How to protect your privacy, safeguard children, respond to online blackmail, and build safer digital habits in Pakistan.

Technology has made it easier to learn, work, communicate, and build communities. But digital tools can also be misused to harass women, bully children, steal identities, spread fake content, and manipulate people through threats or blackmail. Artificial intelligence (AI) has added another challenge: deepfakes—images, videos, or audio that have been generated or manipulated to make something false appear real.

For Pakistani families, online safety is no longer simply about limiting screen time. It is about protecting privacy, recognising manipulation, teaching children digital boundaries, and knowing how to respond when abuse occurs.

At Multiple Management Solutions (DMMS), we believe digital progress should go hand in hand with digital responsibility. Our community-focused initiative Project Tahaffuz also highlights the importance of practical physical and digital self-protection.

Quick answer: How can Pakistani families protect themselves from cyber harassment and AI deepfakes?

Use unique passwords and two-factor authentication, restrict unnecessary access to personal photographs and location details, teach children how to recognise manipulation, and avoid forwarding unverified or intimate content. If abuse occurs, preserve relevant evidence safely, report the content to the platform, secure affected accounts, and seek help through appropriate official channels.

Save relevant usernames, URLs, dates, messages, and threats where safe and lawful.
Report the abusive account or content to the platform.
Secure accounts and check recovery details and active sessions.
Contact Pakistan’s National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) through its official complaint portal or verify current options at nccia.gov.pk.
Seek trusted emotional, safeguarding, or legal support when needed.

Remember: A manipulated image does not prove that the depicted event happened. The person targeted is not responsible for another person’s abusive behaviour.

1. What is cyber harassment?

Cyber harassment is the misuse of digital communication to threaten, intimidate, humiliate, stalk, blackmail, or repeatedly target another person. It may happen on social media, messaging apps, gaming platforms, email, or other digital spaces.

Sending persistent unwanted or threatening messages.
Publishing personal information without permission.
Creating fake profiles to impersonate or defame someone.
Threatening to release private photographs or conversations.
Using manipulated images or fabricated allegations to humiliate a person.
Coordinating harassment against a woman, child, professional, or family.

Online abuse can affect emotional wellbeing, family relationships, education, professional reputation, and personal safety. In some situations, it can also escalate into offline stalking or intimidation. See the NCCIA’s online harassment guidance.

2. What are AI deepfakes?

A deepfake is audio, video, or imagery generated or altered with AI to make a person appear to say or do something they never said or did. Deepfakes can be used for harmless, clearly labelled creative purposes. They become harmful when used to deceive, defraud, impersonate, threaten, defame, or sexually exploit someone.

Examples include a cloned voice used to request emergency money, a fabricated video attributed to a public figure, an altered photograph intended to damage someone’s reputation, or AI-generated sexualised imagery made using an ordinary photograph without consent.

An ordinary portrait can be misused; a person does not need to have shared an intimate photograph for someone to manipulate their image. Ofcom explains some of these risks in its guide to deepfake defences.

3. Why AI-generated abuse deserves serious attention

AI tools can make convincing image, video, and audio manipulation more accessible. A person may face reputational harm or threats involving fabricated material even if they never created or shared the alleged content.

In February 2026, UNICEF raised concerns about AI-generated sexualised images of children. A study involving UNICEF, ECPAT, and INTERPOL across 11 countries found that at least 1.2 million children disclosed that their images had been manipulated into sexually explicit deepfakes in the previous year. This is a finding from the participating countries, not a Pakistan-specific prevalence estimate. Read the UNICEF statement on deepfake abuse.

Deepfakes can be used to demand money, pressure victims into further contact, intimidate someone into leaving a job or school, or damage trust between family members. The right response is to avoid spreading unverified material, support the person targeted, preserve relevant evidence, and use appropriate reporting channels.

4. Risks for children, women, and families

Children and teenagers

Cyberbullying and humiliating group chats.
Grooming and requests for private photographs or personal details.
Threats involving screenshots, images, or secrets.
Impersonation, scams, and exposure to harmful content.

