The Pakistan Digital Editors Alliance (PDEA) has expressed serious concern over federal cabinet’s approval of the E-Safety Bill, 2023, and the Personal Data Protection Bill, 2023.
Both pieces of legislation were approved on Wednesday and instantly accreted widespread criticism, concerns and resentment from digital rights defenders, journalists, lawyers, and civil society organisations.
In a statement released on Friday, the PDEA — the alliance comprising editors, journalists, and representatives from leading Pakistani media organisations — raised objection that the media landscape in the country is already overregulated and further legislation aimed at regulating social media platforms and governing personal data will only elevate additional challenges for social media companies, consumers, and digital media outlets.
“The E-Safety Bill, 2023 is being presented under the guise of preventing ‘online harassment’, ‘cyber bullying’, and ‘blackmailing’, all of which have provisions under the controversial Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016 — also known as PECA — and another such law poses a threat to fundamental freedoms of the Pakistani citizens and their online activity,” reads the statement.
The alliance states the legal provisions under PECA and their flawed implementation have resulted in suppression of dissent and targeted attacks against political activists. The law has also been weaponised against journalists, social media users, and survivors of online violence.
“Giving the new authority the power to grant licences to websites, including those for web channels, is alarming as the licencing processes in the country remain opaque and have often, as observed in the case of the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA), led to market monopoly and concentration,” the statement adds.
The alliance has also raised concern that by empowering an authority to block and impose fines on websites for running “false” news without adequately framing what exactly constitutes such news may lead to misuse of powers and curbs on dissenting voices.
Over one million websites remain blocked in Pakistan without any proper justification, according to the PDEA.
As for the Personal Data Protection Bill, the PDEA — citing the lack of transparency mechanisms and repeated targeted attacks on opposing voices in the country — says that the legislation may enable increased intimidation against journalists and activists, as well as lead to indiscriminate surveillance of citizens who use online spaces for expression.
The alliance has urged the government to hold multi-stakeholder engagements with members of tech, media, and e-commerce industries for informative discussions and feedback before passing any law on the regulation of digital media and data protection.
“Any law passed in haste may have detrimental effects towards fundamental rights of the Pakistani people,” says the alliance.
