workshop addressed the emergence of disinformation and misinformation during elections and how to tackle and report dis/misinformation during this time.

Driving national action against child sexual abuse online using the Model National Response webinar

DRF attended a webinar on Driving national action against child sexual abuse online using the Model National Response webinar. Ms.Anmol and Ms. Asma attended the webinar. In this webinar, speakers explored how Indonesia uses the  Model National Response in their response against child sexual exploitation and abuse online, the challenges they have encountered, and the lessons they have learned.

Webinar: State of Pakistan’s Digital Democracy

 

This year on the 14th of September, DRF hosted a webinar to commemorate the International Day of Democracy with legal, policy, media and human rights experts to discuss the latest developments in Pakistan that are undermining basic democratic freedoms, especially in the context of internet rights.

We were joined by noted journalist Afia Salam, Legal Counsel Human Rights Watch (Asia) Saroop Ijaz and CEO and Founder of Katalyst Labs, Jehan Ara. The session was moderated by Senior Program Manager Zainab Durrani.

 The panel discussed the recent onslaught of legislative and policy changes looking to overhaul the digital landscape in the country and summarize the impact it is having on most of Pakistan’s citizens, industries and human rights movements. Their valuable insights provided much needed context to the equation and also put forward clear policy points on how to mitigate the effects of such spirited attempts at overregulation.

The live talk can be viewed here.

Women Journalists' Collective Well-being Residency Retreat

Digital Rights Foundation held its annual residency for women journalists from 16-18 September 2023. The Residency is a space where women journalists create and nurture personal and professional bonds which are long lasting and help them in their professional career. The Residency had a line-up of sessions over two days focused on networking, online safety skills and story pitching.

DRF Updates:

Cyber Harassment Helpline

The Cyber Harassment Helpline received 185 complaints in total September, with 122 complaints by women. If you’re encountering a problem online, you can reach out to our helpline at 0800-39393, email us at helpdesk@digitalrightsfoundation.pk or reach out to us on our social media accounts.

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

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 helpdesk@digitalrightsfoundation.pk or reach out to us on our social media accounts. We’re available for assistance from 9 am to 5 pm, Monday to 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 helpdesk@digitalrightsfoundation.pk or reach out to us on our social media accounts. We’re available for assistance from 9 am to 5 pm, Monday to Sunday.

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 helpdesk@digitalrightsfoundation.pk or reach out to us on our social media accounts. We’re available for assistance from 9 am to 5 pm, Monday to Sunday.

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 helpdesk@digitalrightsfoundation.pk or reach out to us on our social media accounts. We’re available for assistance from 9 am to 5 pm, Monday to Sunday.

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, helpdesk@digitalrightsfoundation.pk 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 helpdesk@digitalrightsfoundation.pk or reach out to us on our social media accounts. We’re available for assistance from 9 am to 5 pm, Monday to Sunday.

IWF Portal

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

www.report.iwf.org.uk/pk

StopNCII.org

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

 

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 helpdesk@digitalrightsfoundation.pk or reach out to us on our social media accounts. We’re available for assistance from 9 am to 5 pm, Monday to Sunday.

IWF Portal

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

www.report.iwf.org.uk/pk

StopNCII.org

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

 

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, helpdesk@digitalrightsfoundation.pk 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 helpdesk@digitalrightsfoundation.pk 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 helpdesk@digitalrightsfoundation.pk 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