–PEMRA chairman writes letter to AIC, invites them to take part in consultation process concerning social media regulation
After backlash by social media giants who had threatened to shut down services in Pakistan over the new social media rules, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has offered an olive branch to Google, Facebook and Twitter to reach a middle ground over regulatory measures.
According to reports, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) chief Amir Azeem Bajwa wrote a letter to the managing director of the Asia Internet Coalition (AIC) and invited it to take part in the process concerning the formation of new social media rules.
Pakistani officials have requested AIC and its members to communicate with the advisory committee and voice their concerns and apprehensions on the proposed regulatory measures.
The PTI government had approved new rules for social media aimed at censoring free speech. According to the newly-approved rules that aim at regulating cyberspace, social media companies will be obliged to help law enforcement agencies access data and to remove online content deemed unlawful. Companies that do not comply with the rules risk being blocked online.
The approval of the new rules followed accusations by opposition parties that Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government has sought to intimidate and silence its opponents and allegations of media censorship.
The new rules on social media were described by the authors as intended to prevent live streaming of online content relating to “terrorism, extremism, hate speech, defamation, fake news, incitement to violence and national security.”
This prompted a response from the online giants, who had written a letter to the PTI government, urging it to reconsider the decision.
Through a group called the AIC, they wrote a scathing letter to Imran Khan. In it, the companies warned that “the rules as currently written would make it extremely difficult for AIC Members to make their services available to Pakistani users and businesses.”
