IN THE LAST FORTY YEARS THE INTERNET HAS GROWN FROM AN ARCANE AND SPECIALIZED ACADEMIC SERVICE TO THE SOPHISTICATED GLOBAL NETWORK OF NETWORKS WE SEE TODAY. DURING THIS PERIOD THE COMPLEXITY OF ITS SOCIETAL IMPLICATION HAS BECOME EVER MORE OBVIOUS AS WELL AS THE MANY WAYS IT SHAPES OUR LIVES ESPECIALLY IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES LIKE PAKISTAN. GROUNDED IN DETERMINATION TO MEASURE, UNDERSTAND AND EXPLAIN THE INTERNET MULTI-FACETED INTERACTIONS AND EFFECTS ON OUR SOCIETY. INTERNET POLICY OBSERVATORY PAKISTAN IS COMMITTED TO BRING AN INFORMED, INDEPENDENT, AND NONPARTISAN SOURCE OF THE HIGHEST QUALITY ANALYSIS AND INSIGHTS IN ALL OUR RESEARCH AND POLICY RELATED ACTIVITIES FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF INTERNET IN THE COUNTRY AND DEFENDING THE DIGITAL RIGHTS OF USERS AND COMMUNITIES AT RISK ONLINE.
• SOCIETY AND INTERNET
HOW IS PAKISTANI SOCIETY BEING SHAPED BY THE DIFFUSION AND INCREASING CENTRALITY OF THE INTERNET IN EVERYDAY LIFE AND WORK. BY BRINGING TOGETHER LEADING RESEARCH THAT ADDRESSES SOME OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT CULTURAL, ECONOMIC, AND POLITICAL ROLES OF THE INTERNET. THE OBSERVATORY AIMS TO PROVIDE HIGHEST QUALITY INSIGHTS IN UNDERSTANDING THE ISSUES OF NEXT GENERATION INTERNET USERS.
• FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND CENSORSHIP
THE LAST FEW YEARS SIGNIFY THE TRANSITION PERIOD IN HUMAN HISTORY WHICH HAS LEFT A PERMANENT IMPRESSION ON THE MEDIA, INTERNET, POLITICS AND ACTIVISM. ON ONE HAND WE HAVE SEEN THE RISE OF FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION USING NEW TECHNOLOGIES LIKE IN PAKISTAN BLACK MOVEMENT, THE FAMOUS ARAB SPRING AND ON THE OTHER HAND THE NSA MASS SURVEILLANCE OF SOCIETIES HAS HIGHLIGHTED THE GRIM SITUATION AT NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL LEVELS WITH INTERNET CENSORSHIP AND DATA SURVEILLANCE BEEN GLOBALLY ACCEPTED. THE OBSERVATORY BELIEVES IT’S IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THE STATE OF INTERNET FREEDOMS IN THE COUNTRY TO BETTER PREPARE FOR NEXT PHASE OF INTERNET DEVELOPMENT AND AVOID THE INTERNET OF BECOMING A CONTINUOUS ELECTRONIC SURVEILLANCE EVERYWHERE.
• BROADBAND ACCESS
INADEQUATE BROADBAND ACCESS IN RURAL AND URBAN CITIES OF PAKISTAN IS BECOMING A SERIOUS ISSUE FOR SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND REAPING THE BENEFITS OF INFORMATION AGE. THE RESEARCH WILL LOOK AT THE IMPACT OF SLOW BROADBAND ON PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT WITH MULTIPLE RESOURCES AND ITS AFFECT ON PEOPLE’S PERFORMANCE AT WORK, SCHOOL AND SOCIAL LIFE.
• CYBER SECURITY
THE CENTER FOR CYBER SECURITY CAPACITY BUILDING AT THE OBSERVATORY AIMS TO RESEARCH AND DELIVER RESOURCES FOR EFFECTIVE CYBER SECURITY. THE KNOWLEDGE GAINED FROM RESEARCH WILL BE SHARED WITH GOVERNMENTS, POLICY MAKERS, COMMUNITIES AND ORGANIZATIONS TO ENHANCE THEIR CAPACITY FOR A CYBER SPACE THAT CAN CONTINUE TO GROW AND SUPPORT WELLBEING, HUMAN RIGHTS AND PROSPERITY FOR ALL.
• ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) HAS BECOME PART OF OUR DAILY LIVES FROM CURATING SOCIAL MEDIA FEEDS TO MEDIATING TRAFFIC FLOW IN CITIES, AND FROM AUTONOMOUS CARS TO CONNECTED CONSUMER DEVICES LIKE SMART ASSISTANTS, SPAM FILTERS, VOICE RECOGNITION SYSTEMS AND SEARCH ENGINES. AI SYSTEMS ARE SHAPING HOW WE ACCESS INFORMATION, INTERACT WITH DEVICES, SHARE PERSONAL INFORMATION, AND EVEN UNDERSTAND FOREIGN LANGUAGES. IT ALSO TRANSFORMS HOW INDIVIDUALS AND GROUPS CAN BE TRACKED AND IDENTIFIED, AND DRAMATICALLY ALTERS WHAT KINDS OF INFORMATION CAN BE GLEANED ABOUT PEOPLE FROM THEIR DATA. AI HAS THE POTENTIAL TO REVOLUTIONIZE SOCIETIES IN POSITIVE WAYS. HOWEVER, AS WITH ANY SCIENTIFIC OR TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENT, THERE IS A REAL RISK THAT THE USE OF NEW TOOLS BY STATES OR CORPORATIONS WILL HAVE A NEGATIVE IMPACT ON HUMAN RIGHTS. WHILE AI IMPACTS A PLETHORA OF RIGHTS, INTERNET POLICY OBSERVATORY PAKISTAN IS PARTICULARLY CONCERNED ABOUT THE IMPACT IT WILL HAVE ON THE RIGHT TO PRIVACY AND THE RIGHT TO FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND INFORMATION IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES LIKE PAKISTAN IN THE SOUTH. WE AT THE OBSERVATORY ARE OF THE OPINION THAT WE SHOULD NOT RUSH THROUGH THE ADOPTION OF AI SIMPLY FOR THE SAKE OF INNOVATION AND DOMINATING THE FUTURE OF THE WORLD. NOT EVERY INNOVATION MEANS PROGRESS FOR SOCIETY, ESPECIALLY IF ITS IMPACTS ARE NOT CAREFULLY CONSIDERED, STUDIED AND GROUNDED IN RESEARCH.