Pakistan
In depth
Visibility and secrecy: Data protection, privacy and gender in Pakistan
Privacy rights are becoming increasingly important and especially in the context of increasing datafication. Shmyla Khan of Digital Rights Foundation in Pakistan talks about the ways in which privacy rights are relevant, used and abused in the lives of women and gender diverse people.
Publication
Gender and Privacy: From Oppression to Liberation: Reclaiming the Right to Privacy
A report that examines the overlapping concerns of gender, privacy, surveillance, and gender-based violence in Asia, Europe, Africa, Latin America, North America. The report raises issues including gender-based violence in the private sphere, rigid gender categories in identity programs its impact on trans people, etc.
Feminist talk
Online Dating in Pakistan
The rise of dating apps allows women to take control of their social life and their choices. In this article Hija Kamran speaks to many women in Pakistan about their experience of online dating, both good and bad, whether it allows for challenging of conservative social norms or it leaves women vulnerable to abuse and other risks.
Publication
Mapping research on gender and digital technology
The emerging sub-field of research around gender and digital technology is united in its understanding that gender biases and stereotypes are embedded in technology, and that this reproduces the existing problems around gender parity, gender-based violence, discrimination and exclusion on the internet. This report is a mapping of the research around gender and digital technology in the decade...
Feminist talk
Mirror, Mirror on the Phone: How Social Media Beauty Filters Impact South Asian Women
Young women in South Asia struggle with the society's obsession of fair skin and eurocentric features all their lives, so beauty filters on social media apps have been providing them what many home remedies have failed to offer. But how are these tech solutions impacting their self-esteem? Areej Akhtar discusses.
Feminist talk
For Queer People in Pakistan, Pride Flags On Social Media May Be Doing More Harm Than Good
As the world celebrates Pride month every June, in Pakistan, this celebration brings hate and violence to the community. The writer explores how seemingly innocuous expression of queerness and support for the community has opened doors of violence on individuals on the intern
Feminist talk
The Case of Selective Morality, Sexist Laws and Online Censorship in Pakistan
Internet censorship in the name of morality in Pakistan is rampant, and the trend continues to grow as new laws and regulations are introduced. But just a cursory look at this trend reveals that the censorship is not just vague, but also sexist, targeting women's expression and experiences online.
Feminist talk
Queer on the Internet: The Politics of Visibility
In this article, three queer-identifying internet users from Pakistan, talk about queer (in)visibility and the precarity of private online spaces for expression.
Publication
Submissions to TO United Nations SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR: ONLINE VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN
Here is a compilation of the submissions from different countries including Democratic Republic of Congo, Malaysia, Pakistan, and Bosnia-Herzegovina to the Special Rapporteur for Violence Against Women on online violence against women.
Feminist talk
Framing access and power at Stockholm Internet Forum 2017
The Stockholm Internet Forum 2017 focused their discussions on the links between access and power. In this article Shaikh Rafia Sarwar examines how access is linked to women's empowerment and particularly their economic empowerment. And whether the debate around access should focus on economic, cultural and social empowerment of women through and outside technology, rather than ensuring access to...
