From cybercrime law amendments in Pakistan to TikTok’s fate in the US, here’s everything we covered at Digital Rights Monitor (DRM) this week.
Read our weekly news roundup.
EU: Facebook, X to be tested ahead of German election
Leading social media companies have been asked by the European Commission to undertake a test, which will determine their efforts in countering disinformation ahead of the federal election in Germany, according to reports.
A European Union (EU) spokesperson made the announcement on Friday.
Facebook and X are not the only social media platforms that will take part in the test related to the German elections, which are set to take place next month. Microsoft, LinkedIn, Google, and Snap will be tested as well.
The Commission’s “stress test”, scheduled for January 31, will examine whether these platforms have adequate measures in place to combat electoral mis-and-disinformation. The given test is a requirement under the Digital Services Act (DSA).
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US: Microsoft in talks to acquire TikTok, claims Trump
President Donald Trump has claimed that Microsoft is considering acquiring short-video platform TikTok in the United States (US), according to reports in international media.
Neither TikTok nor Microsoft has released any statement pertaining to the matter.
TikTok, which has been facing regulatory concerns in the US, was blocked briefly a day before Trump’s presidential inauguration this month. In his speech, the president confirmed that he would keep TikTok, following which the app started coming back to users.
Trump’s pledge to keep TikTok available in the US came with a twist, however. Although his executive order delayed the enforcement of the law banning TikTok by 75 days, he put forth the condition that the app must be sold in order to keep operating. TikTok’s US stakes are reportedly worth $50 billion.
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PAKISTAN: Controversial amendments to cybercrime law approved
The Senate has approved controversial amendments to the country’s cybercrime law, the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016, commonly known as PECA.
The Senate greenlit on Wednesday the Prevention of Electronic Crimes (Amendment) Bill, 2025, along with the Digital Nation Pakistan Bill, 2024. The approval of both the contentious tweaks to PECA and the new piece of legislation attracted a strong disapproval from the opposition parties.
In response to Senate’s approval of changes to PECA, journalists walked out from the press gallery to register their protest. Under the changes, through Section 26(A) concerning “fake news”, the perpetrator may face up to three years in jail, a fine amounting to up to Rs2 million, or both.
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IRELAND: Information sought from DeepSeek on data processing
DeepSeek, the Chinese company making waves in the AI sphere, has come under the scrutiny of the Irish data watchdog.
Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC) has asked DeepSeek for information related to the data processing of Irish users, according to a statement by the regulator.
DeepSeek, which launched its artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot this month to rave reviews, has rattled OpenAI’s ChatGPT and given chipmaker Nvidia a run for its for money. It has also topped free download charts on app stores around the world.
As for DeepSeek’s users in Ireland, it is important to note that the AI company does not have its European Union (EU) headquarters in Ireland, unlike other leading tech corporations such as Facebook and Instagram owner Meta.
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