By Asif Shahzad and Ariba Shahid
ISLAMABAD, July 9 (Reuters)
With a population of more than 241.5 million, Pakistan has a lot of people. Of this large number, approximately 126 million individuals are internet users. Not everyone prefers to have an active online presence and has utilized the option to sever the proverbial “digital” umbilical cord. Those who still frequent the digital highways are sometimes, country dependent, regulated upon the usage thereof.
A country perspective on YouTube
Alphabet-owned GOOGL.OYouTube has told more than two dozen critics of the Pakistani government that it is considering blocking their channels after a local court sought to ban them for being “anti-state”. “Anti-state” refers to a political or philosophical stance that tends to oppose the state authority and also promotes individual autonomy.
Characteristics thereof include the rejection of the state intervention in social, personal or economic affairs. The channels that could be blocked in Pakistan include that of the main opposition party and also its leader, jailed former prime minister Imran Khan, as well as journalists critical of the government, according to the June 24 court order.
The Judicial Magistrate Court in Islamabad said it was seeking the ban after the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) criticized the channels in a June 2 report for “sharing highly intimidating, provocative and derogatory contents against state institutions and officials of the state of Pakistan”. The NCCIA was established in May 2024 by the Government of Pakistan. The goal being to investigate incidents of cyber-crime within the borders of the country. NCCIA is a replacement of FIA.
An interesting influence from Pakistan
Digital rights campaigners say that any ban would further undermine free speech in Pakistan, where the authorities are accused of stifling newspapers and television and social media is seen as one of the few outlets for dissent. YouTube told the 27 content creators that their channels could be taken down if they did not comply with the court orders. The popular video sharing platform said in emails this week to the channel owners:
“If you fail to do so, as per our local law obligations, we may comply with the request without further notice.”
One of the content creators, Asad Toor, who has more than 333,000 YouTube subscribers, said the move was aimed at undermining fundamental and constitutional rights of the people, political parties and other dissident groups. After the government clamped down on traditional media, many independent-minded reporters migrated to YouTube, as did journalists and commentators sympathetic to Khan, who was removed from office in 2022.
An overall crackdown on some digital matters
Khan has said his party has faced a military-backed crackdown since his removal, a charge the army denies. The order is the latest in a series of laws and regulations from Islamabad that have enabled the authorities to crack down on critics and dissidents. It has blocked social media platforms like X, Facebook and TikTok on several occasions.
In January, Pakistan’s parliament introduced a new amendment in the Electronic Crimes Act to further regulate cyber content, which included a new social media regulatory authority with its own investigation agency and tribunals. Such tribunals will be able to try and punish alleged offenders with prison sentences of as long as three years and fines of two million rupees ($7,200) for dissemination of information deemed “false or fake”.
Similar laws to order the removal of disputed content have also been introduced in neighboring India, which has had disagreements with X and Google over such directives. In recent years, India has banned dozens of YouTube channels citing national security. Digital rights activist Usama Khilji said the Pakistani court did not fulfil due process. Various regulations set down by the Government of Pakistan regulates the use of social media. Laws set in place determine how certain matters are investigated as well as prosecuted.
GCN.com/REUTERS.
