Government Announcements to Crackdown and Regulate Social Media

Government Announcements to Crackdown and Regulate Social Media

Sr NoDateGovernment Announcements
3616 October 2020The Federal Government issued a notice for the the notification of Rules for Removal and Blocking of Unlawful Online Content (Procedure, Oversight and Safeguard) Rules 2020 on the 16th of October 2020. The Rules, that have been drafted under Section 37 of Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016, have continued to amass criticism from local civil society and media organisations and local and international private sector technology companies.

On 15th October a group of twelve civil society organisations and journalist unions and over 49 individuals released a statement reminding the government of continued “demands and requests from civil society to make them (the rules) public” and asking for the “initiation of a sincere, efficient, and representative consultative process”.
3506 October 2020The Asia Internet Coalition (AIC) submitted a letter to the Prime Minister Imran Khan outlining Industry’s concerns about the lack of transparency of the consultation, an abbreviated consultation process, and strict local office requirements for online platforms. The letter detailed concerns about the new Rules, including their potential to negatively impact the business environment in Pakistan and its attractiveness as an investment destination for technology companies.

Concerns were expressed after a press report indicated that the Pakistan government is ready to approve new Rules to remove or block unlawful social media content, without further consultation and feedback from the industry.
3402 October 2020According to Pakistan Today, the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunications (MoITT) has requested the Cabinet to consider and approve a new draft of Rules under Section 37 PECA titled Removal and Blocking of Unlawful Content (Procedure, Oversight and Safeguards) Rules, 2020.

According to the news report, Rules would require social media companies and service providers to publish the community guidelines requiring the users “not to host, display, upload, modify, publish, transmit, update or share” any online content that is “defamatory”, “obscene” or “negatively affects religious, cultural, ethical sensitivities of Pakistan”or “threatens the integrity, security or defence of Pakistan; or causes incitement”. As per the report the Rules also require the service providers and social media companies with over half a million Pakistani users in Pakistan or any social media companies specially notified by PTA to register with PTA and establish a permanent registered office in Pakistan with a physical address within nine months of the enforcement of the Rules.

Pakistan Today reported on 08.10.2020 that the federal cabinet ratified the Rules for implementation and that “all service providers are now bound under new rules to remove or block unlawful social media content”.
3324 September 2020Co-founder and CEO Nayatel Wahaj Siraj tweeted, “Call centers, Internet VPNs, Gaming servers, effected countrywide, apparently by PTA’s blocking. Business @ snail speed”.
3215 September 2020The Chairman of the Standing Committee on Defence, Amjad Ali Khan, introduced the Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill 2020 in the National Assembly, to criminalize “intentional ridiculing and defaming the armed forces” punishable with two years imprisonment or PKR 0.5 million fine or with both.

According to the statement of objects and reasons of the bill, the purpose of the amendment is to “prevent hatred and disrespectful behaviour against the armed forces”.
3115 September 2020National Assembly passed Anti-Terrorism (Third Amendment) Bill, 2020 allowing “spying powers to the investigators while probing into the case of terror financing”. The bill sought insertion of Section 19-C in the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) amending the investigation techniques granting spying powers to the investigators, legalising undercover operations, interception of communications and access to computer systems for a period of four (4) months with the permission of courts. The government defended the bill as an effort to help the country get out of the grey list of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

The Senate had rejected the bill earlier on 16 September 2020. However, the bill was passed by a joint session of parliament later on the same day with a majority vote.
3011 September 2020
In response to a petition of Syed Iqbal against publication of blasphemous material on the internet, the Sindh High Court (SHC) directed the PTA to block all “offensive, obscene and blasphemous material” from viewing in Pakistan and submit a report on its progress.
2903 September 2020Dawn.com reported that the Internet Service Providers (ISPs) had claimed that the PTA wanted to regulate political voices in the garb of containing indecent content.

