August 2022 Newsletter: Digital 50.50 Edition on Threats and Harms of Gendered Disinformation
September 8, 2022October 2022 Newsletter: 2022 Annual Conference of the Geneva Human Rights Platform
November 15, 2022Nighat Dad at the Ministerial Summit for Information and Democracy
Nighat Dad presented the new deal for Journalism as a Vice Chair of the Forum on Information and Democracy to several honorable State Ministers. The forum called on governments to commit up to 1% of their official development assistance to the sustainability of independent journalism.
https://twitter.com/nighatdad/status/1573248235107680256?s=20&t=fvalcsMptKYDgfOkyQmnTQ
Online Campaigns
International ID Day
DRF held an online campaign on International Identity Day, 16th September. We believe identity systems have created exclusion, insecurity, and surveillance.
To find out more about visit our website: www.digitalrightsfoundation.pk
Kidnapping Scams
The helpline received a considerable amount of complaints about fake kidnapping cases for which the team developed infographics around how to avoid these scams and report.
The Coalition Against Online Violence
The Coalition Against Online Violence condmemns the ongoing attacks, abuse and harassment of Nighat Dad from the Digital Rights Foundation. The statement was further supported and shared by FPU, Freedom Network, Article 19, Women’s Media Center, Women in journalism, International Women’s Media Foundation, Freedom on the net, Pen America and NDI gender.
Policy Initiatives
Virtual Learning and Privacy amid COVID-19
DRF conducted a study on Virtual Learning and Privacy Amid COVID-19 to investigate and understand the privacy practices between students, teachers and educational institutions.
Link to study: https://staging-m.digitalrightsfoundation.pk/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Virtual-Learning.pdf
DRF Condemns the Arbitrary Youtube Shutdowns in the country as ‘Unconstitutional’
Digital Rights Foundation condemns the arbitrary Youtube shutdowns in the country by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and reiterates that these are unconstitutional blocks.
Read the full statement here: https://staging-m.digitalrightsfoundation.pk/drf-condemns-the-arbitrary-youtube-shutdowns-in-the-country-as-unconstitutional/
DRF joined the We Protect Global Alliance
DRF became a part of the WeProtect Global Alliance. We’re looking forward to working together with the Alliance to build a digital world designed to protect children from sexual exploitation and abuse.
Learn more about the Alliance here: https://weprotect.org/who-we-are/
Press Coverage
Nighat Dad on #ZaraHatKay
DRF’s ED Nighat Dad spoke on the show Zara Hat Kay discussing the arbitrary Youtube Shutdowns in the country as a violation of the constitutional rights of the citizens.
Here’s the full conversation: https://twitter.com/DigitalRightsPK/status/1567483551108440064?s=20&t=fvalcsMptKYDgfOkyQmnTQ
Nighat Dad Presents A New Deal For Journalism To Global Leaders
Nighat Dad, Executive Director of Digital Rights Foundation and Member of Meta’s Independent Oversight Board, presented a new deal for journalism to several State Ministers as a Vice Chair of the Forum of Information and Democracy alongside UNGA 2022.
Read the full piece here: https://www.thefridaytimes.com/2022/09/23/nighat-dad-presents-a-new-deal-for-journalism-to-global-leaders/
OPINION: As Pakistan flooded, internet shutdown compounded woes
DRF published an op-ed with Thomas Reuters Foundation on the issue of internet shutdowns in Pakistan, particularly in light of bans on YouTube, impending elections and unprecedented flooding in the country.
Read the full piece here: https://news.trust.org/item/20220902091216-7u4zb/
Human Rights Defenders 2022
DRF’s Nighat Dad was featured on Friedrich Naumann Foundation’s website in the list of human rights defenders of 2022. She shared her story as an activist and the struggles she faced while pursuing her activism.
Read the full interview here: https://publikationen.freiheit.digital/en/human-rights-defenders/2022-en/nighat-dad
Emerging Technologies, such as AI, Algorithms etc and their relevance in Pakistan
DRF’s Shmyla Khan spoke Sky FM 89 on Emerging Technologies, such as AI, Algorithims etc and their relevance in Pakistan. She shed light on the growing intergration of technologies in our lives and our reliance on them.
You can listen to the full conversation here: https://fb.watch/fXHlUXrOoP/
“Well-being and self-care are collective efforts”
The Open Tech Foundation showcased DRF’s work on the intersection of well-being and digital security. The piece covers ddressing burnout in human-rights defenders facing violence online is crucial.