Women and girls

Unwanted sexual messages and repeated harassment.
Stalking through public posts, location information, or compromised accounts.
Non-consensual sharing of intimate images or fabricated sexualised deepfakes.
Threats designed to control relationships, employment, or public participation.

Parents and other adults

Voice-cloning scams pretending to involve a relative in an emergency.
Fake profiles, fraudulent job offers, and investment scams.
Account takeover through stolen passwords or verification codes.
False claims or manipulated content circulated to damage a reputation.

For further guidance, visit UNICEF’s resources on keeping children safe online.

5. Protect personal photographs and information

You do not need to disappear from the internet to improve privacy. Make informed decisions about what you share, with whom, and under what circumstances.

Restrict who can view personal posts and photographs.
Review tagging settings and whether tags appear automatically.
Limit public visibility of children’s school details, uniforms, and routines.
Remove unnecessary personal information from public profiles.
Avoid sharing live location, home details, identity documents, or predictable routines publicly.
Review followers and connections periodically.

A private account reduces exposure but does not guarantee confidentiality: an authorised viewer may still save or redistribute content. No privacy setting can guarantee that an image will never be copied or manipulated.

6. Secure your accounts

Use unique passwords

Create a different, strong password for each important account. A reputable password manager can help. Avoid easily guessed information such as names, birthdays, phone numbers, or children’s names.

Enable two-factor authentication

Two-factor authentication (2FA) adds a verification step beyond a password. Where available, consider a passkey or authenticator application. Never share one-time passwords, recovery codes, or unexpected authentication approvals with someone who contacts you.

Secure your email account

Email is often used to reset other passwords. Review recovery details, logged-in devices, and recent security activity. If an account is compromised, recover it through the official service, change the password from a trusted device, sign out unknown sessions, revoke suspicious app access, and warn contacts if the account sent fraudulent messages.

7. How parents can protect children without creating fear

Children are more likely to seek help when they expect to be heard rather than immediately punished or blamed. Online safety education should combine supervision, practical skills, trust, and clear boundaries.

Keep personal information private: explain why addresses, school details, passwords, identity documents, and live locations should not be shared with strangers.
Verify online identities: a familiar name or photograph does not prove who is behind an account.
Recognise secrecy and pressure: requests to hide a relationship, send private images, or move to a secret chat can be warning signs.
Practise asking for help: children can leave an uncomfortable conversation, block an account, and tell a trusted adult.
Make reporting safe: children should know they will not be humiliated for reporting abuse or being deceived.

Agree on age-appropriate household rules and review new apps together where appropriate. See UNICEF’s online-safety resources.

8. What to do if someone threatens you with a deepfake or private image

Step 1: Do not pay or comply under pressure

Payment does not guarantee that material will be deleted or that threats will stop. Avoid sending additional money, photographs, passwords, or other material to satisfy a blackmailer.

Step 2: Preserve evidence safely

Where lawful and safe, retain relevant usernames, profile URLs, message links, dates, threats, demands, payment instructions, and platform report numbers. Store evidence securely and limit access to people who genuinely need it.

Important: Do not download, screenshot, forward, or redistribute illegal sexual imagery involving a child. Record relevant account details and URLs where safe, and seek instructions from the appropriate child-protection or law-enforcement authority.

Step 3: Report the content

Use the platform’s reporting options for harassment, impersonation, non-consensual intimate imagery, child exploitation, or manipulated media. Keep the report confirmation and report each separate occurrence where needed.

Step 4: Secure your accounts

Change compromised passwords, end suspicious sessions, review recovery details, and enable two-factor authentication. If you suspect your device or account is being monitored, use a trusted device to seek help when possible.

Step 5: Seek support

Tell a trusted person who can help assess risk and make reports. For children, involve a safe adult and appropriate safeguarding professionals. If threats suggest immediate physical danger, prioritise safety and contact local emergency or law-enforcement services.

