Digital activists join hands to safeguard rights

Information has become the most lethal tool in this day and age, says organiser

KARACHI:

Over one hundred digital media activists from across Pakistan gathered in Karachi in an effort to bring together diverse voices to a single platform in order to safeguard their rights.

Information has become the most lethal tool in this day and age and social media has become the most effective medium to disseminate it, said organiser Khurram Mehmood. "We want to develop a unified force that provides a coordinated front in cyberspace to counter hybrid warfare."

Salar Sultanzai, another Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf stalwart, spoke about the war of narratives, the changing nature of conflict and how perceptions are being shaped and manipulated using social media, while citing the example of the Arab Spring and the work done by Cambridge Analytica.

Speaking about hybrid warfare, participants said 'enemies of the state' were trying to drum up anti-Pakistan hysteria. "People have been sharing old videos of sexual violence to malign our country's reputation in the wake of Lahore incident," said one participant.

Moreover, PTI MPA and social media activist Dewan Sachal said that Indian trolls constantly tried to paint a picture that the minority Hindu community was unsafe in Pakistan. "This is blatantly untrue," he said.

A history student sitting in the audience, however, urged participants not to pass sweeping statements.

"We need to have a constructive dialogue that addresses the issue instead of focusing on countering false narratives with one of our own," said Anzal Abbas

The speakers also emphasised the need to develop a code of conduct for digital activism to ensure criticism and critique on social media is tempered and constructive.

The event, which started two hours late, also saw other prominent digital media activists speak on a variety of challenges.

Held at Royal Rodale, the Karachi event was sponsored by Ikram Sehgal. Organisers said they had organised similar events in other cities including Lahore and Peshawar, with the next one scheduled for Quetta, and the final one in Islamabad on October 4, where they intend to launch their organisation.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, September 21^st, 2020