PTA tweeted a clarification on 03.09.2020 refuting the allegations and argued that the comments attributed to unknown ISPs have been “made to achieve vested interests of attaching controversy to a legal requirement and thwart porn content elimination efforts”.
2801 September 2020PTA announcedannounced blocking of five dating applications namely Tinder, Tagged, Skout, Grindr and SayHi. It tweeted that the apps were blocked because of “effects of immoral/indecent content”. According to the press release, PTA issued notices to the management of these platforms for the purpose of removing dating services and moderation of live streaming content in accordance with local laws of Pakistan. However, due to receiving no response in the stipulated time, the PTA blocked access to all these platforms. The PTA said that it would reconsider its decision if the platforms agreed to adhere to the local laws through “meaningful engagement”.
2727 August 2020PTA in a press release reveals it has asked YouTube to block all “vulgar, indecent, immoral, nude and hate speech content for viewing in Pakistan”. PTA said that it had done so “keeping in view the extremely negative effects of indecent/immoral/nude content available on YouTube and to prevent repugnant discord due to the presence of hate speech and sectarian material”. The PTA directed YouTube to “immediately ensure blocking of objectionable content and to prevent the usage of its platform for disseminating such content”.

PTA in another tweet dated 02.09.2020 announced that it has “once again approached YouTube to immediately block vulgar, indecent, immoral, nude and hate speech content for viewing in Pakistan”. The press release said that it directed YouTube to ‘place an effective content monitoring and moderation mechanism to expeditiously respond to PTA’s requests for removal of illegal and harmful online content”. PTA also said that it remains “committed to facilitate and support YouTube to excel in Pakistan’s digital market, while remaining compliant with local laws, societal norms and YouTube’s own community standards”.
2628 July 2020In a meeting called by Prime Minister Imran Khan’s focal person on Social Media Arsalan Khalid with Youtube Vloggers to discuss restrictions on social media platforms, the PTA Chairman Major General (retd) Amir Azeem warned that non-cooperation by social media platforms may lead to bans.

The PTA chairman also said that while they were not in favour of restricting social media platforms, the platforms do not cooperate with them. He said that where the social media platforms don't have local offices or representatives, they have “the last option to ban the website over non-cooperation”. He also said that Tik Tok and Bigo have started cooperation with the local authorities and that the TikTok have removed 3.8 million links over complaints. He also said that Facebook has extended better cooperation as compared to other platforms adding that Youtube and PUBG cooperated least with the authorities.

The meeting also discussed the proposed rules and regulations for social media platforms.
2526 July 2020In a briefing before the Senate Special Committee chaired by Barrister Saif Khan, the PTA Chairman (R) Maj Gen Amir Azeem Bajwa said that "[Dealing with] blasphemous content on social media is a huge problem” since most of the websites are being operated from other countries. He added that, "the government should either formulate a policy and block social media websites in the country like China and the United Arab Emirates — [which would mean] developing social media platforms locally like China — or it should increase the technical capabilities of the PTA". He also suggested signing mutual legal assistance treaties with other countries so that access to blasphemous content on international social media platforms could be blocked in Pakistan.

PTA Chairman also said that the PTA has blocked 40,000 websites since 2010 where they received 8,500 complaints regarding blasphemous content on the internet. The PTA also blocked about 850,000 websites for having pornographic content.

On the same day, PTA via a statement said that their chairman's comments regarding blasphemous content on social media “are being misquoted and taken out of context”. It said that the blocking of these websites “was only used as an example to refer to the blocking of YouTube in 2012” and that “the reports of PTA recommending blocking of social media websites are entirely false”.
2422 July 2020During hearing of a case in the Supreme Court, Justice Qazi Muhammad Amin and Justice Mushir Alam commented that while they have no objection to the right to freedom of expression, the Constitution grants right to privacy as well. Justice Amin remarked that their salaries are paid from the money of the people therefore they have the right to raise questions on their decisions and performance, however raised objections on scrutinising family members of the judiciary on YouTube. He also said that a decision announced a day earlier was being discussed on the platform and asked whether the PTA and FIA had taken notice of such activities on YouTube where judges are mocked and embarrassed.

