PeopleofSuperintelligence

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Nighat Dad

Nighat Dad is a Pakistani lawyer and digital rights activist, and in 2023 UN Secretary-General António Guterres named her to a 39-member advisory body on the international governance of AI. She practiced criminal and family law before setting up the Digital Rights Foundation in 2012 to address online harassment of women. TIME named her to its Next Generation Leaders list in 2015, and she received the 2016 Human Rights Tulip. Facebook appointed her to its content oversight board in 2020. She is executive director of the Digital Rights Foundation in Pakistan.

Now at
Digital Rights Foundation

Timeline

  1. By 2012

    Criminal and family law practice

    She receives her education at the University of the Punjab and is a lawyer who used to practice criminal and family law. In an interview she says her work begins in a courtroom fight for custody of her son, and in 2012 she sets up the Digital Rights Foundation to address online harassment of women.

  2. 2015

    Named a Next Generation Leader

    TIME names her to its Next Generation Leaders list in 2015.

  3. 2016

    A Human Rights Tulip

    She receives the Human Rights Tulip in 2016.

  4. 2020

    Joining Facebook's Oversight Board

    Facebook appoints her to its content oversight board in 2020.

  5. 2023

    A UN advisory body on AI

    UN Secretary-General António Guterres names the Pakistani digital rights activist to a 39-member advisory body on the international governance of AI in 2023.

  6. 2023

    A Freedom House report launch

    She speaks at a Freedom House event that launches Freedom on the Net 2023: The Repressive Power of Artificial Intelligence.

  7. As of October 2026

    Running the Digital Rights Foundation

    She is executive director of the Digital Rights Foundation in Pakistan.

Sources and credits

Photo: We have no published photo of Nighat Dad yet. Send us a free-licensed photo.

  1. Nighat Dad - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org. Checked 15 October 2026.
  2. Nighat Dad | Front Line Defenders frontlinedefenders.org. Checked 15 October 2026.
  3. Nighat Dad: digital rights activist helping women defend their space online - Hivos hivos.org. Checked 15 October 2026.
  4. Nighat Dad (Pakistan) - World Movement for Democracy movedemocracy.org. Checked 15 October 2026.
  5. Pakistan’s Nighat Dad included in UN high-level advisory body on AI arabnews.pk. Checked 15 October 2026.
  6. UN Secretary-General launches AI Advisory Body on risks, opportunities, and international governance of artificial intelligence | United Nations in India india.un.org. Checked 15 October 2026.
  7. Nighat Dad becomes a member of UN’s new Artificial Intelligence Advisory Body digitalrightsfoundation.pk. Checked 15 October 2026.
  8. Nighat Dad | RSF rsf.org. Checked 15 October 2026.