Hameeda Syed

Hameeda Syed is a co-founder of Dignity in Difference, a South Asia–based nonprofit countering digital toxicity through community-centered civic tech, research, trainings and advocacy. They are originally from Kashmir, India.

They hold a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, a Master’s degree in Conflict Analysis and Peacebuilding, and a Postgraduate Diploma in International Gender Studies. They also work as a freelance journalist, exploring how power, identity, and technology intersect in public life.

Professionally, Hameeda works across programme design, facilitation, and organisational leadership, supporting fellowships and workshops with young professionals, feminist activists, journalists, and civil society actors across South Asia. She is particularly interested in making complex issues, such as AI systems, online abuse, and platform governance, legible and accountable to the communities most affected by them.

Through the Civic Tech Institute, they hope to deepen their ability to engage critically with technical systems while remaining rooted in lived experience and care.