OPINION
Hamza Nizam Kazi
The conundrums of attempting social media regulation
What these authorities are trying is to impose general regulations on these spaces as law and implement them across the board without considering the dynamics and overall structure of these proposed policies and regulations. With the advent of technology and the latest gadgets and the world moving fast towards 5G, certain corners of the government and bureaucracy are in the dark ages where coaxial cable and landline was the need of the hour and without that, no communication can ever take place. Controlling online social media including Facebook, Youtube, and other online platforms in this fast, rapidly growing world is fading the image of Pakistan as a progressive Islamic state, the whole basis on which this country came into being. These laws, regulations, and policies are likely to pass and be implemented by the government and those standing firm against n recent days, many policies and regulations regarding it would have no other choice to seek justice from the courts. In social media and national digital cable have been the talk this situation, the powerful sector lobbying for these measures of the town. Be it the proposed Pakistan Media Developwins and people are to wait for justice and directions. ment Authority, the existing Pakistan Telecommunication Another aspect of implementing these online social media Authority, Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authorirules, media development authority provisions are through ty or the Ministry of Information Technology and Ministry virtue of the operators that come under the direct supervision of Information and Broadcasting - all of them have a part of the Authorities. Minister for Information and Broadcasting to play and are the center of any future policies. Chaudhry Fawad Hussain last month said that the government It is a well-known fact that whenever any government has had approved the National Digital Cable Policy 2021 for cable tried to control the freedom of the press it has always backfired. operators. However, no such cable policy is available anywhere on any website of the government or any authority. Coming back to the application of the social media rules, authorities have indirectly bound all the citizens who are using the services of these Hamza Nizam Kazi operators whether you accept them or not. The operators are bound by their license is a corporate and technology conditions to implement any such directive provided thus the rules automatically trickle lawyer having experience down to the end user. However, as the Peter Parker principle, a proverb popularized by the Spider-Man comic books written by Stan Lee, goes “With great power comes great in the telecom industry and responsibility.” Do these Authorities have the capacity to be responsible for the amount advising digital startups. of data that there is, or simply even pass the buck on to operators to install or implement He can be reached on such technology for storing and monitoring of the data? The question remains unanswered. hamza.n.kazi@gmail.com Some of the absurd rules regarding online social media regulations are linked with for advice on legal and the removal and blocking of unlawful online content (Procedure, Oversight and Saferegulatory issues pertaining guards). This means there would be rules that empower the authority to pass directions for complete blocking of the entire online system or removal or blocking of unlawful to the telecom sector and online content within 6 hours to 24 hours, which are again the drastic powers assumed electronic media. by the authorities under their control.
The rules being established for the internet belong nowhere other than in the dark ages
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