Step 6: Do not blame the victim

Support should focus on safety, dignity, evidence preservation, and recovery. A fabricated or manipulated image is not proof of the depicted conduct. Sharing it to shame someone can compound the harm.

9. Where can people in Pakistan report cyber harassment?

National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA)

Pakistan’s NCCIA is the federal agency identified on its official website for investigating cybercrime. Start with its online complaint portal or official website. Its website has also published cyberbullying guidance and harassment information.

The NCCIA website lists 1799 as a helpline for cyberbullying reporting. Verify current availability, eligibility, and contact details on the official website before relying on the number.

When making a complaint, provide a clear chronology: what happened, when it happened, which accounts or platforms were involved, and whether threats, financial demands, or risks to a child were present.

Digital Rights Foundation (DRF)

Digital Rights Foundation is a Pakistani organisation working on digital rights, online safety, and gender-based online violence. Check its official website for current services, contact details, and eligibility requirements.

Requesting removal of intimate imagery

StopNCII.org offers a tool designed to help eligible adults prevent participating platforms from sharing matching intimate images. It does not remove material from the entire internet and is not a universal solution for every deepfake or abuse case.

For sexualised imagery involving a child, use the platform’s child-safety reporting process and seek guidance from the appropriate authorities. Do not circulate suspected child sexual abuse material.

10. Is creating or sharing a deepfake illegal in Pakistan?

It depends on the facts, the content, the intent, and the applicable law. A deepfake is not automatically unlawful simply because AI was used to create it. However, manipulated content used to harass, threaten, impersonate, blackmail, defame, or sexually exploit someone may engage relevant legal provisions.

Pakistan’s Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016 (PECA), as amended, is an important part of the cybercrime framework. For current official information, consult the NCCIA and the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication. Check an authoritative official legal publication or consult a qualified Pakistani lawyer for the current text and application of the law.

This article provides general information, not legal advice. The appropriate route depends on the circumstances. Preserve relevant information and seek guidance; do not assume that you must prove the entire case before reporting a concern.

11. How to recognise a fake video, voice note, or image

Deepfake detection is not always straightforward. Some manipulated content has visible inconsistencies, while other material looks convincing. Genuine recordings can also be edited or presented out of context.

Check the source: who first published it, and is the account authentic?
Seek independent confirmation: check credible news organisations, official statements, and independent sources for important claims.
Verify urgent requests separately: call a relative on a previously known number if a voice note unexpectedly asks for money.
Examine the context: check dates, locations, and the full recording where available.
Do not rely entirely on AI detectors: automated tools can produce false positives and false negatives.
Do not spread unverified material: avoid forwarding content that could expose someone to harm.

The safest principle is simple: verify before believing, and verify before sharing.

12. Digital safety for schools, workplaces, and community organisations

Schools, employers, training providers, mosques, community centres, and other organisations can help establish clear standards and reporting processes.

Publish a clear online-safety and anti-harassment policy.
Train staff and volunteers on phishing, account security, cyberbullying, and image-based abuse.
Maintain child-safeguarding procedures for concerns involving minors.
Provide reporting channels and explain what happens after a report.
Collect and retain only the personal information genuinely needed.
Control access to photographs, attendance lists, identity documents, and sensitive records.
Prepare a response plan for compromised accounts, data breaches, threats, and abusive content.
Review policies and training as technology and risks evolve.

Organisations should not promise absolute confidentiality where safeguarding or legal obligations may require escalation. They should explain the limits of confidentiality clearly and handle sensitive reports with care. Visit DMMS to explore consultancy, digital solutions, and training support.

13. Online safety, dignity, and shared responsibility

Digital safety is not simply about telling women and children to hide, remain silent, or avoid the internet. People should be able to participate in education, work, business, public discussion, and community life without being targeted by harassment or exploitation.

Families can strengthen safety through practical habits. Platforms should provide effective reporting and safeguards. Organisations should handle personal information responsibly. Authorities should investigate reports through appropriate processes, and communities should avoid spreading humiliating or unverified material.

