From Amazon losing fight against massive privacy fine in Luxembourg to high court giving the government “final chance” to explain the suspension of X in Pakistan, here’s everything we covered at Digital Rights Monitor (DRM) this week.
Read our weekly news roundup.
PAKISTAN: High court directs interior ministry to submit report on X use by govt bodies
The Lahore High Court (LHC) has asked the Ministry of Interior to submit a report on the use of X by government bodies amid the notorious ban.
The development came on Friday as the court heard a petition filed against the suspension of X, which has now surpassed a year. X was banned across the country on February 17 last year, over a week after the general elections were held.
Chief Justice Alia Neelam, who headed the three-member bench, questioned the interior ministry on the functioning of X and the operations of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA).
Justice Neelam raised questions on government bodies using X amid the ban as well. “It should be revealed which government institutions are using X despite the ban,” she remarked. “It should also be told whether the status of X is legal or illegal.”
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AUSTRALIA: Meta aiming to curb misleading content ahead of elections, company says
Meta Platforms, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, has announced specific measures to curb misleading content and deepfakes ahead of the federal elections in Australia, according to an official blog post.
Meta is partnering with notable news agencies such as Agence France-Presse (AFP) and the Australian Associated Press (APP) for fact checking of content across its platforms. The agencies will review content for Meta and help identify fallacies, according to the company.
“When content is debunked by fact-checkers, we attach warning labels to the content and reduce its distribution in Feed and Explore so it is less likely to be seen,” Cheryl Seeto, Meta’s Head of Policy in Australia, says.
Although Meta ended its fact checking initiatives in the United States (US) in January, it appears that the company intends to continue the program in Australia, at least until the elections have been held.
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LUXEMBOURG: Amazon loses appeal against privacy fine
A Luxembourg court has upheld an $812.4 million fine imposed on Amazon four years previously over data protection breaches.
According to a statement by the Luxembourg National Commission for Data Protection (CNPD) published Wednesday, the court backed the watchdog’s decision, dismissing the e-commerce giant’s appeal. The ruling was made on March 18.
Amazon had been fined in 2021 for violating the European Union’s (EU) General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) by processing personal data of consumers.
The GDPR is a major regulatory framework focused on privacy in the EU under which leading companies such as Meta and Google have been penalised for a range of violations.
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PAKISTAN: High court gives govt ‘last chance’ to explain X suspension
The Lahore High Court (LHC) has given the federal government the “last chance” to explain the suspension of social media platform X, which was blocked on February 17 last year in the country.
According to a report by Dawn.com, the ultimatum was issued by LHC Chief Justice Aalia Neelum in a hearing on Thursday of a petition lodged against the suspension of X by journalist Shakir Mahmood and other complainants.
Justice Neelam remarked that the government was being given the “final chance” to explain the blockage of X, after which the court would summon the head of the cabinet. The court also chided the PTA chairman for the authority’s use of X despite banning it.
In the previous hearing, Justice Neelam had raised questions about government bodies that were using X amid the ban. “It should be revealed which government institutions are using X despite the ban,” she had remarked. “It should also be told whether the status of X is legal or illegal.”
More here
