The coalition said it was “alarmed by the
scope of Pakistan’s new law targeting internet
companies, as well as the government’s opaque
process by which these rules were developed.”
Under the new regulations, social media
companies or internet service providers face
a fine of up to $3.14 million for failure to
curb the sharing of content deemed to be
defamatory of Islam, promoting terrorism, hate
speech, pornography or any content viewed as
endangering national security.
Social media companies are required to provide
Pakistan’s designated investigation agency “with
any information or data in decrypted, readable
and comprehensible format,” according to
Pakistan’s DAWN newspaper. Pakistan also wants
the social media companies to have their offices
in the country.
The coalition said the “draconian data
localization requirements will damage the
ability of people to access a free and open
internet and shut Pakistan’s digital economy
off from the rest of the world.” It said the new
rules will make it difficult for its members “to
make their services available to Pakistani users
and businesses.”
There was no immediate comment from Khan’s
government, which has repeatedly said it was
not against freedom of expression.
Khan’s office had previously said the new rules
were made after observing a delayed response
in the removal of anti-Pakistan, obscene and
sectarian-related content by social media sites
since 2018, when Khan’s government came
into power.