DRF Condemns the violent death of an 18 year old in Charsadda over a dancing video by her father
February 14, 2023February 2023 Newsletter: Nighat Dad at UNESCO’s Internet For Trust Conference
March 13, 2023
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://staging-m.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:
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
