Driven by a passion for helping others, Abdullah Al Imran, founder of the online humanitarian initiative ‘Kaktarua’, has earned international recognition by winning the prestigious Diana Award for his contribution to social welfare, demonstrating how digital platforms can be transformed into powerful tools for humanitarian service and positive social change.
Abdullah Al Imran, founder of the non-profit digital security initiative ‘Kaktarua’, has received the prestigious 2026 Diana Award in recognition of his efforts to promote online safety, prevent cyberbullying and protect people from digital harassment.
What began as a small initiative to help acquaintances deal with social media-related problems has gradually developed into a platform providing digital safety awareness and support to students and the general public.
Born in Patuakhali, Imran grew up in Chittagong, Dhaka and Rajendrapur Cantonment in Gazipur, where his family lived due to his father’s military postings. He completed his secondary and higher secondary education in Rajendrapur before earning a bachelor’s degree in Bengali literature from Netrokona University.
His interest in social work developed from childhood. However, being introverted, he initially felt uncomfortable participating in face-to-face humanitarian activities. Later, observing online volunteer initiatives, including social media campaigns to find blood donors, inspired him to realise that technology could also be used to help people without physical interaction.
Drawing on his interest in technology, he initially began assisting acquaintances in resolving social media-related problems. The initiative eventually took shape as ‘Kaktarua’, a non-profit organisation dedicated to digital security and online safety.
Kaktarua initially focused on preventing cyberbullying and online harassment among students. Its activities included raising awareness about the misuse of fake social media accounts, defamatory ‘expose’ posts and ‘crush and confession’ pages.
Gradually, its services expanded to support people facing a wider range of digital threats, including online blackmail, fraud, identity-related harassment and social media account hacking.
According to Imran, around 1,200 women have participated in Kaktarua’s free online courses. Through direct awareness programmes at five schools, the organisation has reached between 2,000 and 3,000 students.
In addition, approximately 4,000 to 5,000 people have used digital safety tools available on its website. The tools help users verify suspicious links, check whether their personal information has been exposed in data breaches and identify content generated by artificial intelligence (AI).
Beyond these figures, Imran said, the initiative’s greatest achievement lies in its practical impact on people’s lives.
He recalled that several people had informed the team that they avoided clicking on suspicious links after watching Kaktarua’s educational videos on phishing and online scams.
In another significant case, the team helped a woman remove personal videos circulated online without her consent. The gratitude expressed by her family after receiving assistance remains one of the most memorable experiences for Imran.
Reacting to receiving the Diana Award, Imran described it as recognition of the collective efforts of the entire Kaktarua team rather than an individual achievement.
“Although my name is on the award, it is an achievement for the entire Kaktarua team. Those who placed their trust in us and reached out for help are also a part of this success,” he said.
Currently, Imran is also working in digital technology and online brand protection through his own firm, Probefly IT.
Looking ahead, he plans to expand Kaktarua’s digital safety services by introducing AI-powered tools and automation to make assistance more accessible and effective.
He also hopes to strengthen collaboration with educational institutions, social media platforms and law enforcement agencies to broaden the organisation’s activities and build greater awareness of digital security.
