Knowing about digital rights isn’t just a choice. It is a necessity for living safely. It is about protecting oneself from cybersecurity threats, including online bullying, harassment, fraud, and unexpected dangers.
If you know about your digital rights, that is great. However, if you are not aware of the basic rights that exist in the digital world, you have a place to go: Digital Rights Foundation Pakistan.
The organization is doing an incredible job of helping people understand their rights and fighting against cyber harassment. The organization’s motto is ‘’Help Making the Internet Safer & More Accessible’’ for every individual. It provides a safe space, especially for women, minorities, and dissidents defending online freedom of expression.
The Digital Rights Foundation is a non-profit, registered research-based organization that supports human rights and actively works for digital governance. The organization ensures that individuals express themselves freely in a healthy and safe online environment.
The organization works on projects like Hamara Internet, Cyber Crime Bill, research, training, and creating awareness through blogs. You can visit their official website to learn more about the organization’s efforts in protecting the rights of the citizens.
We will focus on online harassment in Pakistan and how the organization contributes to providing safe space. The Digital Rights Foundation’s (DRF) Cyber Harassment Helpline Report 2023 gives an insight into the situation of online harassment in Pakistan. The report has been prepared with facts and figures and shows how these crimes are increasing with the innovation in technology.
The report suggests a significant increase in cases, with more frequent attacks on women’s identities. Since 2016, the organization has received almost 16,849 complaints, and almost 58.5% of the total complainants were from women. In 2023, the Helpline received 2,473 new complaints, averaging 206 per month.
One of the most alarming highlights is that social media platforms are frequently used in harassment cases. The complaints involved non-consensual use of images, defamatory content, and fake profiles.
Meanwhile, the helpline offers legal advice as well as psychological counseling and assistance in the removal of the content.
People were mostly harassed through Facebook, Whatsapp, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and X, previously known as Twitter. Meanwhile, the helpline provided services in 2023, led by digital help, which was 15.4%, whereas almost 7.7% required legal and digital help.
The Digital Rights Foundation’s Cyber Harassment Helpline Report 2023 categorizes complaints into various types, including blasphemy accusations, abusive messages, account disabling, blackmailing, bullying, non-consensual capturing on camera, censorship, copyright issues, defamation, doxing, and fake profiles.
Also, FIA-related issues were reported, including financial fraud, gender-based violence, hacking, hate speech, impersonation, information requests, login issues, non-consensual intimate imagery, non-consensual edits, non-consensual use of information, online stalking, other miscellaneous complaints, phishing, physical violence, sexual harassment, social engineering, stalking, stolen devices, threats, threats of physical violence, and unsolicited contact.
The report also sheds light on the relationships of the harassers. It shows that in most cases, there is either a current or previous romantic relationship between the two. Almost 30% of them were in some kind of romantic relationship. Almost 50% of the reported cases show some familiarity, and the harasser knew the person in some personal capacity, for example, ex-husband, ex-partner, husband, partner, family, client, and other relatives.
Most of the complaints were received from big cities, including Lahore with the highest number of reports, along with Islamabad, Karachi, Rawalpindi, and cities without FIA offices. Geographically speaking, the most complaints were from Punjab, followed by Islamabad and Sindh.
Indeed, the innovation in technology and the outburst of AI tools have led to an increase in cases including AI-generated content. It is important to formulate policies regarding the use of technology and how to deal with the rising online harassment cases. Individuals need to read more and learn about the latest tools to differentiate between authentic and fake content. It is quite challenging for common people to understand how these AI tools work and can generate high-quality content that is beyond our imagination.
The major role is of the media, parents, and teachers to spread awareness and educate the young generation, especially school-going children, about the use of social media as well as AI tools. The children also become the victims of cyberbullying, online harassment, and other crimes. Knowing where to report and how to handle these situations is of utmost importance in today’s time. Therefore, you can check out the Digital Foundation WhatsApp channel, which continuously updates users about their digital rights and how to protect themselves in online spaces.
How can I report online harassment in Pakistan?
Any individual can report harassment through DRF’s Cyber Harassment online number 0800-39393 or you can email them at helpdesk@digitalrightsfoundation.pk
Besides, you can report it to the FIA or reach out to online helplines available to help them in the situation.
What are my digital rights as a Pakistani citizen?
As a Pakistani citizen, you have a constitutional right to freedom of speech and expression under Article 19, whereas there is a right to information under Article 19-A. The Digital Rights Law 2016 protects citizens under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, including cybercrimes, hacking, identity theft, and online harassment.
Whereas PECA 2016 makes online harassment a punishable offense. If you want to know more in detail, you can always get support from digital rights organizations and Bytes for All.
How can women protect themselves from cyber harassment?
People can protect themselves from cyber harassment through awareness and precautionary and proactive measures. It is always suggested to use strong passwords, two-factor authentication, and keep social media accounts private. It is important to understand that we do not have to share everything online. We need to avoid sharing sensitive or personal information online.
Furthermore, you can block any suspicious user or report it to the social media site. In case you face any harassment, you can always get support from organizations such as the FIA, or Digital Rights Foundation. Remember, these organizations always keep your information secure and provide you with a safe space to hide your identity and resolve your problem.
Contact Information: info@digitalrightsfoundation.pk
www.digitalrightsfoundation.pk
Gender–sensitive, confidential & free helpline: 0800-39393
helpdesk@digitalrightsfoundation.pk