Osama Khilji

co-founder and director of Bolo Bhi

Compiled from 1 recorded interview. Every statement below is drawn from the passage cited beside it.

Osama Khilji is the director of Bolo Bhi, an organisation he co-founded with friends in 2012. Bolo Bhi works on digital security and safety, and it trains children, schools, universities and journalists.

Early life and background

Khilji was a student in 2008. During the emergency rule imposed by Musharraf, he became more active in human rights and democracy work. He attended protests in that period, where there were several lathi charges. He says his father believed what he read on Facebook and what arrived on WhatsApp, reasoning that a friend had shared it, so it must be true. [1]

Writing on censorship

According to Khilji, Facebook was blocked in Pakistan in 2010, and he could not access it. He wrote an article on Facebook censorship after the block. He argued that this censorship is not effective and goes against the constitution. He says YouTube was blocked for about four years. [1]

Website blocking

Khilji says that an inter-ministerial committee for evaluating websites existed from 2006. He says the committee decided which websites were blocked, with members from ministries and agencies. After speaking with lawyers, he says the committee had no constitutional basis. [1]

Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act

Khilji says the bill for the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, known as PECA, was introduced in 2015 under the PMLN government. He says it became law in 2016. He says a year of efforts to change the draconian clauses in the bill made little progress. Bolo Bhi has monitored PECA since it became law, using a dedicated lawyer who observes court cases, and each year it takes court adjournment records and puts them in its reports. It reviews PECA every year and has released a fourth review. [1]

Training and research

Bolo Bhi's digital security training covers keeping devices and online presence secure. It also explains the clauses of PECA and the rights people have under it. A detailed training is usually one day, and sometimes two days. Khilji describes the training as basic digital and media literacy. Bolo Bhi also runs workshops on misinformation, teaching people to identify it online, and has developed content in Sindhi, Pashto, Punjabi, Urdu and English. [1]

Khilji says Bolo Bhi was involved in a law before it was made. Bolo Bhi compared the content regulation rules of five countries in a research study. It made a comparison table and shares it with ministries and others. [1]

Views on policy

Khilji says policy should be evidence based and well informed. He says policymakers should uphold the rights in the constitution and listen to journalists, lawyers, academics and practitioners. He also says no one in the world has yet got internet policy right. [1]

He says feedback from people in the tech sector and content creators is very important. He says blocks and bans still come suddenly despite that feedback, which is frustrating. In his view a single consultation is not enough, and the process must be democratic. He says UK online harms rules have been under consultation for about two and a half years. He says feedback given in consultations often does not appear in the draft, and Bolo Bhi is demanding that, when feedback is given, those consulting justify why it was not included. [1]

Timeline

2006
According to Khilji, an inter-ministerial committee for evaluating websites existed from this year.[1]
2008
Khilji was a student.[1]
2010
Facebook was blocked in Pakistan, according to Khilji.[1]
2012
Khilji co-founded Bolo Bhi with some friends.[1]
2015
The PECA bill was introduced under the PMLN government, according to Khilji.[1]
2016
PECA became law, according to Khilji.[1]

Appearances

DateTitleWhere
2020-11-13 Platform bans and the cost of internet regulation Thought Behind Things

Frequently asked questions

Who is Osama Khilji?

Osama Khilji is the director of Bolo Bhi. He co-founded the organisation with some friends in 2012. He also wrote an article on Facebook censorship after the block.[1]

What does Osama Khilji do?

Osama Khilji is the director of Bolo Bhi. Bolo Bhi works on digital security and safety, and it trains children, schools, universities and journalists. It has also monitored PECA since it became law, using a dedicated lawyer who observes court cases.[1]

When did Osama Khilji co-found Bolo Bhi?

Osama Khilji co-founded Bolo Bhi in 2012 with some friends. He is the director of Bolo Bhi.[1]

What is Osama Khilji known for?

Osama Khilji is known as a co-founder and the director of Bolo Bhi. The organisation has monitored PECA since it became law, and it reviews the law every year.[1]

What has Osama Khilji said about PECA?

Osama Khilji says the bill for the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act was introduced in 2015 under the PMLN government. He says it became law in 2016. He says a year of efforts to change its draconian clauses made little progress.[1]

What does Osama Khilji say about consultation in policy making?

