Govt gets ready to amend social media rules
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January 26, 2021
LAHORE: Islamabad High Court Chief Justice Athar Minallah heard clubbed petitions, challenging the Social Media Rules (Removal and Blocking of Unlawful Online Content (Procedure, Oversight and Safeguards), Rules 2020).
Petitions have been filed by the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), prominent journalist Amber Shamsi, and a TikToker Ashfaq Jutt before the IHC. The hearing of the petition was adjourned from Dec 18, 2020 to Jan 25 on the request of the attorney general, wishing to assist on the matter.
Pointing to Article 19 and 19-A, the IHC CJ remarked that the rules governing the social media ban were made without consultation with the stakeholders.
AGP informs IHC PTA, stakeholders to be consulted on Unlawful Online Content Rules
ISLAMABAD:
The federal government has agreed to review its new social media policy Removal and Blocking of Unlawful Online Content (Procedure, Oversight and Safeguards) Rules 2020 introduced in November last year amid protest by various stakeholders.
Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) Khalid Javed Khan on Monday told an Islamabad High Court (IHC) bench that the government will revisit the rules in consultation with the stakeholders as well as the petitioners, who challenged the rules.
IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah noted that Article-19 (Freedom of Speech) and Article-19A (Right to Information) are related to human rights.
Pakistan is trying to get YouTube, Facebook and other social media platforms to open their offices in the country, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority told the Islamabad High Court on Tuesday. During a hearing of a petition against the release of Lady of Heaven, the PTA said it can only write letters to YouTube, but can t block any content on it. To this Justice Aamer Farooq remarked that if social media platforms such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter open offices in the country, it will become easier for the authority to monitor content on their platforms. The Ministry of Information doesn t have anything to do with
ISLAMABAD: While issuing notices to the federation in response to a plea claiming provisions of Social Media Rules 2020 were curbing constitutionally guaranteed freedoms, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) has asked the Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) and others to submit a reply by January 25, 2021, on the matter.
Challenging Social Media Rules (Removal and Blocking of Unlawful Online Content (Procedure, Oversight and Safeguards), Rules 2020 and constitutionality of Section 37(1) of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016 (PECA), Advocate Usama Khawar Ghumman submitted that such rules indiscriminately violated constitutionally-secured freedom of speech and expression, the right to access to information, the right to privacy, and freedom of trade, business, and profession, and right to property, of all Pakistani citizens.
PTI govt official laments NGOs, activists painting new social media rules as attempt to ‘control’
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Geo.tv/Files
ISLAMABAD/KARACHI: A senior official of the PTI government on Tuesday lamented that non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and activists were painting the new social media rules as the state s attempt to control the online space.
Speaking to
APP, the government official said the new social media rules officially known as the Removal and Blocking of Unlawful Online Content (Procedure, Oversight and Safeguards) Rules 2020 and prepared under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), 2016 were a step forward towards regulating online content.
“The rules are designed to block and remove fake news and propaganda against country’s national security institutions, blasphemous content, hate content, and other sensitive material that violates cultural and ethnic norms of Pakistan, the official said.