Tech Policy Fellowship 2024: Meet the Fellows

by digiright | Dec 23, 2024 | Our work, Updates

Eight young professionals from the fields of law, academia, media, and civil society in Bangladesh have joined Digitally Right’s 2024 Tech Policy Fellowship, embarking on an opportunity to explore the impact of evolving technologies and how the policies that govern these technologies influence their use.

This Fellowship provides the diverse set of fellows a unique opportunity to gain comprehensive insights into global and local trends in technology policies, along with their implications for everyday life, with a focus on challenges such as privacy and personal data protection, online content governance, technology facilitated gender-based violence and equitable internet access. The aim is to develop the next generation of advocates to shape the legal and policy domain in Bangladesh for a more open and free internet space.

The fellowship includes residential training, deep-dive sessions, opportunities to publish research papers on policy issues under expert mentoring, the chance to showcase work to an esteemed audience, and participation in a regional network of tech policy enthusiasts.

Each fellow will pursue research under this fellowship program in the next couple of months and will have the opportunity to share their work with the digital rights community in the region and globally.

Access Now, an international non-profit promoting digital rights worldwide, is a knowledge partner in this fellowship program.

Meet the Fellows

Afrida Samiha Nabilah is a researcher specializing in human rights, gender justice, and social inclusion. As a Research Assistant at BLAST, Afrida has worked on Bangladesh’s Disability Rights and Protection Act and advocated for the rights of religious minorities and gender-diverse groups. She was awarded the Community Equity Fellowship by BLAST, where she conducted in-depth research on the employment rights of plainland indigenous women. Afrida is an active member of the Cyber Support for Women and Children (CSWC), addressing digital rights issues and providing legal aid to victims of violence. Her research interests include the rights of marginalized communities, technology-facilitated gender-based violence, migration, and refugee issues.

Md. Ziaur Rahman Chowdhury is a staff correspondent at The Business Standard with extensive experience reporting on human rights violations, law enforcement affairs, politics, corruption, and crimes. He previously worked for Prothom Alo, Jamuna Television, and The Daily Manabzamin. He received the BRAC-Royal Danish Embassy Migration Media Award in 2020 and recently participated in a three-month ‘Investigative Journalism Fellowship’ organized by the Global Investigative Journalism Network (GIJN). Over the years, he has also worked with international media outlets, including Agence France-Presse (AFP), France24, the Financial Times, and Delayed Gratification magazine.

Mehedi Hasan Marof is an investigative journalist with Netra News, based in Dhaka, Bangladesh. He also reports independently for international outlets like Al Jazeera, NBC News, and Dialogue Earth. His coverage of Bangladesh’s “July Uprising” earned him acclaim from academics, fellow journalists, and the public alike. Alongside his reporting, he occasionally lectures at journalism schools. His primary areas of focus include criminal justice, security force misconduct, political corruption, climate change, and OSINT.

Nabangsu Chakma is a law graduate from the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh. He is currently an independent researcher focusing on the human rights of the Indigenous peoples. His interests lie at the intersection of law, human rights and technology.

Nazifa Muniyat Quader, Lecturer of Canadian University of Bangladesh and a Legal Advisor to a climate-tech startup, is an accomplished Academic and legal professional with experiences in legal practice and development sector. She previously worked at the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC) as a team member on the GLO.ACT project. Additionally, she serves as an adjudicator in National and International Moot Court Competitions. Her research interests lie in – international diplomacy, intellectual property, humanitarian law, refugee law, and personal laws.

Saraban Tahura Zaman, a human rights lawyer, consultant, and feminist activist from Bangladesh, works as a Consultant for Global Advocacy at the Center for Reproductive Rights. A diploma holder in Leadership from the Swedish Institute in 2018, she led the SheDecides movement in Bangladesh and curated a global exhibition commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration. She was also a core member of the Drafting Committee for the Transgender Protection Bill. As a policy analyst, she has contributed to the review of key laws and policies, including the Child Marriage Restraint Act, Anti- Discrimination Law, and ICT Act. Additionally, Ms. Zaman is the founder of Justicia Feminist Network, the first legal network of feminist lawyers in Bangladesh, dedicated to advancing a more gender-just society.