Osama Khilji says a single consultation is not enough, and the process must be democratic. He says feedback given in consultations often does not appear in the draft. Bolo Bhi is demanding that, when feedback is given, those consulting justify why it was not included.[1]

What did Osama Khilji write about Facebook?

Osama Khilji says Facebook was blocked in Pakistan in 2010 and that he could not access it. He wrote an article on Facebook censorship after the block. He argued that this censorship is not effective and goes against the constitution.[1]

References

  1. Platform bans and the cost of internet regulation . Thought Behind Things , 2020-11-13.
Show the source passages (41 statements)
  1. Osama Khilji is the Director of Bolo Bhi. In conversation with Usama Khilji, Director of Bolo Bhi, this episode explores internet and human rights activism.
  2. He was a student in 2008. 2008 mein, I was a student.
  3. He became more active in human rights and democracy work during the emergency rule imposed by Musharraf. Um Musharraf ne emergency rule impose kiya tha toh usmein lawyers movement nikla, students the movement for restoration of democracy. Toh tabhi main zyada active hua is human rights aur democracy ke scene mein
  4. He attended protests during that period, where there were several lathi charges. usmein lathi charge bhi kayi dafa hua. Kuch protests hum woh jab jaate the.
  5. He says Facebook was blocked in Pakistan in 2010. 2010 mein uh Facebook block hua tha Pakistan mein.
  6. He could not access Facebook after it was blocked. Toh usmein Facebook I couldn't access it.
  7. He wrote an article on Facebook censorship after the block. Phir maine ek uh article likha uh Facebook censorship ke upar.
  8. He argued that this censorship is not effective and goes against the constitution. Aur jis logically explaining ke kyun yeh jo hai na toh effective hai na toh hamare jo qawaneen hain aur jo aain hai hamara, uski kitni constitution ki kitni khilaf warzi karti hai is tarah ki censorship.
  9. He says YouTube was blocked for about four years. tab tak YouTube bhi block ho chuka tha jo takreeban 4 saal tak block raha.
  10. He co-founded Bolo Bhi in 2012 with some friends. 2012 mein kuch doston ne aur humne milke Bolo Bhi ki tanzeem banayi
  11. He says an inter-ministerial committee for evaluating websites existed from 2006. humein pata chala ke 2006 se ek uh inter-ministerial committee for evaluation of website thi.
  12. He says that committee decided which websites were blocked, with members from ministries and agencies. Jo ke baith ke uske uh different memberan the, different ministries aur agencies ke. Aur woh decide karte the ke kya humne block karna hai.
  13. After speaking with lawyers, he says the committee had no constitutional basis. Toh woh jab humne lawyers se baat ki, dekha toh uski koi constitutional basis hi nahi banti thi.
  14. He says the PECA bill was introduced in 2015 under the PMLN government. yeh PECA ka qanoon jab uh bill bana uh PMLN ki hukumat mein 2015 mein bill aaya tha.
  15. He says PECA became law in 2016. Uh 2016 mein phir yeh act ban gaya, Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act.
  16. He says a year of efforts to change the draconian clauses in the bill made little progress. ek saal uspe koshish hui ke usmein jo draconian clauses jo abhi aaj hum dekh rahe hain kis tarah se uh istemaal ho rahe hain, toh unko change kiya jaye lekin zyada koi progress nahi hua.
  17. Bolo Bhi has monitored PECA since it became law, using a dedicated lawyer who observes court cases. Aur phir tab se hum uski post-legislative scrutiny kar rahe hain, matlab ke hamare ek dedicated lawyer hai jo baithti hain courts mein aur observe karti hain PECA ke cases ko.
  18. Bolo Bhi reviews PECA every year and has released a fourth review. Toh woh phir har saal hum uska ek review karte hain, abhi chautha review uska aaya hai.
  19. Bolo Bhi also works on digital security and safety. Aur iske alawa hum digital security pe kaafi kaam karte hain, security and safety.
  20. Bolo Bhi trains children, schools, universities and journalists in digital security. Toh usmein uh bachon ke liye, chote bachon ke liye, bade bachon ke liye, schools, universities, phir journalists ke liye
