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October 3, 2013 - Comments Off on Freedom on the Net 2013 Findings: Pakistan’s Internet Freedom Status NOT FREE

Freedom on the Net 2013 Findings: Pakistan’s Internet Freedom Status NOT FREE

Freedom on the Net 2013 - Growing Concerns Over Pakistan's Internet Freedom Status

Lahore, October 3, 2013: With the launch of a new study by Freedom House to assess Freedom on the Net in 60 countries around the world, a growing surge of employing surveillance technologies and restricting  free access by the governments globally can be observed. Freedom on the Net 2013 report on Pakistan confirms the doubts that even with the change of government - after a successful democratic process - rhetoric of tightening Internet surveillance remains the same. YouTube, for example, still remains blocked in the country.

Digital Rights Foundation, Pakistan along with research analysts of Freedom House worked concertedly over past many months to research, compile and assess the limits on content, violations of user rights in Pakistan, and overall Internet freedom in the country. We learnt that government has been keen in bringing in some newer technologies to restrict online content and also have better surveillance powers. Presence of FinFisher's Spy tools in Pakistan on state-owned Pakistan Telecommunication Ltd (PTCL) network was strongly condemned by civil society of the country. Government's plan to systematize website blocking was also one of the most concerning developments of 2012 and 2013.

It was also found that violations of user rights have been on an uptick in the past year in Pakistan with the cases like the shooting at the 15yr old blogger and activist Malala Yousufzai. An increased number of blasphemy cases were also registered, sometimes just to settle business rivalries.

"Pakistan remains one of the worst countries when it comes to online freedom of speech, user rights and citizens' privacy", commented Digital Rights Foundation Executive Director, Nighat Dad.  "In the past year, state has been rigorously trying to implement the best of surveillance set-ups to create a kind of watchdog upon activists, journalists and a common citizen on the name of war against terrorism. Pakistan' civil society, despite being faced with threats and vicious consequences, is strongly fighting against the state-employed policies and technologies that can hurt Pakistani citizen".

The upper house of parliament, in February 2013, granted security agencies permission to monitor private e-mails and mobile phone communications in order to collect evidence of terrorist activity, threatening Pakistani citizen's privacy. In the areas like Baluchistan, activists are even more at threat with plethora of intelligence agencies and Pakistani army trying to cut their voices. Freedom on the Net 2013 report found that intelligence agencies have been pressuring federal government for greater surveillance control and location tracking system. While this all has been moved forward to fight against terrorists, it is evident that these technologies are used to threat media personnel, attack activists and other such factitious activities affecting a common citizen.

To view full country report of Pakistan, please visit Freedom on the Net, 2013.

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Digital Rights Foundation is a research based advocacy organisation based in Pakistan focusing on ICTs to support human rights, democratic processes and better digital governance. DRF opposes any and all sorts of online censorship and violations of human rights both on ground and online.  We firmly believe that freedom of speech and open access to online content is critically important for the development of socio-economy of the country. www.digitalrightsfoundation.pk

Join the talk on Twitter @digitalrightspk, follow the hashtag #FOTN13 or like us on Facebook!

August 14, 2013 - Comments Off on Call For Participation: Digital Security Workshop In Peshawar

Call For Participation: Digital Security Workshop In Peshawar

Digital Rights Foundation (DRF), Bolo Bhi and Aware Girls are happy to announce a one day Training of Trainers on Digital Security and Privacy for Women Human Rights Defenders, Activists, journalists and young bloggers of Peshawar on 20th August 2013.

The main goal of this TOT is to increase the number of women defenders, activists, journalists and bloggers who are well-informed and confident enough on digital security to carry out trainings themselves within their own organisations and communities.

We would like to invite all members of the Women Human Rights Organizations, Civil society, journalists, bloggers to submit short profiles for consideration for this training. We will only be able to accommodate a maximum of 30 participants from Peshawar (final decision sits with the organising committee).

Shortlisted participants will be sent the details about the venue of the training. The deadline to apply is 17th August.

All interested candidates should send an expression of interest outlining how they meet the required criteria, how they will carry further trainings and why they are interested to nighat@digitalrightsfoundation.pk.

 

Please note that as organizations focused on your privacy rights we discourage participants to send us extra information i.e strictly no CVs. Please practice discretion when sharing your personal information online. Share a brief bio relevant to your work only along with contact information that can enable us to contact you for updates. All data received will be discarded on the 18th August. We will not use your contact information for anything other than contacting you for this workshop specifically. 

