Building a Rights-Respecting Digital Future in Pakistan

Putting People and Privacy at the Centre of Digital Transformation 

A digital service can look efficient on a screen while feeling confusing, unsafe or inaccessible to the person who depends on it. A student may need an online education portal to enrol or receive financial assistance. A patient may be asked to share sensitive health information through a digital record or application. A taxpayer may have to submit personal details through an online system. These are not merely technical transactions. They are moments in people’s lives when access to education, healthcare, public services and economic opportunity can depend on whether a digital system functions and is trusted by its users.

Pakistan’s vision of becoming a “Digital Nation” reflects an aspiration to use technology to make public life more connected, efficient and accessible. Realising this vision, however, will require more than the development of new platforms and databases. It will depend on whether people feel informed, respected and confident when they use digital tools. Every digital service requires individuals to share their personally identifiable information, such as their name, phone number, photograph, fingerprint or location. Digital systems are therefore most effective when people understand what information is being collected about them, who can access it, how long it will be kept and what remedies are available if the system makes an error, experiences a data leak, or is affected by human error.

For a woman facing online abuse, the ability to report harm safely may matter more than the sophistication of the platform. For a patient, uncertainty about who can see their medical information may discourage them from seeking care. These experiences illustrate why privacy is not an abstract legal concern. It shapes whether people can use digital services freely and with dignity. 

For this reason, privacy should remain a central consideration in Pakistan’s digital transformation. A country cannot become meaningfully digital by connecting databases alone. It becomes digital when people can participate in that transformation without compromising their privacy.

Digital Governance, Privacy and Freedom of Expression

Pakistan’s digital evolution is taking place in a difficult environment. Online expression is already constrained, and international assessments have repeatedly described the country’s internet as heavily restricted. Freedom House has classified Pakistan as “Not Free” in its Freedom on the Net reporting, while Reporters Without Borders ranked Pakistan 153rd out of 180 countries in its 2026 World Press Freedom Index. 

These assessments matter to privacy because people are less likely to speak, search, organise or report information when they fear that their identity, communications or online activity may be exposed or misused. In a restricted information environment, privacy provides a measure of personal space in which individuals can form views, seek information and communicate without unnecessary monitoring. The relationship also works in the other direction: when privacy is weak, restrictions on expression can become more powerful because the risk of being identified may deter people from participating before any censorship even takes place. Privacy and freedom of expression should therefore be treated as interconnected rights; not because they are identical, but because the protection of one can determine whether people are able to exercise the other.

The Digital Nation Pakistan Act, 2025, is part of this wider transformation. It aims to organise and centralise the country’s digital governance, including digital services, data systems and cybersecurity. The scale of that ambition makes the law significant. It also makes the safeguards around it impossible to treat as an afterthought.

The Digital Rights Foundation (DRF)’s policy brief, The Cost of Going Digital: Evaluating Rights Risks in Pakistan’s Digital Governance, identifies a central concern: although the country is rapidly expanding the collection, integration, and use of data, it still does not have enacted personal data protection legislation. Pakistan’s Personal Data Protection Bill has undergone several iterations and extensive consultations over the years, yet it remains a bill rather than an Act, repeatedly positioned as being close to legislation without ultimately becoming a law. Against this backdrop, DRF has submitted detailed analysis and recommendations on the National Artificial Intelligence Policy 2025, the Draft National Data Governance Policy, and the Personal Data Protection Bill itself, bringing questions of privacy, accountability, inclusion, and human rights into policy discussions.

This legislative uncertainty is significant because the issue is not simply the existence of digital systems, but the protections that govern them. A rights-respecting system must clearly establish what data may be collected, for what purposes, who may access it, how long it may be retained, and what remedies are available when an error or misuse occurs. It must also identify the institutions responsible for oversight and provide them with sufficient independence to investigate complaints. The objective should therefore be to create a digital environment in which rules are clear, institutions are transparent, and individuals can participate with greater confidence.

The Role of National Human Rights Institutions

This is where National Human Rights Institutions and other independent rights bodies become essential. The National Commission for Human Rights, the National Commission on the Status of Women, and the National Commission on the Rights of the Child each bring a different perspective to the digital governance debate. 

