Nighat Dad

Lawyer, human rights activist
Digital Rights Foundation
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