A joint press conference was held at the National Press Club in Islamabad on April 15, 2015, addressed by Wahaj us Siraj, Convenor Internet Service Providers Association of Pakistan (ISPAK), Farieha Aziz, Director Bolo Bhi, Syed Ahmad, Spokesman Pakistan Software Houses Association (P@SHA) and Khwaja Saad Saleem, Vice President ISPAK.
The purpose of this press conference was to express serious concerns on two main issues regarding the government’s proposed cybercrime law – Prevention of Electronic Crimes Bill:
- the content of the draft Bill
- the Government’s process, which is not transparent, inclusive or participatory
Concerns were raised regarding specific clauses of the proposed bill, its impact on civil liberties and industry, as well as potential impact on media. The following demands were made:
- the draft bill be made public;
- public and independent expert input be sought and incorporated before the Standing Committee finalizes its debate.
Download Press Release Here:
Resources:
This bill and an analysis can be viewed here
See also our resource doc on the proposed cybercrime bill
About The Author
Farieha Aziz
Farieha Aziz is a Karachi-based, APNS-awardwinning journalist. She is a co-founder and Director at Bolo Bhi. She has a masters in English literature. She worked with Newsline from July 2007-January 2012 and taught literature to grades 9-12. She served as an amicus curiae in a case filed in the Lahore High Court in 2013, challenging the ban on YouTube, and is currently a petitioner on behalf of Bolo Bhi in a case filed in the Islamabad High Court challenging government's censorship on the Internet and the powers of the regulator. She can be found on Twitter: @FariehaAziz and reached via email: farieha@bolobhi.org