  21. The training covers keeping devices and online presence secure. hum unhein sikhate hain ke kis tarah aap devices secure rakhein, online presence apni secure rakhein
  22. The training explains PECA's clauses and the rights people have under it. agar aapko qanoon istemaal karna hai PECA ka toh kya clauses hain taake aapko pata ho ke kya protections di gayi hain aapko aur kya huqooq hain aapke.
  23. A detailed training is usually one day, and sometimes two days. Ek detailed one-day training hoti hai, agar zyada detail mein jayein two-day training bhi ho jaati hai.
  24. He describes the training as basic digital and media literacy. yeh basic digital aur media literacy bhi hai.
  25. Bolo Bhi runs workshops on misinformation, teaching people to identify it online. Iske alawa phir hum uh misinformation pe bhi uh workshops karte hain, jismein hum sikhate hain logon ko ke kis tarah aap online social media pe misinformation kis tarah identify kar sakte hain.
  26. Bolo Bhi developed content in Sindhi, Pashto, Punjabi, Urdu and English. Toh humne Sindhi, Pashto, Punjabi, Urdu, English mein content uh develop kiya hai
  27. He says his father believed what he read on Facebook and what arrived on WhatsApp, reasoning that a friend had shared it, so it must be true. Aur iski inspiration mere walid sahab the. Achha. Jo woh Facebook pe padhte the, woh believe karte the kyunke woh kehte the yeh mere dost ne share kiya hai ya WhatsApp pe mujhe message aaye toh yeh sach hi hoga.
  28. He says Bolo Bhi was involved in a law before it was made. Pika ka jo kanoon hai we've been involved in it before it was made.
  29. Each year Bolo Bhi takes court adjournment records and puts them in its reports. Phir hum har saal hum jo hai adjournment record bhi court se le ke reports mein dal rahe hain.
  30. He says policy should be evidence based and well informed. the entire point is aap policies banaye lekin make them evidence based, right? Kya evidence hai aur make them well informed.
  31. He says feedback from people in the tech sector and content creators is very important. Toh usme aap aap jaise log hain jo tech sector mein log hain jo content creators hain unka jo hai feedback bahut zyada important hai.
  32. He says blocks and bans still come suddenly despite that feedback, which is frustrating. Lekin phir phir bhi hum dekhte hain ke uske bawajood ek dam se ek is tarah ka woh block ya ban aa jata hai. It gets frustrating.
  33. He says a single consultation is not enough, and the process must be democratic. Ke jo aap consultation karte ho usme bhi democratic process yeh hona chahiye ke sirf ek consultation kaafi nahi hai.
  34. He says UK online harms rules have been under consultation for about two and a half years. UK mein yeh online harms ka jo rules ban rahe hain woh takriban do dhai saal se us pe consultation chal rahi hai.
  35. He says feedback given in consultations often does not appear in the draft. Isme aapke saath consultation hogi lekin aapne jo kaha hai woh kahin aapko nahi nazar aayega draft mein.
  36. Bolo Bhi is demanding that, when feedback is given, those consulting justify why it was not included. toh hum abhi yeh demand kar rahe hain ke jo feedback diya jata hai aap justify karein ke kyun nahi yeh dala gaya.
  37. He says no one in the world has yet got internet policy right. Aur policy making I think internet policy duniya bhar mein no one has got it right.
  38. Bolo Bhi compared the content regulation rules of five countries in a research study. humne ek aur research ki hai jismein humne paanch different mulkon ke jo content regulation rules hain unko compare kiya hai.
  39. Bolo Bhi made a comparison table and shares it with ministries and others. Humne ek table banaya hai aur woh bhi hum share karte hain PTA aur ministry wagera ke saath.
  40. He says policymakers should uphold the rights in the constitution. aap apne constitution ko at least woh karein uphold karein jo rights hain usme.
  41. He says policymakers should listen to journalists, lawyers, academics and practitioners. sabse zyada jo aapke stakeholders hain jo aapke users hain uhm journalist hain, lawyer hain, academics hain, uhm practitioners hain un se aap sunein aur phir actually sunein.