KARACHI: TikTok and Zindagi Trust have announced an extension of their collaboration aimed at driving digital safety awareness with the support of the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunications.
This renewed partnership, which is a part of TikTok's global endeavors during Safer Internet Month, will impact over 50,000 beneficiaries across 100 public schools across all provinces in Pakistan. Additionally, the Pakistan Telecom Foundation has also become part of this partnership and will provide access to an increased number of schools for this campaign.
A signing ceremony took place between TikTok and Zindagi Trust in the presence of the MoITT, who endorsed the Digital Safety programme.
During the first phase of this partnership that was launched last year, over 20 workshops were conducted in the two adopted government schools of Zindagi Trust: SMB Fatima Jinnah and Khatoon-e-Pakistan benefitting around 1800 students, teachers and parents. The workshops contained comprehensive information on becoming digitally safe, including TikTok's Community Guidelines and safety policies.
Farah Tukan, Head of Government Relations and Public Policy - Middle East, Turkey, Africa, Pakistan and South Asia at TikTok, said “We are happy to extend our partnership with Zindagi Trust, especially after the impact we were jointly able to create around digital safety awareness during the first phase. This extension is another step in the right direction for ensuring our TikTok community in Pakistan remains digitally safe."
Federal Minister for IT and Telecommunication, Syed Aminul Haque said: "To commemorate the Safer Internet month, the government deems it a priority to actively work towards providing safer digital spaces. The partnership between Zindagi Trust and TikTok is a step in the right direction for disseminating necessary awareness and guiding young people towards digital safety. We are looking forward to add value to this partnership for the benefit of our younger generation."
Aisha Humera Moriani, Additional Secretary and Chief Executive Officer, National Information Technology Board, said "We are fully committed to building a cutting-edge digital infrastructure in Pakistan which promises a safe cyberspace and a conducive regulatory environment for everyone. By supporting this partnership between TikTok and Zindagi Trust, we aim to nurture e-governance, transparency and financial inclusion, despite many challenges and threats associated with the internet including data privacy, security, cybercrimes and fake news."
Dr. Aamna Pasha, the Chief Academic Officer of Zindagi Trust, added: “At Zindagi Trust, we recognize that with opportunities come risks and it is important when providing access and possibilities to our students that we also prepare and support them to understand and mitigate potential risks, which is why we are particularly proud of this collaboration and lucky to have found wonderful partners like TikTok that enable us to continue our efforts of impacting public schools.”
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023