Sazia Sharmin is a development professional and social science researcher focused on bridging the digital divide and ensuring equitable access to information. Getting the right information to those who need it most has been central to her work with local and global development organizations, as well as her role as a fact-checker and deputy editor at FactWatch. Through this fellowship, she aims to advocate for technology policies that prioritize the voices and needs of systemically excluded communities.

Tabassum Nuha, Lecturer in the Department of Mass Communication and Journalism at Bangladesh University of Professionals (BUP), is affiliated with the Society for Environment and Human Development (SEHD) and the Bratyajan Research Center (BRC). She previously served as a researcher at the Liberation War Museum. Her academic research interests include digital media communication, information disorder, and cultural studies.

Tech Policy Fellowship 2022: Meet the Fellows

by Digitally Right | Nov 3, 2022 | Our work, Updates

Digitally Right is delighted to introduce the first cohort of tech policy fellows. A total of eight early and mid-career professionals coming from diverse backgrounds in academia, civil society, media, and law have been selected as fellows for the six-month fellowship starting in October 2022.

They’ll attend a 4-day residential workshop, and several deep-dive sessions with leading global experts and produce research on critical tech policy issues affecting society and communities. Fellows will work with expert mentors to produce their works and will have the opportunity to present their findings to a distinguished gathering.

Digitally Right launched the first Tech Policy Fellowship 2022 in Bangladesh to enable professionals of different sectors to understand the global and local trends in tech policies and their role and impact. It aims to empower them with the essential skills and knowledge to become an advocate for a free and open digital space.

Access Now, an international non-profit organization working to defend and extend digital rights around the world, is a knowledge partner in this initiative.

Meet the Fellows (alphabetically)

Manisha Biswas has more than three years of experience in protecting the rights, presently, of the Rohingya community of Bangladesh. She takes a deep interest in artificial intelligence and how it governs social media platforms, policies related to AI, and their impact on society – which inspired her to apply for this fellowship. She believes that the knowledge acquired from the fellowship will help her to serve the communities better.

Mohammad Pizuar Hossain is a senior lecturer in law at the East-West University, and an advocate of the District and Sessions Judge Court, Dhaka, Bangladesh. He has five years of experience in research and has a strong interest in cybersecurity policy. He provides pro-bono legal support to the victims of human rights violations. He joined this fellowship program to extend his research vision in the ever-changing space of technology.

Mohammad Tauhidul Islam manages outreach and communications at Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) as a coordinator. He has 17 years of experience in journalism and 3 years in civil society. He is keen on data analytics, data protection, and tech transparency which brings him to the cohort of fellows. He expects to broaden his knowledge of national tech-related policies and their implications and translate the skills in advocacy for a freer digital space.

Rajib Ahmed brings extensive experience in journalism to the cohort. As a deputy head of reporting in Prothom Alo, he manages the reporting team and is eager to learn how his newsroom can better cover technology and digital rights issues. A business reporter turned news manager, Rajib wants to understand how technology and policies impact the freedom of expression. He listed a ton of questions for the fellowship organizers (no pressure!) that he believes this fellowship will answer.

Sadiul Islam Antor is an avid researcher from Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST) and a critic of recent national and international laws. He joins this fellowship with extensive knowledge in the policy sphere and experience in advocacy and legal research. What brings him to this fellowship is his thirst to know more about the global policy landscape and digital rights, which he believes will help him in his career.

Saraf Farhin Choudhury has been working as a research associate with a leading law firm for more than three years. She has extensive experience working on digital security and data protection laws and conducting comparative studies with GDPR and ADPPA. She joins the fellowship with her quest to gain a nuanced understanding of the issues and believes that this fellowship will help her in her professional work.

Umme Salma is a program coordinator at the Participatory Research and Action Network – PRAAN. She proudly serves her local community and maintains a network of youth advocates. Salma engages in social advocacy, particularly in gender rights and climate justice. She also takes interest in digital rights and expects to get both theoretical and hands-on experience from this fellowship.

Zyma Islam has more than ten years of experience in working on rights-based investigative journalism with The Daily Star in Bangladesh. She joins the fellowship with the hope of learning how to critically evaluate and examine the rapidly changing legislation landscape and to understand how global tech giants negotiate with governments.