Government Approves Social Media Regulatory Authority Setup

Pakistan is moving step by step towards the formation of social media Regulatory Authority, an entity with the goal of addressing online scams, bullying, and abuse of social media. The federal cabinet has already approved the rules for the proposed authority, said officials of the National Cyber Crimes Investigation Agency (NCCIA), confirming to the Senate Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting that recruitment for the personnel is now in the process.

The benefit of the move is evident. In a recent case, nine MNAs were misled by fraudsters who were pretending to be Senator Irfan Siddiqui, yet victims found it difficult to seek redress. NCCIA said it recovered Rs 1.3 million from the scam, arrested four suspects, and pursued the prime accused. Apart from this, in the last five months, Rs 10 million were recovered from WhatsApp hacking cases, in addition to 611 fraud cases, 320 harassment complaints, and 10 cases against journalists. Authorities also cautioned that SIMs procured illegally are being used for terrorism.

Senator Pervaiz Rasheed emphasized that threatening and abusive campaigns undermine freedom of expression, and regulation is unavoidable.

If effectively enforced, this power has the potential to be the game-changer in Pakistan’s online world, providing its citizens with safety online without restricting their right to voice.