Manal al-Sharif

Saudi women's driving ban protester who catalyzed social change through digital activism

Manal al-Sharif (b. 1979) became a global symbol of defiance by filming herself driving in Saudi Arabia in 2011, violating the kingdom's women driving ban. Her YouTube video sparked the #Women2Drive campaign, blending civil disobedience with viral media.

As a cybersecurity specialist, she leveraged tech to organize protests, documented in her memoir Daring to Drive. Despite imprisonment and exile, her activism contributed to the 2018 lifting of the ban. Al-Sharif co-founded Women2Hack, empowering Arab women in tech while challenging guardianship laws.

Her TED Talks have 10M+ views, reframing Saudi feminism globally. Unlike traditional activists, she weaponized social media algorithms to bypass censorship, creating a blueprint for digital dissent in authoritarian regimes.