At least 66% Pakistani journalists face ‘online insecurity’: DRF report

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Pakistani journalists protest to condemn an attack on their colleague, in Karachi, Pakistan, Monday, Oct. 30, 2017. Assailants riding on motorcycles have attacked an outspoken Pakistani journalist, leaving him badly hurt with head injuries. (AP Photo/Shakil Adil)
  • DRF says 45.5pc journalists think ‘online insecurity’ results in self-censorship

At least 66 per cent of journalists in Pakistan face “digital or online insecurity in various ways which include, but are not limited to, being hacked, threatened, blackmailed, harassed over a sustained period of time, sexually harassed, having your data stolen, being cyber-stalked, receiving malware or phishing emails”, said a report issued by Digital Rights Foundations (DRF) on Friday.

Screen grab from Digital Rights Foundation’s report

The report titled “Digital (In)Security of Journalists in Pakistan” is on the state of security of journalists to shed light on the threats and concerns journalists face online.

The survey was divided into two parts: the first part inquired journalists’ understanding of digital security. The second part was addressed to journalists who had experienced online threats or harassment — 66 per cent of total respondents said they had faced online threats or harassment, hence proving that the majority is exposed to online insecurity.

The report mentions that a large number of journalists killed “in recent years were easy targets because they were exposed by the digital tools they use”.

“The state does pay limited attention to the physical security of journalists there has been a delay in understanding the intertwining of digital and physical security. Abductions and murders of journalists are by far the most serious forms of censorship, however as a UNESCO report points out, a large proportion of journalists killed in recent years were easy targets because they were exposed by the digital tools they use,” the report said.

“The survey learnt 92 per cent of the survey’s respondents believe that online harassment in journalism is either ‘extremely common’ or ‘common’. Only 8 per cent of respondents believe that online harassment is rare or extremely rare,” the report said.

Screen grab from Digital Rights Foundation’s report

In a reply to question whether online insecurity affects their line of work, “A whopping 45.5 per cent reported that it resulted in self-censorship”.

“This is not a small number – it means that almost 50 per cent of journalists are being coerced into censoring themselves by making them feel unsafe and insecure, and the worst part is that a large proportion of these crimes go unreported and unpunished,” the report said.

This report further sought to give recommendations to lawmakers with reference to the under-consideration Journalist Protection Bill.

“The first draft of the Bill did not include provisions for the digital security of journalists, thus the aim of this report is to advocate for lawmakers to also consider that journalists be protected online to keep censorship at bay, and to safeguard their mental health, quality of work, physical security of journalists and freedom of the press,” read a statement issued by the Digital Rights Foundation.

The report also found a dire need for organisations to realise the nature of this threat and for them to conduct training for digital security and privacy.