Nighat Dad

Nighat Dad (; born ) is a Pakistani lawyer and Internet activist who runs the not-for-profit organisation Digital Rights Foundation. Her work in the field of IT security has earned her many international awards.

Early life and education Dad was born in 1981 in Lahore. She hails from a village in Jhang, Punjab. She received her education from the University of the Punjab, Lahore from where she has received a degree of the Master of Laws.

Work Dad is a lawyer by profession and practices criminal and family law.

Dad led campaigns to protect online freedom of speech in Pakistan as well campaigns against legislation that gives the government broad powers of surveillance online, most notable one is the controversial Prevention of Electronic Crimes Bill 2015. At the Open Rights Group Conference in November 2017. Board members Nighat Dad and Maria Farrell with aspiring board member Azmina Dhrodia In 2015, she was named in the TIME magazine's list of Next Generation Leaders, for helping Pakistani women fight online harassment.

In 2016, she was awarded the Atlantic Council Digital Freedom Award and Dutch government's Human Rights Tulip award. She is also one of the 25 leading figures on the Information and Democracy Commission launched by Reporters Without Borders.

Since 2018, she has been a lawyer in Ali Zafar vs. Meesha Shafi case, representing Shafi.

In November 2018 she joined The Tor Project's board of directors.

On 6 May 2020, Facebook appointed her to its content oversight board.

In 2023, Nighat Dad was made a member of the UNSG's new AI Advisory Board.