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December 17, 2024 - Comments Off on Govt admits internet disruption due to “security” concerns

Govt admits internet disruption due to “security” concerns

The government has conceded that it has been responsible for the continued throttling and shutdowns of the internet in Pakistan. Speaking on behalf of the government in the National Assembly, Parliamentary Secretary for Cabinet Secretariat Sajid Mehdi highlighted “great security threats” while responding to concerns raised on slow internet and underscored how the government “cannot leave it [social media] unbridled like other countries”. He also claimed that the issue of slow internet would be resolved after the auction of 5G spectrum by April 2025.Meanwhile, PTI Opposition leader Omar Ayub accused the government of blocking social media due to their party’s popularity. He also accused the intelligence agencies for interfering in affairs of the PTA while talking about slow internet speeds.

December 17, 2024 - Comments Off on More than 91% of Pakistan has access to cellular services: PTA

More than 91% of Pakistan has access to cellular services: PTA

More than 91 percent of Pakistan’s population now has access to cellular services, while all areas of Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan have telecom coverage, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) claimed in its Annual Report 2023-2024, released this Monday. The PTA also reported a record-breaking PKR 955 billion in revenues during the 2023-2024 Financial Year, with an average revenue of PKR 302 per month, per user, between April-June 2024. Concerning the impending nation-wide launch of 5G services, however, the PTA highlighted that there would be financial and logistical barriers to total implementation, especially in more remote regions of Pakistan.

December 16, 2024 - Comments Off on No plans to block VPNs despite technical capacity, PTA Chairman

No plans to block VPNs despite technical capacity, PTA Chairman

The government has the technical capability to block VPNs but will not do so, the chairman of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) claimed at an event. The PTA had earlier declared November 30 to be the deadline for VPN registrations, with non-registered VPN connections to be blocked from 01 December. This was overturned and the ban rescinded, after an initial statement that the deadline would be extended, after the Ministry of Law could not give legal cover to the ban. Though the PTA has not provided an official statement as to why the ban was rescinded, media outlets have quoted anonymous sources within the government who pointed towards the legal ambiguities in this regard.

The proposed amendments to the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) might help the government in tackling the government’s legal trouble with blocking VPNs in the future.

December 16, 2024 - Comments Off on Bill to centralise citizen’s data tabled in the National Assembly

Bill to centralise citizen’s data tabled in the National Assembly

The government of Pakistan has proposed the “Digital Nation Pakistan Bill, 2024”, to centralise the data of Pakistani citizens, into a unified “digital ID”, introducing the bill in the National Assembly. Tabled by the Minister of State for  IT and Telecom Shaza Khawaja, the bill also establishes two agencies as part of the data centralisation drive: the National Digital Commission (NDC), and the Pakistan Digital Authority (PDA).

The NDC – headed by the Prime Minister, chief ministers and heads of government departments – would be tasked with developing the “required policy, provide governance and ensure necessary coordination amongst federal, provincial, and sectoral bodies” in regards to the data of citizens. The PDA, according to the report, would be led by “top industry experts”, and “would develop, implement, monitor and periodically update the national digital masterplan, including sectoral plans and implementation plans, to ensure alignment with the strategic guidelines of the NDC.” News reports pertaining to the bill and the agencies that it creates, however, do not go into details as to how the data centralisation would take place. The reports do not discuss the safety of that data, or the privacy of citizens – not just in terms of the right to privacy, but a matter of concern given that the data of at least 2.7 million Pakistanis stored with NADRA had been leaked over a five year period.

December 15, 2024 - Comments Off on Govt expected to push amendments to expand PECA powers this week

Govt expected to push amendments to expand PECA powers this week

The Pakistan government is pushing to have amendments to the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) tabled “as early as” this week (December 16-20), that would create a new authority body with controversially broad powers to block access to social media and to specific online content. As reported upon earlier in December, the amendments are part of the government’s strategy to tackle what it regards as “fake news”.

The proposed PECA amendments include the creation of a Pakistan Digital Rights Protection Authority (DRPA), which would, according to Human Rights Watch, “be authorised to prosecute people for sharing or accessing prohibited content, and take action against social media platforms that host such content.”

In addition to the creation of DRPA – to replace the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) concerning the monitoring of social media content - the amendments also introduce language to expand upon and redefine terms. For instance, the term “Social media platform”now includes the use of any software or tools that would be used to access social media platforms. The redefining of “Social media” points to the government potentially giving itself legal power to block tools such VPNs, after the PTA ban on VPNs was blocked by an opinion from the Ministry of Law.

December 14, 2024 - Comments Off on Journalists, vloggers among 150 booked under PECA for “maligning security agencies”

Journalists, vloggers among 150 booked under PECA for “maligning security agencies”

Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has registered cases against 150 individuals, including journalists and vloggers, “for their involvement in maligning security agencies over the Nov 26 incident”, referring to the controversy surrounding the number of deaths at a protest march by PTI supporters in late November 2024. According to the FIA, Harmeet Singh, a Pakistani Sikh journalist, had ostensibly promoted a “false narrative” concerning the four day-long protest, and claimed that he had incited violence against the state. He and others were being booked under Sections 9 (“Glorification of an Offence”), 10 (“Cyber Terrorism”), 11 (“Hate Speech”) and 24 (“Cyber Stalking”) of the PECA.

