Jurist Pakistan passes amendments to regulate social media and punish spread of false information

[Dadparvar]

Pakistan’s National Assembly passed an amendment to the 2016 Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act on Thursday, giving the government the power to regulate social media usage in the country.

The amendment includes a punishment for false and fake information presented as follows:

“Whoever intentionally disseminates, publicly exhibits, or transmits any information through any information system, that he knows or has reason to believe to be false or fake and likely to cause or create a sense of fear, panic or disorder or unrest in general public or society shall be punished with imprisonment which may extend up to three years or with fine which may extend to two million rupees or with both.”

The government will enforce the act by creating the Social Media Protection and Regulatory Authority, introduced by the amendments in Chapter 1A. In addition to regulating and promoting education within social media, the Authority will ensure the rights and online safety of people on social media platforms. Additional provisions of the act include “regulating the unlawful or offensive content on the social media platforms accessible from Pakistan.” Here, the government may also “grant, renew, refuse, suspend and revoke enlistment of social media platforms.”

Pakistan’s amendment to the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act was passed on the same date as the Digital Nation Pakistan Act which aims to leverage digital technology to accelerate economic development and modernize governance within the country.

Members of former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s opposition party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), staged a walkout to protest the passage of the law, which clashes with PTI’s ideology of “restoring Pakistan’s political and economic sovereignty by building a new bond of trust between the government and the people.” The PTI criticized the amendment as a “a tool to control digital discourse and silence criticism of the illegal government.”

The post Pakistan passes amendments to regulate social media and punish spread of false information appeared first on JURIST - News.

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