Justice Mushir Alam claimed that YouTube is banned in many countries arguing that no one dares posting content against the Westen countries on the platform as that leads to banning of YouTube there. He noted that social media is regulated through local laws in many countries.

Justice Amin further commented that such content incites people against the judiciary, the government and the armed forces. The court also issued notices to the attorney-general of Pakistan and the foreign ministry on the matter.

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister, Digital Pakistan Tania Aidrus said on 22 July 2020 via a tweet that “banning YouTube is not a solution... and will hold us back from achieving the vision of #DigitalPakistan”.

On 28 July 2020, in a meeting called by Prime Minister Imran Khan’s focal person on Social Media Arsalan Khalid with Youtube Vloggers to discuss restrictions on social media platforms, the PTA chairman said regarding the Supreme Court’s reservations on the material posted on YouTube that the YouTube authorities are not extending effective cooperation. When asked if he had received orders for banning YoutTube he replied he had not received such orders. He also said that Facebook has extended better cooperation as compared to other platforms adding that Youtube and PUBG cooperated least with the authorities.
2321 July 2020Through a notification the PTA said that it identified “high volume of immoral content” served through Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) and that it was the responsibility of the operators to ensure no objectionable content was served. The PTA has also asked for a compliance report to be submitted within ten (10) days and threatened regulatory action in case of non-compliance.
2217 July 2020The committee on ‘Covid-19 disinformation prevention’ led by the interior minister finalised a framework to “closely monitor” both mainstream and social media for individuals spreading disinformation regarding COVID-19.

According to DAWN, the interior minister directed PEMRA, PTA and FIA to take strict action against individuals for their actions. According to the press release, the focal person with assistance from ISPR (Inter-Services Public Relations) and the interior ministry will be responsible for flagging false content online and on electronic media will be then reported to the health experts at the health ministry to determine the veracity of the information. It said that if the content is found to be such that has the potential of creating a “sense of fear, panic or insecurity in the government or the public” as stated in the Pakistan Electronic Crimes Act 2016 (PECA), then PTA and PEMRA will be required to take action. In case of non-compliance by the creator of the said content, the FIA will be required to take action under Section 10(a) PECA “Cyber Terrorism”.
01 July 2020The PTA released a press release regarding the temporary suspension of PUBG game via a tweet. According to the press release, “PTA has received numerous complaints against PUBG wherein it is stated that the game is addictive, wastage of time and poses serious negative impact on the physical and psychological health of the children”. The press release also mentioned media reports attributing cases of suicide to the game saying that they have a direction by the Lahore High Court (LHC) to “look into the issue and decide the matter after hearing the complainants”. The PTA invited comments and feedback from the public regarding the issue through the same press release.

Islamabad High Court took up a petition against the PUBG ban on 06 July 2020. Justice Aamer Farooq asked the PTA counsel to explain the reasons leading to the decision of the ban to which the counsel replied that the Punjab Police had written a letter to the PTA requesting the ban in light of suicides linked to PUBG. The counsel further said, “we have also received complaints from parents requesting us to impose a ban on the game”. The Court disposed of the petition ordering the PTA to issue a written order regarding the ban stating the laws under which the power of ban was exercised. The PTA committed to issue an order on 08 July 2020 after hearing the petitioner.

Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry shared via a tweet dated 19 July 2020, that he was against the PUBG ban as according to him “such attitude is killing tech industry”. He further said that the country cannot afford such bans. “I hope concerned minister @SyedAminulHaque will take note of this ban and PTA will be instructed not to encourage such bans as it hinders tech growth in the long run”, he tweeted. In response to this, the Minister for Information Technology Aminul Haque said that he is against restrictions that could hamper any progress and Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) does not fall under his ministry. He said that his Ministry did not have control over the PTA and that. “only the Cabinet Division could comment regarding the ban on PUBG” as the PTA is overseen by the Cabinet Division.