Their contribution is particularly important because digital systems can affect different communities in distinct ways. Women may face gender-based online abuse. Children may require stronger safeguards. People living in remote or underserved areas may need alternatives when online access is limited. Listening to these perspectives early can improve policy before problems emerge, and it can also help institutions identify practical solutions, from accessible complaint mechanisms to stronger transparency requirements and more inclusive service design.

At a multi-stakeholder roundtable convened by DRF at the National Commission for Human Rights in Islamabad, Pakistan in December 2025, national commissions, civil society organisations and digital rights advocates discussed the implications of the Digital Nation Act. The discussion pointed towards a practical starting point: digital governance must be built around clear data protection standards, independent oversight, transparent data management and assessments that consider gender and inclusion. Discussions like this are critical because decisions about digital governance are frequently made without adequate input from civil society or affected communities. Once implemented, these decisions are difficult to reverse, making early, inclusive dialogue essential rather than optional.

Community Perspectives in Digital Rights Advocacy

Digital policy is strengthened when it is informed by the realities of people’s lives. A service that works well in a city may need to be adapted for a rural community. An online reporting process may need to account for language, literacy, disability or limited connectivity. A safety policy may need to reflect the experiences of women and other groups who face disproportionate online abuse.

Community engagement helps to bring these realities into the policy process. It turns abstract ideas such as “access”, “security” and “inclusion” into practical questions: Can people use the service? Do they understand it? Do they feel safe? Can they receive help when they need it?

DRF's Digital Security Helpline illustrates the value of this community-facing approach. When survivors call in distress, the helpline provides psychological support and a compassionate first point of contact. The Incident Response Analysts at the helpline listen to what has happened, help survivors feel heard and supported, and then guide them through the options available to them. This includes practical digital-security steps, reporting options, referral to relevant support services or other appropriate avenues for redress. Where a case requires further action, the helpline also supports the escalation of harmful content or complaints through the relevant channels, while taking the survivor’s safety, consent and circumstances into account.

This direct engagement does more than assist individuals in moments of crisis. It helps the helpline to identify recurring forms of digital violence, barriers survivors face when seeking solutions and the kinds of institutional responses that are needed. In that sense, the helpline connects immediate support with wider advocacy: it helps survivors navigate possible remedies while bringing patterns and community experiences to the attention of stakeholders who can press for stronger responses.

The helpline shows that digital safety is not only about technology. It is also about empathy, timely support and the ability to seek meaningful redress. When affected communities are included from the beginning, they do more than identify risks. They also contribute ideas, local knowledge and solutions. Their participation can help Pakistan build digital systems that are more useful, accessible and trusted.

Towards a Rights-Respecting Digital Nation

Pakistan does not have to choose between digital development and human rights. In fact, the two depend on each other. The success of Pakistan’s digital transformation will not be measured only by how many services move online or how quickly new systems are introduced. It will also be measured by whether people feel able to participate in that future. The measure of progress will be visible in ordinary experiences: whether a student can access an education service without unnecessary exposure of personal information; whether a patient can use a digital health service without losing confidence in the privacy of their records; whether a taxpayer can complete an online process and understand how their information will be used; and whether a person facing digital abuse can seek help without being placed at further risk. These are the points at which national policy becomes personal.

Can people understand how their data is used? Can they access support when they face digital harm? Can women, children, and marginalised communities expect meaningful protection? Can journalists and citizens contribute to public conversations without fear or uncertainty? These questions point towards practical steps that Pakistan can take as it develops its digital governance framework. A digital nation can combine innovation with respect for human rights, improve efficiency while preserving dignity, and use technology to expand access to opportunity. Achieving this will require systems that are designed through meaningful consultation and are responsive to the needs of all communities. The task is not simply to digitise the relationship between people and the state. It is to build a relationship in which people remain visible as rights-holders rather than becoming invisible as data points.

About Digital Rights Foundation

This article was written by Digital Rights Foundation (DRF), a female-led, not-for-profit, non-governmental organisation working on providing safe online spaces in Pakistan since 2013.