Man Convicted in the First Judgement under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA)

In an important decision, a Judicial Magistrate, Muhammad Amtiaz Bajwa of the District Courts, Lahore has convicted an offender under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016 (PECA) [see judgement here]. Digital Rights Foundation has been advocating on the need for sound jurisprudence on issues of online harassment and cyber crimes in general. Read more...

DRF Submits Recommendations to OHCHR on Right to Privacy in the Digital Age

In response to the Office of the High Commissioner of the UN’s Human Rights (OHCHR)’s call for inputs to its report on the right to privacy in the digital age, the Digital Rights Foundation penned down its recommendations and observations.

The prime concerns highlighted by DRF were the state of affairs in Pakistan with regards to the country’s treatment of its citizens’ data privacy and the kind of digital protection it affords us in what is an increasingly technology-reliant age. Read more...

Workshop: Digital Rights in Asia | University of Sydney, April 12-13, 2018

Digital Rights Foundation took forward in an academic workshop with experts in internet law and policy from around Asia. Representing Pakistan, DRF spoke about its activism, work in protecting freedom of expression and gender perspective that it offers to digital rights.

DRF expresses concerns over the security breach of Careem’s servers

Digital Rights Foundation expresses serious concerns over the breach of servers of one of the most used ride-hailing services in Pakistan, Careem. It was announced in the company’s official statement on April 23 that its servers were breached on January 14, 2018 and since then it has been investigating the matter. In the absence of a data protection legislation that DRF has been advocating for since last year, incidents like this put Pakistani customers at risk and at the mercy of hackers who can use this stolen information against them without any legal repercussions. Read more...

DRF condemns Google’s alliance with Pentagon

Digital Rights Foundation (DRF) strictly condemns the involvement of technology giant Google with the US Department of Defense’s (DoD) Project Maven, an initiative that intends to deploy machine learning for military purposes, particularly in terms of using artificial intelligence to interpret video imagery which will potentially be used to improve the targeting of drone strikes. We strongly urge Google to reconsider the decision to collaborate with the DoD, considering the cost, hefty ethical stakes and safety risks involved. Read more...

#MoneyAndMovement - Count Me In! Consortium, Kenya

Nighat Dad was in Kenya on April 11-13, 2018 to attend the Count me In! (CMI!) Consortium organised in partnership with Urgent Action Fund-Africa, Association for Women's Rights in Development (AWID-Canada), Crea (India), Just Associates (JASS, USA) and led by Mama Cash (The Netherlands). The meeting brings together activists and funders to strategise the future of feminist movements globally.

DRF hosted a Digital Security Clinic at the consortium to help people with their digital security questions and needs.

Open Government Partnership Network Meeting - Bellagio, Italy

DRF participated in the OGP Champions Network Meeting, "Building an Opening Government Chapmions Network", on April 25, 2018 in Bellagio, Italy - attended by 30 world-class political leaders, civil society heads, and thought leaders all working toward smarter & more ambitious open government reforms.

Hamara Internet: Our Right To Safe Online Spaces - Quetta

DRF with the help of our partners FNF held an awareness raising session on data protection and privacy in BUITEM’s University, Quetta on the 25th of April 2018. Students discussed in detail about their concept of privacy and the implications it has in real life if there is a possible breach in it. 105 students attended the session.

Online Safe Spaces for Journalists at University of Peshawar

DRF held a session at University of Peshawar with students of Journalism and Mass Communication on April 25, 2018. Around 70 students attended the awareness raising session where they were encouraged to keep themselves secure online. In the second half of the session they were given digital security training and were also provided with CDs which included security toolkits and a guidebook on digital security.

Workshop for Lawyers on Digital Rights

A workshop was held for Lawyers in Peshawar on April 26, 2018, focusing on creating awareness about the legal landscape that governs digital platforms. A comprehensive training session, complemented by specifically designed toolkits, was given to lawyers to guide them on how they can make online spaces safe for themselves by adopting various tools and resources available to them.

Workshop for Journalists on Digital Rights

A workshop was held for Journalists in Peshawar on April 27, 2018, focusing on raising awareness regarding making online spaces safe for them, considering the sensitive nature of their field. The deliberations also allowed participants to discuss the underpinnings of their role in digital advocacy. They were also given security training to protect themselves from harassment and threat online.

Digital Youth Summit - Peshawar

DRF set up a booth to raise awareness regarding the cyber harassment helpline at the Digital Youth Summit in Peshawar on April 27th and 28th, 2018. The Summit had individuals from the tech industry come in and discuss the implications of the online world on the offline world with us. Around 350 to 400 individuals visited the booth and were given DRF merchandise.

Understanding Harassment - a discussion with policy and legal experts

DRF’s team member, Shmyla Khan, participated in a panel discussion at the Lahore High Court organized by LEARN on April 28th, 2018. The panel consisted of notable figures such as sociologist Rubina Saigol, educators like Mariam Saeed, Salma Muzaffar from PCSW and lawyers such as Dania Mukhtar and Asad Jamal.

The discussion was rich and sought to discuss legal loopholes that discourage women from coming forward and what a law on sexual harassment should look like.

Hamara Internet: Our Right to Safe Spaces Online - University of Management and Technology in Lahore

DRF held a Hamara Internet session at UMT with female students of the law school to discussion online harassment, digital rights and the tools that women have in place to protect themselves in online spaces on April 30th, 2018.