Nighat Dad

Lawyer, human rights activist

TED Fellow Nighat Dad heads the Digital Rights Foundation, Pakistan -- a researched based advocacy not-for-profit geared towards ICT to support human rights, democratic processes, and digital governance.

Why you should listen

Nighat Dad is an accomplished lawyer and a human rights activist. She is one of the pioneers who have been campaigning around access to open internet in Pakistan and globally. She is the only Pakistani fellow for Young Global Leaders 2018 supported by World Economic Forum and TEDGlobal Fellows for 2017. She has been listed as a Next Generation Leader by TIME and is the recipient of Atlantic Council Freedom Award and Human Rights Tulip Award.

Dad has been fighting against online gender-based violence, making the internet safe and inclusive for everyone to use. She's been referred to as the "Pakistani lawyer trolling the trolls" by BBC for her valor in calling out the harassers online. She has been actively advocating for increased participation of women in public spaces through national and international platforms. She tweets at @nighatdad.

Nighat Dad’s TED Talk

Nighat Dad
How Pakistani women are taking the internet back
5 minutes 8 seconds
TED Fellow Nighat Dad studies online harassment, especially as it relates to patriarchal cultures like the one in her small village in Pakistan. She tells the story of how she set up Pakistan's first cyber harassment helpline, offering support to women who face serious threats online. "Safe access to the internet is access to knowledge, and knowledge is freedom," she says. "When I fight for a woman's digital rights, I am fighting for equality."
Posted May 2018

Nighat Dad

Why you should listen

Nighat Dad’s TED Talk

More news and ideas from Nighat Dad

How one woman in Pakistan is fighting to make the Internet a safer place for women

New visions for the world we know: Notes from an early morning of TED Fellows talks