Read the full piece here: https://www.opentech.fund/news/addressing-burnout-among-human-rights-defenders-facing-violence-online/
Events
https://twitter.com/nighatdad/status/1573248235107680256?s=20&t=fvalcsMptKYDgfOkyQmnTQ
DRF’s Nighat Dad spoke at the Concordia Summit 2022 on Decentralized Governance: Giving Power Away
DRF’s Nighat Dad on behalf od Meta spoke at the Concordia Summit 2022 on the panel Decentralized Governance: Giving Power Away emphasizing on bringing communities at the centre of the conversations.
She spoke about how decentralisation also mean giving away power to its users by tech giants which the Oversight Board has been doing.
Nighat Dad spoke on the High level panel of Legal Experts on Media Freedom
Nighat Dad spoke at the High Level Panel of Legal Experts on Media Freedom discussing the growing need to secure emergency safe refuge for journalists at risk on the sidelines.
DRF’s Nighat Dad at the Partner2Connect Digital Coalition Event
DRF’s Nighat Dad attended the Partner2Connect Digital Coalition event focusing on Forging paths to digital transformation and inclusive digital societies. The event was held at Twitter headquarters where Doreen Bogdan from the International Telecommunication Union spoke about leaving no one behind when it comes to online connectivity and inclusive digital societies.
The Edge of the Law: A regional approach to confronting legal challenges
DRF’s Nighat Dad spoke on the virtual launch of the report and recommendations from Bar Human Rights Committee of England and Wales and the American Bar Association Rule of Law intiative on the ‘The Rule of the Law: A regional approach to confronting key legal challenges’ specifically highlighting the chapter about the need for a human rights centric data protection approach in the region.
DRF at Regional Consultations to Support the Development of the 2022 Ottawa
The Freedom Online Coalition (FOC) and the Government of Canada hosted consultations with stakeholders in the Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America, North America, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Middle East and North Africa regions to support the development of the upcoming FOC Ottawa Agenda. DRF’s Nighat Dad was part of the consultation representing Pakistan.
Nighat Dad at Trust Con 2022
Nighat Dad on behalf of the Oversighht Board discussed the recommendation and tracking the implementation of the oversight board. She emphasized on the board welcoming more inputs and being a transparent and independent body.
Consultation: Challenges and Opportunities for Digital Media in Pakistan
DRF completed its series of consultations with digital media organisations and content creators with a session on September 1st in Lahore. The consultation was organised in partnership with UNESCO and attended by 13 participants (5 digital media organisations, 1 civil society organisation, 1 traditional media organisation, and 4 individual content creators).
Similar to the preceding consultation, participants highlighted issues of growing hate speech and intolerance online and how the community guidelines of social media companies were unequipped with the requisite cultural/linguistic sensitivity to effectively remove/block hate speech. They also expressed the need for educating content creators on social media content policies and local laws including those on copyright infringement.
Hajar e Tifl (Protect the child) panel talk arranged by The City School:
DRF participated in the City School’s panel talk, Hajar e Tifl (Protect the child) under whose banner the panelists addressed Vocabulary of Abuse and the concept of child abuse in physical and digital spaces. The panel talk took place on September 22, 2020, at TCS Paragon Campus, Lahore. The panelists thoroughly spoke on verbal abuse against children in online and offline spaces – the various concepts accounted for included cyber stalking, cyber harassment, bullying etc.
Multi-stakeholder Consultation: Safety of Journalists in the Digital Age
DRF took part in a consultation organised on by International Media Support (IMS) and UNESCO that brought together journalists, tech company representatives, digital safety experts and civil society representatives on the issue of journalist safety in digital spaces. DRF presented the issues faced by women journalists on digital platforms, particularly highlighting disinformation campaigns. The consultation was held Copenhagen, with the DRF team joining virtually.
To find out more about the event visit: https://www.mediasupport.org/news/tech-dialogues-to-improve-safety-of-journalists/.
Online 4th session for Women Journalists’ Digital Well-being & Safety Fellowship 2.0
On the 21st September 2022, the Legal team conducted an overview of the concept of defamation, cyber harassment and Removal and Blocking of Unlawful Online Content (Procedure, Oversight and Safeguards) Rules, 2021 etc.. The interactive session discussed personal experiences of women journalists and discussed the legal recourse which the participants could potentially refer to and legally safeguard themselves in difficult situations.
Democratising South Asia in the Digital Age
DRF’s Seerat Khan spoke on the conference Democratising South Asia in the Digital Age on the panel Closed Borders, Open Websites. The panel discussed the importance accessible websites in the South Asian region and the need for greater solidarity.
You can listen to the session here: https://twitter.com/voicepkdotnet/status/1571144442832109569?s=20&t=fvalcsMptKYDgfOkyQmnTQ
DRF Updates
Cyber Harassment Helpline
The Cyber Harassment Helpline received 232 complaints in September with 134 of these from women and 2 from trans women throughout the country. 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.
#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
