Govt moves to 'criminalise smear campaigns' on social media
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The federal government has moved to tighten the noose on social media as it received two key proposed legislation for approval, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said on Saturday,
In a brief statement on Twitter, the minister said under the proposed laws ridiculing someone on social media will be treated as a punishable offence.
“Two key laws have been sent to the federal cabinet for approval. The first is to allow parliamentarians to participate in election campaigns, while the other is to make it a punishable offence to insult people on social media,” he wrote on the micro-blogging site.
وفاقی کابینہ کو دو اہم قانون منظوری کیلئے بھیجےگئےہیں،پہلےقانون کےتحت پارلیمنٹیرینز کوالیکشن کمپین میں حصہ لینےکی اجازت دی گئ ہے جبکہ دوسرے قانون کے تحت سوشل میڈیا پرلوگوں کی عزت اچھالنے کو قابل تعزیرجرم قرار دے دیا گیا ہے،عدالتوں کوپابند کیا گیا ہے کہ فیصلہ چھ ماہ میں کیا جائے
— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) February 19, 2022
The development comes days after Prime Minister Imran Khan expressed dismay over a malicious social media campaign targeting the premier and First Lady Bushra Bibi and termed it “pathetic and intolerable”.
“Unchecked media freedom is devastating and such smear campaigns targeting personal lives should be discouraged,” PM Imran was quoted as saying during the meeting.
The prime minister was referring to the recent report published in an English weekly which indirectly implied that Premier Imran and his wife had developed differences and the first lady had been living with her friend in Lahore.
Also read: PM Imran refutes ‘pathetic’ smear campaign targeting first lady
Last year, the information technology ministry notified new social media rules, allowing the telecom regulator to block any website or platform on the directions of a court, the federal government or interior ministry or under any law of the time.
The rules – titled the “Removal and Blocking of Unlawful Online Content (Procedure, Oversight and Safeguards) Rules, 2021” – have been framed under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), 2016.
At the same time, the new social media rules do not offer any incentive and protection to the content creators on social media.
Under the rules, social media companies will have to register with the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) within three months as well as establish their offices in the country "as and when feasible".
The “service provider, social media company and significant social media company” will not knowingly host, display, upload, publish, transmit, update or share any online content in violation of local laws.
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