Pakistan’s new social media rules draw criticism

Islamabad, November 19

Pakistan has notified new social media guidelines which have positioned all web service suppliers on par with social media firms, drawing a pointy response from stakeholders in addition to digital rights activists who’ve termed them as “draconian”.      

The Ministry of Information Technology on Wednesday issued “Removal and Blocking of Unlawful Online Content (Procedure, Oversight and Safeguards) Rules (RBUOC) 2020”, Dawn newspaper reported.

The guidelines have been framed underneath the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act 2016 (PECA).

The RBUOC guidelines have positioned all of the web service suppliers (ISPs) on par with social media firms (SMCs). Under the brand new guidelines, all the necessities of the social media platforms have been utilized to the ISPs as nicely.

The guidelines have additionally made it compulsory for the social media platforms with greater than 500,000 customers in Pakistan or on the checklist of ISPs and SMCs with the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to register with it inside 9 months.

These firms have to ascertain a everlasting registered workplace, with a bodily deal with ideally in Islamabad, inside 9 months.

A senior PTA official stated that these clauses have been important because the social media platforms had no presence within the nation, however they have been incomes from the nation.

The RBUOC guidelines state that social media platforms need to appoint a focal individual in Pakistan to coordinate with authorities for compliance of the regulation of the land.

The guidelines prohibit live-streaming although for the ISPs and the SMCs by deploying on-line mechanism, associated to terrorism, extremism, hate speech, pornographic, incitement to violence and detrimental to nationwide safety.

The ISPs and the SMCs could possibly be fined as much as Rs 500 million for failing to abide by the directives of the PTA, whereas an attraction in opposition to the choice could be filed in excessive courtroom inside 30 days of the PTA’s order. 

The Internet Service Providers of Pakistan (ISPAK) has rejected the brand new guidelines and the affiliation is prone to transfer the courtroom in opposition to the brand new social media guidelines.

“We will form a strategy against the rules as they are contrary to several clauses of the PECA, such as indemnity to the internet service providers,” ISPAK convener Wahaj Siraj stated whereas speaking to Dawn.

At the second, he stated, “We are discussing a strategy against the rules.”            

Digital rights activists have expressed dissatisfaction over the RBUOC guidelines, claiming that the federal government has ignored all of the considerations of stakeholders apart from deleting the clause over the institution of the Office of National Coordinator.

“It is a draconian law, there is too much government involvement in the affairs of social media,” stated Nighat Dad of Digital Rights Foundation. PTI