PTA shared via atweet on 24 July 2020 that it has decided that PUBG will remain banned in the country. It further said that PUBG management has been approached regarding data sharing about PUBG sessions and users in Pakistan and controls in place by the company. It said that the response from PUBG is awaited. On the same day, the IHC ordered restoration of PUBG. On linking PUBG with suicide cases, the IHC judge questioned PTA on the last hearing as to why mental health experts were not consulted regarding the claim. The PTA's counsel in their argument also made a claim that the had been banned after anti-Islam material was witnessed on it.

On 27 July 2020, PTA through a press release announced that it has issued a detailed order regarding banning of PUBG and said that the game will remain banned. It said that the detailed order was released in accordance with IHC’s orders.

In a meeting called by Prime Minister Imran Khan’s focal person on Social Media Arsalan Khalid on 28 July 2020 with Youtube Vloggers to discuss restrictions on social media platforms, the PTA chairman Major General (retd) Amir Azeem, said that the PUBG gaming company was not cooperating with them and therefore there was no chance of immediate restoration of the PUBG game. He further said that “they respect the court orders and would implement them, however, they have received several complaints regarding PUBG from different circles. Punjab police have also raised the issue with us over rising incidents of suicides due to the PUBG game, he said and warned of registering cases against the company in case of its non-compliance”. The PTA chairman said that Tik Tok and Bigo have started cooperation with the local authorities and that the TikTok have removed 3.8 million links over complaints. He also said that Facebook has extended better cooperation as compared to other platforms adding that Youtube and PUBG cooperated least with the authorities.

On 30 July 2020, thePTA announced unbanning PUBG as a result of “positive engagement” with the company. According to the press release, the PTA was satisfied with the measures PUBG had adopted in response to the ban and concerns raised by PTA. It emphasized on continued engagement and a comprehensive control mechanism.
2126 July 2019In a briefing before the Senate Special Committee chaired by Barrister Saif Khan, the PTA Chairman (R) Maj Gen Amir Azeem Bajwa said that "[Dealing with] blasphemous content on social media is a huge problem” since most of the websites are being operated from other countries. He added that, "the government should either formulate a policy and block social media websites in the country like China and the United Arab Emirates — [which would mean] developing social media platforms locally like China — or it should increase the technical capabilities of the PTA". He also suggested signing mutual legal assistance treaties with other countries so that access to blasphemous content on international social media platforms could be blocked in Pakistan.

PTA Chairman also said that the PTA has blocked 40,000 websites since 2010 where they received 8,500 complaints regarding blasphemous content on the internet. The PTA also blocked about 850,000 websites for having pornographic content.

