PML-N leader defends internet firewall, stresses regulation of social media

• Censorship and regulations are two different things, says Talal.
• Senator reiterates PML-N'support for freedom of expression.
• He laments lack of authorities' lack of technical support, resources. 
  

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has defended the federal government's decision to introduce an internet firewall citing the non-implementation of laws and regulations regarding social media due to a lack of relevant technical resources, the capacity of authorities and state institutions.

"There's a difference between censorship and regulating [social media]," PML-N Senator Talal Chaudhry, whose party is in power in the Centre and Punjab, said while speaking on Geo News' programme "Geo Pakistan" on Friday.

The senator's remarks come as netizens across Pakistan have been facing issues due to slow internet speed and access to social media owing to the trial phase of an internet firewall being tested by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's administration.

An official told The News that work on the firewall has been in progress since January this year which includes the purchase of the system and its installation which has been done and now it is being commissioned.

Asked if the national filter will impact the internet-based businesses, he said this might be considered a subtle threat, however, the businesses are not its target.

Another official said that this is aimed at social media influencers which, the government thinks, are involved in spreading fake news. The objective is to reduce their reach by blocking their content or making it less visible.

The revelation came as the publication, last month, reported that a national firewall is being installed on different internet service providers (ISPs) to rein in social media and is equipped with filters that will block unwanted content from reaching a wider audience.

Defending the incumbent government's decision, Talal said that the Nawaz Sharif-led party has never supported censorship and has in fact always stood by the principle of freedom of expression.

However, he stressed that people use social media in various aspects of daily life, including banking, and that it is misused by some people for fraud, defamation, blackmailing and the dissemination of anti-Pakistan narratives.

Responding to a question as to why the Centre is keen on introducing a new monitoring mechanism as relevant laws exist, the PML-N leader acknowledged the existence of relevant laws but stressed that investigative agencies, authorities and institutions lack the necessary technical support and resources to implement these laws and regulations.

"No need to take things negatively," the lawmaker said, adding that the government is responsible for providing technical support and ensuring capacity building of institutions to enable them to address the misuse of social media and the internet.

Furthermore, with regard to concerns and scepticism attached to the the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca), 2016 and Punjab's Defamation Bill 2024, Talal said that the government is ready to talk and take everybody on board on how to further improve these laws.

Everything will be normal in 1-2 weeks

Speaking on the same show before the PML-N leader, senior journalist Umar Cheema said that several institutions are involved in the internet firewall matter and there's ambiguity as to their role and authority.

Noting that although there's no clarity as to which laws will govern the firewall, Cheema said that it is likely that it will be functional under the Peca Act.

His remarks hold significance as the government on Thursday constituted special courts to conduct trials of cases under the said legislation after holding consultations with Islamabad High Court Chief Justice Aamer Farooq.

As per the order issued by the Ministry of Law and Justice, additional district and sessions judges, civil judge East and West have been given the authority to conduct Peca law trials in the special courts.

Also, the judges in these special courts will be nominated in consultation with chief justices of other high courts.

Commenting on the timeline of the operationalisation of the internet firewall, the journalist, while citing sources, said that it would take one to two weeks to complete the "trial" exercise after which "everything would be normal".

On the issue that the monitoring mechanism would also enable authorities to look into financial transactions, Cheema underscored the concerns of people involved in internet businesses over the government measures and stressed that businesses are discouraged by the "big brother concept" wherein a person/business knows that they are being monitored at all times.

He also said that international transactions might get affected due to enforcement of an internet firewall.

What is govt's internet firewall?

The internet firewall in question provisions filters that will block unwanted content from reaching the masses and will be used to inspect information originating from different internet protocol addresses.

Last month, an official told The News that the measure would identify the locations from where the propaganda material is being originated and would then block or diminish the coverage of those accounts.

There will be a keyword filtering system to detect content the government considers undesirable or prejudicial to national security etc. In such cases, the filter will act like an information inspector.

These kinds of posts will likely be camouflaged and will subsequently be made invisible to outside users. Posts from all dissenting voices in and out of the country are likely to pass through this inspection before they are allowed to be made properly visible.

This filter will run its check on social media platforms like Facebook, YouTube and X (formerly known as Twitter). Preparation is also in progress to prevent the ‘misuse’ of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) as the government can declare it mandatory for citizens to inform the PTA about the VPNs they are using. Anyone failing to do that could land in trouble.