November 2022 Newsletter: Paris Peace Forum 2022
December 20, 2022DRF strongly condemns the downgrading of access to Wikipedia in Pakistan
February 13, 2023Online Campaigns
Digital 50.50: 16 Days of Activism on Gender-Based Violence
This 16 Days of Activism Digital 50.50 released its final edition on Gender-based violence and looking back at the year 2022. The pitches focused on different forms of violence against women and gendered minorities.
Digital 50.50 New Edition:
https://www.canva.com/design/DAFTt2Gipgg/HFCjwGKkIQ-FsL3Z2w-Vyg/view#1
#16DaysOfActivism
25th November marks the beginning of the 16 days of Activism highlighting the violence against women throughout these 16 days. Let’s join hands to fight this violence and create safe spaces for women and gender minorities. #EndViolenceAgainstWomen
#HumanRightsDay
This human rights day DRF’s women HRD’s who shared their experiences & challenges in the field & focusing on the importance of the human rights principal model.
Listen to the conversation here: https://twitter.com/DigitalRightsPK/status/1601156779580063744?s=20&t=mhqkbZMf9PB3PAzDVDg37w
Policy Initiatives
Policy Paper: Unpacking Content Moderation in Local Languages
DRF launched its policy paper on the subject of content moderation in the regional context by conducting research on content shared in local languages on Facebook. Focusing particularly on Dari and Pashto, the policy paper makes important observations regarding the challenges faced by tech companies and automated systems in moderating content from different regional contexts.
The policy paper can be accessed here
Cyber Harassment Helpline completes 6 years of operation
These 16 Days DRF compiled 6 years at the Cyber Harassment Helpline with a total of 14,165 complaints received. Overall 60% calls have been by women whereas 32% by men in the last six years.
Click here to view the video:
https://twitter.com/DigitalRightsPK/status/1601530613240299520?s=20&t=mhqkbZMf9PB3PAzDVDg37w
DRF’s Nighat Dad joins Task Force for a Trustworthy Future Web
The Task Force for a Trustworthy Future Web will chart a clear and action-oriented roadmap for future online ecosystems to protect users’ rights, support innovation, and center trust and safety principles.
Press Coverage
Samavaya Podcast: Nighat Dad in Conversation with Savera Weerasinghe
DRF’s Nighat Dad joins the conversation with Savera Weerasinghe on the Samavaya podcast on free and fair internet for women across the globe.
Thoughts on Safety and Survival on Twitter from the rest of the world- Nighat Dad
Nighat Dad pens her thoughts on safety and survival on Twitter emphasizing on building solidarity at the center of experiences from marginalized communities.
Click here to read the piece:
Q&A with Meedan partner Digital Rights Foundation on digital rights and gender violence in South Asia
DRF’s Shmyla Khan speaks to partner Meedan in a blog post about her experience promoting digital rights in Pakistan and throughout South Asia, and her insights on the gendered dimensions of digital security and emerging challenges around online electoral violence.
Click here to read the piece: https://meedan.com/post/q-a-with-meedan-partner-digital-rights-foundation-on-digital-rights-and-gender-violence-in-south-asia
16 Days of Activism: Legal Remedies Available in GBV Cases
DRF’s Senior Legal Associate/Program Manager, Irum Shujah spoke on FM 100 on legal remedies available in Gender Based Violence cases. Different scenarios and queries were posed which were then answered by Ms. Shujah.
DRF joined the radio session virtually to discuss the challenges and the non-implementation of the Punjab Protection of Women Against Violence Act 2016. It was further discussed that the country has laws for the protection of women but they are insufficient if not enforced, respected and implemented in letter and spirit without discrimination across the country.
Furthermore, the concept of cyber harassment was also elaborated upon and the general procedure of filing an FIA complaint with the Cyber Crime Wing was also discussed. Overall, the session aimed at educating the audience of their basic rights and responsibilities.
Link to listen: https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?ref=watch_permalink&v=473668811550216
Nighat Dad on podcast on Examining Meta’s Cross-Check Program
Nighat Dad spoke on the podcast The Sunday Show to discuss policy advisory opinion on how Meta moderate content for its most powerful users.
You can listen to the full episode here:
Events
Nighat Dad at the 10 Years of UN Plan of Action Islamabad Journalist Safety Forum
DRF’s Nighat Dad spoke at the 10 years of UN Plan of Action Islamabad Journalist Safety Forum sharing about the cyber harassment helpline in 2022 and how the helpline received 55 complaints from Pakistani journalists, with women journalists facing disinformation campaigns, harassment, and abuse whereas male journalists faced inquiries under PECA and losing access to their social media accounts.