The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) condemned the 150 arrests, calling them “a blatant attack on press freedom and freedom of expression in Pakistan and depicts the authoritarian mindset of the so-called elected government.” The PFUJ stressed that it does not condone “fake news”, but that “due process” was vital when registering cases against journalists.

December 13, 2024 - Comments Off on Senate passes Digital Forensics Agency Bill

Senate passes Digital Forensics Agency Bill

Pakistan’s Senate (upper house) unanimously approved the passage of the “National Forensic Agency Bill, 2024” paving the way for the creation of an independent forensic agency (NFA) at the national level. The NFA will upgrade existing capabilities of conventional forensics labs across Pakistan. Furthermore, NFA will set up a digital forensics lab to provide services to governments across Pakistan. Furthermore, NFA will integrate “digital and cyber forensics to combat crimes involving electronic devices, deepfakes, and other electronic offences.” The Bill must now be approved by the National Assembly (lower house) before it can become an Act. Proposed by the government earlier this month, the soon to be established National Forensics Agency (NFA) comes as part of a muscular legislative and political push over the course of this  year by the Pakistan government, in what it has framed as its war on “fake news”, or disinformation and misinformation.

December 13, 2024 - Comments Off on Only 38,000 freelancers have bank accounts in Pakistan: Government

Only 38,000 freelancers have bank accounts in Pakistan: Government

Only 38,000 of Pakistan’s 2.32 million freelancers - responsible for 15% of Pakistan’s overall IT exports - have bank accounts based in Pakistan, according to a statement made by the Finance Division of the Government of Pakistan last week. Disclosed during a meeting of the Prime Minister’s Committee on IT Export Remittances, this means that while IT exports are steadily increasing, remittances do not reflect this increase proportionately, as a substantial fraction of revenue remains unremitted. According to data by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), while on average 500 bank accounts are being opened weekly, the problem lies in retaining the account holders.

 

The meeting also discussed the urgency in bringing global payment options, such as PayPal , to Pakistan. Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb stressed the need to make Pakistan a key player in the global IT industry by resolving these current issues.

December 9, 2024 - Comments Off on Pakistan’s Internet Speeds Among World’s Lowest: Ookla

Pakistan’s Internet Speeds Among World’s Lowest: Ookla

A report by the web testing and diagnostics company Ookla – known for their internet speed tests – has indicated that Pakistan’s broadband and mobile internet speeds ranked among the world’s lowest 10 percent, as of October 2024. According to Ookla’s Speedtest Global Index, Pakistan ranked 100 out of 111 in regards to mobile internet speeds, and 141 out of 158 for fixed broadband speeds. While the global median mobile and fixed broadband speeds have been registered at 59.15 mbps and 94.52 mbps, respectively, Pakistan’s speeds in these two categories were at 20.61 mbps and 15.60 mbps, respectively according to the report.

 

These revelations have come against the backdrop of widespread concerns pertaining to persistent internet disruptions and slowdown since June 2024 particularly as Pakistan began to test and implement its controversial firewall or web management system. Such a situation continues to have a debilitating impact on the country’s nascent tech industry and growing freelance workforce, resulting in a   in work as a result.

 

That this snapshot of Pakistan’s slow internet speeds was captured during October is significant, as concerns and frustration with the government concerning the intermitted throttling of the internet since June 2024 threatened to come to a head in October and November, resulting in the impact on the country’s digital economy, as indicated above.

December 8, 2024 - Comments Off on Online smear campaigns against journalists

Online smear campaigns against journalists

In a continuation and worsening of the dangers for journalism in Pakistan, a number of social media accounts across various platforms have been involved in spreading “fake news”, and trolling and harassing senior journalists such as Talat Hussain, Muneeb Farooq, Hassan Ayub and Syed Muzammil Shah.

A video by the journalist Talat Hussain, discussing the sectarian attacks on Shia Muslims in the district of Kurram, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, which resulted in more than 130 deaths, was selectively edited to misrepresenting his statements, to make it appear that he was speaking about the controversy over the number of PTI protestors that died in the November 24-27 protest march on Islamabad.

Armed men broke into the home of journalist and vlogger Syed Muzammil Shah, threatening him and his family with shots fired into the air. Rather than this invasion of Shah’s home and danger to his family being unanimously condemned, a number of social media accounts appeared to consider it “retribution” for his reporting on the November 24-27 PTI Islamabad protest.

The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) has condemned these online smear campaigns against senior journalists and TV anchors. Claiming that many of the accounts in these campaigns belong to PTI supporters, the PFUJ has requested that the PTI leadership respect freedom of speech and tolerate criticism.