Digital gender gap

Pakistani women have it hard enough; digital technology should not set them back further.

Pakistan’s human rights battles are now playing out across its digital landscape. The X ban drags on, fantasies of data localisation persist, and talk of further social media regulation is circulating. The state says it is indigenising internet infrastructure and better securing the nation. Digital and human rights activists are bracing for more censorship and targeted surveillance. In all scenarios, there is a risk that digital developments exacerbate gender inequality.