Facebook decides to launch digital literacy programme in 2020

ISLAMABAD: While Pakistan tops the list of countries for making requests to block contents, Facebook has decided to launch digital literacy programme next year 2020 in order to create awareness among users to get benefits for use of technology.

“In Pakistan, we are planning to launch digital literacy programme next year 2020 to help users to get best benefit of technology”, Facebook’s Head of Safety Policy Asia Pacific Amber Hawkes, Sehr Tariq Facebook’s Public Policy Manager and Shmyla Khan Programme and Research Officer Digital Rights Foundation (DRF) stated in a joint briefing to a select group of reporters here on Thursday.

Answering a query, the Facebook representatives said that there were about 41 million users in Pakistan but with the advent of 5G, if accessibility and affordability improved then the number could increase. Studies revealed that in Pakistan women are at a disadvantage in terms of access to Internet, maybe because they do not feel safe.

The visiting Facebook’s head of safety said that they were going to launch Non Consensual Sharing of Intimate Images (NCCI) in collaboration with local partner DRF next week through which in case of complaints any unwarranted content or images would be barred for displaying on Facebook.

“It will help women and children to ensure safety from intimidation and harassment”, they said and added that it could also help avoiding instances of honour killings in Pakistan because the display of any objectionable image without consent could cause problems for safety and security especially for women and children.

The NCCI is a tool designed for safety and it will help us in detecting objectionable material and ensure timely removal. The tool will also allow us to remove pictures/videos which have been uploaded without consent, they added.

The talk titled- ‘Creating Safe Online Spaces: safety for Women’ was organised by Facebook here on Thursday under safety week. In the programme, it aimed at creating awareness taken by Facebook to eradicate contents targeting women and children came under discussion.

Amber Hawkes – Head of Safety Policy Asia –Pacific said that the guidelines are developed by the teams and local partners spread across the world, and the contents are monitored by the technology tools.

“This year over five million pieces on child exploitation were removed globally and 99 percent were detected by the artificial intelligence tools,” Ms Hawkes added. However even the males too can lodge complain under the law that is Cyber stalking under Section 24, which is follow or unwanted contact, watch or spy, distributes information without consent.

Shmyla said the cybercrime comes under the jurisdiction of FIA but the agency has limited capacity to deal with the complaints, besides the officials are gender insensitivity and slow to act.

Sehar Tariq, Facebook’s Public Policy Manager made it clear that there was a very strict policy regarding the teenagers to create an account. “We have a zero tolerance towards child exploitation imagery and take proactive and aggressive measures to protect our young users from predators,” she said adding that Facebook requires everyone to be at least 13 years old before they can create an account while in some jurisdictions, the age limit is higher.