 

May 3, 2013 - Comments Off on Global Coalition Of NGOs Call To Investigate & Disable FinFisher’s Espionage Equipment in Pakistan

Global Coalition Of NGOs Call To Investigate & Disable FinFisher’s Espionage Equipment in Pakistan

Note: This is a Bolo Bhi & Digital Rights Foundation’s open call for support for national and international human rights organizations against espionage and surveillance in Pakistan.

This statement is pursuant to the Citizen Lab report, “For Their Eyes Only: The Commercialization of Digital Spying,” the report describes the results of 1 year of research into the global market for commercial intrusion and monitoring software. The report included a global mapping of the command and control servers used for FinFisher, a remote intrusion and monitoring product line sold to governments. Pakistan was identified among the countries where FinFisher Command and Control servers have been found.

We are a consortium of NGOs and individuals— ARTICLE 19,  Association For Progressive Communications, Access Now, Bolo Bhi, Centre For Democracy & Technology, Centre For Peace & Development Initiatives, Christopher Parsons,Chunri Chuopaal, Digital Rights Foundation, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Free Press, Global Voices Advocacy, Index On Censorship, Intermedia Pakistan, Individual Land Pakistan, Leila Nechwati,  Privacy International, Reporters Without Borders, Simon Davies (Privacy Surgeon), Institute for Research Advocacy and Development Pakistan,The Centre for Internet and Society, The Internet Democracy Project India, The Foundation for Media Alternatives (FMA),  Nawaat — committed to respecting user privacy and promoting freedom of expression and access to information.

We express our dismay and condemnation over the presence of a FinFisher Command and Control server on a network operated by the Pakistan Telecommunication Read more

February 2, 2013 - Comments Off on Press Release: Punjab Government Urged to Enact Effective Right to Information Law

Press Release: Punjab Government Urged to Enact Effective Right to Information Law

Lahore, January 30, 2013: Punjab despite being the biggest province of the country housing over 100 million people has not done legislation to provide its residents easy access to information held by provincial departments. The tenure of the present provincial is coming to a close but only draft bill on right to information has been prepared by the Punjab government. This was stated in conference by Coalition on right to Information, a forum of 17 civil society organizations which is working towards the enactment in Pakistan of right to information laws according to international best practices of right to information legislation and implementation

of existing information laws. The participants of the conference Read more

December 22, 2012 - Comments Off on Fair Trial Bill is an Official Intrusion on Privacy: Digital Rights Foundation

Fair Trial Bill is an Official Intrusion on Privacy: Digital Rights Foundation

For Immediate Release

Lahore, December 22, 2012: The approval of controversial Fair Trial Bill authorizes the state to intercept private communications to thwart acts of terrorism. Digital Rights Foundation observes that this act is an official intrusion on privacy of the people of Pakistan.

According to news reports, the government argues that: "existing laws neither comprehensively provide for nor specifically regulate use of advanced and modern investigative techniques such as covert surveillance and human intelligence, property interference, wire tapping and communication interception that are used extensively in other countries, including the US, the UK and India"

Digital Rights Foundation stands firm with the country's civil society and internet users, who have been opposing this bill since its inception. DRF has learnt that although the government has taken other political stakeholders' input to this bill, it has excluded any expressions of concern from civil society activists and organisations.

This bill paves way for the state to tap telephonic and online communications. Pakistan's Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf said that the bill's purpose is to eliminate terrorism from the country: "The bill will be useful to send a message to terrorists that the country was united against them. The bill will protect the ordinary citizen from terrorists."

But Mr. Prime Minister failed to mention that this bill applies to every citizen of Pakistan except the members of Parliament and Provincial Assemblies (according to the last available draft – approved bill is not available yet). This sends a strongly controversial message to the common citizen by putting the assembly members above the law.

This Act will also work for the state to curb the freedom of speech of activists and human rights defenders in the name of the war against terrorism while keeping its own ministers from any sort of probing which is completely against equality of all citizens of a country.

DRF expresses its grave concern over this bill, which is a blunt attack on the privacy of the country's netizens, and condemns government's approach of exclusion of Pakistan's civil society. If the Prime Minister wishes to unite the country behind this legislative measures, the first step is to include citizens’ views in the process.

Contact: Nighat Dad - Executive Director, Digital Rights Foundation
Digital Rights Foundation is a research based advocacy not-for-profit (registration in process) organization focusing on ICTs to support human rights, democratic processes and digital governance. DRF aims at empowering the communities, especially women and girls through Information & Communication Technologies and bring much needed positive development in society.