South Asia
Feminist talk
Gendered Reality Traps: How "Objective" Machine Learning Contributes to Intersectional Exploitation
Is technology neutral or is coding political? In this article Smarika Kumar explores how algorithms work in the real world, and how they are a reflection of existing biases and forms of exclusion and discrimination in society.
Feminist talk
Online Dating in Pakistan
The rise of dating apps allows women to take control of their social life and their choices. In this article Hija Kamran speaks to many women in Pakistan about their experience of online dating, both good and bad, whether it allows for challenging of conservative social norms or it leaves women vulnerable to abuse and other risks.
Feminist talk
Creating A Space For Queer Expression On Pakistani Internet
The internet has given a space for self-expression to Pakistani LGBTQIA+ people. Where there are risks of being targeted as a result of this visibility, many young queer folks are finding a sense of community through the expression of those around them.
Feminist talk
Bodily Autonomy And Censorship: Snippets From South Asia
The overregulation of women and gender diverse folks' bodies in South Asian culture has found its way in online spaces and heavily polices how bodily autonomy is expressed and regarded. Seerat Khan discusses barriers to this autonomy and its impacts on self-expression.
Feminist talk
Digital Waves of Hate: The Struggle Continues for Pakistan’s Transgender Community
The transgender community in Pakistan has constantly been subjected to persecution and violence hindering their participation in 'normal' life. This violence has increasingly been mirrored into digital world leading to plethora of hashtag campaigns initiated to damage the struggles of the community.
Feminist talk
Real Bodies Look Like What: The Relationship of Pornography and Sex in Pakistani Society
As sex continues to be a taboo in Pakistan's conservative society, men form their understanding of what it looks like from unrealistic pornographic content, leading to direct impact on women and their pleasure in real life. Salwa Rana speaks to women to explore this impact.
Feminist talk
Societal Barriers To Credible Information Makes Women Unsafe In South Asia
Lack of formal and digital literacy hinders South Asian women's access to credible healthcare related information, forcing them to live with illnesses that never get treated. Anmol Irfan discusses the impact of this barrier.
Feminist talk
Afghan Queer Community’s Access to The Internet Is A Double Edged Sword Under Taliban Rule
As the Taliban government took over Afghanistan in 2021, the already limited space for women and LGBTQI+ folks started to shrink even more. The effects were visible not only in public offline spaces, but very clearly on the internet as well, as members of the Taliban surveilled on people through their social media activities, and subjected them to physical violence. Artemis Akbary speaks to...
Feminist talk
How Platform Design Shapes Working Conditions in India: A Case Study Of Urban Company
Conversations about service delivery apps are usually centred around how customers experience these apps, but rarely do these discussions explore and examine the conditions service providers work in. The study by The Centre for Internet & Society analyses one platform, Urban Company, in India for its treatment of domestic workers who register on the app to provide services on the company's...
Feminist talk
[Part 2] A Commitment to Creativity: The Online Aesthetics of Feminist Labour
This two-part series sheds light on how art and creativity play a key role in activism in Pakistan, and provides the country's feminist movement and struggles a prominent visual aesthetics on the internet.