Nighat Dad speaking on ‘US & International Law & Policies: A global perspective and response’
Nighar Dad spoke at UNFPA event on “U.S & International Laws & Policies: A global perspective & response” around online gender-based violence along with representatives of bumble and the National Domestic Violence Hotline amongst others.
https://gracefarms.org/the-virtual-is-real-bios/
DRF’s Nighat Dad on Twitter Space by Oversight Board
DRF’s Nighat Dad joins a Twitter space session about the oversight board’s findings and recommendations on cross-checking and an overall discussion around how Meta treats its most powerful users.
Nighat Dad at the Danish Parliament on Free Speech
Nighat Dad spoke at the Danish Parliament on issues of free speech and where we are today in the age of disinformation.
Online Training on Digital Safety for South Asia
DRF conducted an online training workshop for participants from across South Asia on the issue of online safety in partnership with Meedan as part of its Global Check program. To learn more about this work, you can read a recent blogpost by Meedan on the subject.
Digital Safety Sessions with Human Rights Defenders in Karachi and Lahore
Digital Rights Foundation’s digital safety team conducted four successful workshops with human rights defenders in Karachi on December 12, 16, 18 and 19 with support from the Norwegian Human Rights Fund. The sessions brought together members of civil society from across the city to understand the emerging challenges for them in the digital space and to equip them with the necessary skills to carry out their work in a safe manner.
Instagram Live Session with Instagram Influencer Baekartoot
DRF held an Instagram Live Session with Instagram Influencer Baekartoot and answered pertinent legal queries regarding digital rights and online spaces.
The procedure to register a complaint with the Federal Investigation Agency, Cyber Security Wing and all nuances regarding that, was also detailed in the session.
Countering Online Misinformation in Pakistan – Training Workshop – Islamabad
The third training workshop was organized by DRF in collaboration with CFLI in Islamabad on 3 December 2022. The purpose of the workshop was to identify misinformation and disinformation, document online disinformation and misinformation patterns, and improve fact-checking abilities. 19 people from varied backgrounds attended. After the session, participants were asked to report their encounters with misinformation on the internet and how the workshop will affect their future online interactions and personal communication.
Countering Online Misinformation in Pakistan – Training Workshop – Karachi
DRF, in collaboration with CFLI, also held the fourth and final training workshop on “Countering Online Misinformation in Pakistan” on December 17, 2022 in Karachi. The training drew 24 participants from Karachi and surrounding areas in Sindh. This platform was used to discuss the growing issue of online disinformation and misinformation directed at marginalized social groups. The goal of this workshop was to provide participants with the knowledge and skills needed to identify and document misinformation/disinformation online, as well as to develop fact-checking skills that can be used to combat misinformation/disinformation online. All attendees participated enthusiastically, sharing their personal experiences as well as providing suggestions for policy interventions and recommendations to address this growing problem.
HRCP Training Workshop
On the 26th and 27th of December 2022, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) held a two-day training workshop titled ‘Human rights and advocacy for civil society groups’. Anam Baloch, Project Manager DRF was in attendance. The training seminar centered on the fundamental rights outlined in the Constitution of Pakistan, the international human rights framework, the intricacies of advocacy, and online safety.
Asia Pacific Justice Forum 2022
Digital Rights Foundation was invited to present their initiative under the ‘Smart Regulations for a Healthy Information Ecosystem’ interactive session at the Asia Pacific Justice Forum. The event was hosted by the World Justice Project in Jakarta, Indonesia from 8-9 December. As part of the ‘best practices and innovations’ segment, DRF presented the Cyber Harassment Helpline and how the initiative has helped to increase access to justice for women, minority groups, and vulnerable occupations in Pakistan.
IGF 2022
DRF hosted two workshops at the Internet Governance Forum this year. The IGF was held in hybrid mode (28 November to 2 December), and DRF hosted the two sessions ,’Cutting ties: Citizens caught between conflict and tech’ and ‘Safe Internet Use for All: Helplines working with communities’ virtually.
The former session aimed to start a discussion on the effect of cutting off internet access and online platforms by states and digital platform companies on the citizens of a country, particularly marginalized groups. The panel included Nighat Dad of DRF, Mona Shtaya of 7amleh, Tanzeel Khan of Kashmir Digital Rights, and Eliška Pírková of Access Now.
The second session was a networking session and an opportunity for IGF attendees to share their initiatives and experiences of providing direct support to victims of online harassment, and to learn from one another.
DRF Updates
Cyber Harassment Helpline
The Cyber Harassment Helpline received 216 complaints in December with 116 of these from women. If you’re encountering a problem online you can reach out to our helpline on 0800-39393, email us at 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.
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.
