Pakistan Approved new regulations against social media.
By Salman Shehzad
Government in Pakistan approved new regulations restricting social media rules that would dramatically change operations of the companies such as Facebook, Twitter and others. Critics say this would threaten freedom of expression.
Regulations, passed by Pakistan’s government Wednesday, media companies must remove content Pakistani authorities deem objectionable, set up offices and data centers in the country, and remove the encryption on content if requested by the government officials . They must take down certain posts by Pakistanis based abroad, where a number of vocal critics of Pakistan’s powerful military establishment and the current government are based.
If the companies don’t comply, according to the rules, the company’s platforms could be blocked in the country, according to legal amendments instituted this week by the government of Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Government in a statement said that "internet must be regulated. "
Critics said "This is the kind of overreach we were worried about,". "They're trying to go beyond the ambit of the law, trying to control journalists and social media activities. Pakistani lawyer and an advocate of the Supreme Court Anees Jillani told media that the policy was an "infringiment on freedom of speech"
Comments
Post a Comment