On the same day, PTA via a statement said that their chairman's comments regarding blasphemous content on social media “are being misquoted and taken out of context”. It said that the blocking of these websites “was only used as an example to refer to the blocking of YouTube in 2012” and that “the reports of PTA recommending blocking of social media websites are entirely false”.
2017 July 2019
Chairman PTA Amir Azeem Bajwa briefed the Senate Standing Committee on Information Technology that PTA has restricted access to at least 11,000 proxy servers, and further intends to regulate the use of Virtual Private Network (VPN) in Pakistan through a new model that they are trying to set up.
1912 July 2019Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) published an advertisement urging the readers to exercise free speech but not commit offences and report any such offences to PTA.
1812 June 2018In response to the Petition of Hafiz Ihtesham Ahmad aggrieved by the FIA and PTA’s alleged inaction against blasphemous content online, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) directed FIA and PTA to take action against people involved in uploading blasphemous materials on social media.
1710 May 2019The Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Azam Khan Swati rubbished the news that the PTA had signed any contract for monitoring of Internet Traffic with any vendor. Despite that on 24.05.2019 it was reported that the Senate Standing Commi­ttee on Cabinet Secretariat was probing the matter of Pak­istan Telecommunication Auth­o­rity (PTA) signing an agreement with US-based Sand­vine Corporation, a company allegedly working as a partner with Israeli intelligence, for monitoring, analysing, and curbing grey traffic.
1625 February 2019The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) claims to have devised a monitoring system to combat extremism and hate speech on social media. This was after the government announced a crackdown on social media against extremism. The FIA stated it would take action against individuals committing such an offense without waiting for a complaint, in accordance with the powers granted under PECA.
1513 February 2019Federal Information and Broadcasting Minister Fawad Chaudhry announced that the Government was preparing to launch crackdown against extremism and hate speech on social media. He proposed “a new authority called the Pakistan Media Regulatory Authority which will serve as a one-window operation for digital, print and electronic media.”
1420 Jan 2019The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) established a Cyber Vigilance Division (CVD) and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to handle complaints against unlawful online content under Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA).
1317 Jan 2019Sindh police Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) set up a technical team to monitor social media against its growing use for the “promotion of ideology of hatred, anti-state activism and militancy”
1214 December 2018
Federal Information and Broadcasting Minister Fawad Chaudhry announced that social media companies like Facebook and Twitter were cooperating with the government to prevent hate speech. "We desire the prevention of hate speech and not to curb free speech," he stated.
1104 November 2018Federal Information and Broadcasting Minister Fawad Chaudhry spoke about the importance of regulating social media in relation to the spread of fake news and the incitement of violence.
1015 August 2018Twitter stands in danger of being banned because it refuses to comply with government content restriction requests. The Pak­istan Telecommuni­cation Authority (PTA) informed the Senate Standing Com­mittee on Cabinet Secre­tariat that while Facebook, YouTube and other social media platforms complied with requests from the government to block objectionable content, Twitter did not oblige.
912 July 2018Chairman Senate Muhammad Sadiq Sanjrani directed Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to block all the websites and pages containing blasphemous material against holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH).
828 March 2018The National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA) developed an online reporting portal geared towards countering online extremism as well as the abuse of the internet and social media. Surf safe allows Pakistanis to report extremist online-content freely, securely, and anonymously.
707 July 2017The Interior Ministry announced progress made in a meeting with Vice President of Facebook, Joel Kaplan in Islamabad, to discuss ways to address the issue of the misuse of social media platforms. The ministry emphasized the issue of blasphemous content which is illegal in Pakistan. Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said that “nothing is more sacred to us than our religion and our holy personalities.”
629 June 2017Chaudhry Nisar directed the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to take action against social media campaigns that served to promote ‘sectarianism’.
523 May 2017Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan announced the need for rules and standard operating procedures to regulate the use of social media. “We all realise the importance of social media. There are rules for every institution, organisation, and government, but, unfortunately, no such rules exist for social media” Nisar told a press conference.
422 May 2017The Federal Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) identified several suspects for allegedly posting anti-military material on social media, many of whom were taken into custody for interrogation. It also finalized a list of 200 Twitter accounts and Facebook pages for investigation.
314 May 2017Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan ordered the FIA to initiate action against individuals running “anti-military” campaigns on the Internet. According to the Minister, “under constitutional guidelines on freedom of expression, unwarranted criticism of security forces and other institutions responsible for the defense of the realm is not allowed. No citizen can be involved in a campaign that tarnishes the reputation and respect of the armed forces”.
209 March 2017Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan threatened to block all social media websites with 'blasphemous content'. This followed an Islamabad High Court (IHC) directive to the government to open an investigation into online ‘blasphemy’ in response to the case of five activists reported missing in January.
130 December 2016Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan made an announcement in response to a fake picture being shared on social media networks. In a press conference he said, “We are in contact with Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp and other social media sites to expose the elements and their hidden motives for launching a negative campaign to damage credibility of the state institutions.”


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