For Muslim families and communities, these responsibilities also connect with dignity, privacy, justice, and avoiding harm. The Qur’an teaches believers to verify information rather than act on it without knowledge: “If there comes to you a disobedient one with information, investigate…” (Qur’an 49:6, translation of the meaning). Qur’an 49:12 also warns against suspicion, spying, and backbiting.

Ethical responsibility includes refusing to create abusive deepfakes, declining to forward intimate material, respecting consent, protecting children’s privacy, and supporting people who report harm.

14. A 15-minute family digital-safety checklist

Check social media privacy settings.
Enable two-factor authentication on important accounts.
Review email and account recovery details.
Remove unnecessary public information about children’s schools and routines.
Discuss what to do when a stranger requests personal information or photographs.
Agree how children can ask for help without fear of humiliation.
Learn how to block and report abusive accounts.
Save official cybercrime and child-safety resources.
Agree not to forward intimate images, rumours, or unverified accusations.
Practise verifying urgent voice notes and requests for money.
Identify a trusted adult or support person to contact if something goes wrong.

The objective is not to make anyone afraid of technology. It is to make safe behaviour familiar enough that people know what to do under pressure.

Frequently asked questions

What should I do if someone creates a fake or AI-generated image of me?

Preserve relevant account details, URLs, messages, dates, and threats where safe. Report the content to the platform, secure your accounts, and consider reporting the incident through the NCCIA complaint portal. Avoid forwarding the image or paying a blackmailer.

Can an AI-generated deepfake damage someone’s reputation even if it is fake?

Yes. Fabricated content can be circulated as authentic and may affect relationships, education, employment, and emotional wellbeing. Verify claims, avoid redistribution, and report abusive material.

How can parents protect children from AI deepfakes?

Limit unnecessary public exposure of personal information, review privacy settings, teach children about consent and manipulation, encourage open communication, and explain how to report uncomfortable contact. If sexualised imagery involving a child appears, do not download or forward it; use appropriate reporting channels and seek help from relevant authorities.

Is a public photograph safe from misuse?

No photograph can be guaranteed safe from copying or manipulation once it is online. Privacy settings and careful sharing can reduce exposure, but they cannot eliminate risk. Public availability is not consent to alter, sexualise, or misuse an image.

Where can I report cyber harassment in Pakistan?

Use the NCCIA online complaint portal and verify current reporting details at its official website. You can also report abusive content directly to the relevant platform.

Should I pay someone who threatens to leak my photographs?

Payment does not guarantee deletion or protection from further threats. If possible, preserve evidence, avoid sending more money or material, secure your accounts, and seek trusted support. Report the threats to the appropriate authority when appropriate.

Can I tell whether a video is a deepfake just by looking at it?

Not reliably. Check the source, seek independent confirmation, verify the context, and avoid treating automated detection tools as conclusive proof.

What is Project Tahaffuz?

Project Tahaffuz is a community-oriented initiative focused on physical and digital self-protection, with particular attention to Muslim individuals and families, including women and children.

Conclusion: Safer digital lives begin with informed action

AI deepfakes, cyber harassment, online blackmail, and child exploitation are serious issues, but fear alone is not a protection strategy. Families can take meaningful steps by strengthening account security, reducing unnecessary exposure of personal information, teaching children how to seek help, verifying suspicious content, and knowing where to report abuse.

Communities and organisations also have a role: protecting privacy, responding responsibly to reports, avoiding victim-blaming, and refusing to spread unverified or humiliating content. Digital safety is a shared responsibility.

Explore Multiple Management Solutions (DMMS) and the Project Tahaffuz self-defence and cybersecurity resource to learn more about practical digital responsibility and community safety.

Disclaimer: This article is for general educational and awareness purposes. It is not a substitute for legal advice, professional safeguarding guidance, or emergency assistance. Reporting channels and legal requirements can change; verify current information through official sources.

AI Deepfakes, Cyber Harassment and Online Safety: A Practical Guide for Pakistani Families