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| Tech companies have threatened to leave Pakistan due to censorship |
Some global internet companies such as Facebook, Google, and Twitter, among others, have agreed to leave Pakistan because the government has given local regulators full power to censor digital content.
Earlier this week, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan granted the Pakistan Communications Commission the authority to suppress numbers that "harm, intimidate or satisfy" the government or undermine the safety, security and security of Pakistan's defense.
Through an organization called the Asian Internet Alliance, tech companies have expressed "concern" about the scope of Pakistan's new law against internet companies.
In addition to Facebook, Google, and Twitter, the alliance also includes Apple, Amazon, LinkedIn, Yahoo, Line, SAP, Expedia, Airbnb, Grab, and Rakuten. Booking.com, Cloudflare.
It should be noted that technology companies had previously publicly expressed their concerns about the new law proposed by the Khan government in February of this year.
After the Pakistani government submitted the proposal earlier this year, the organization threatened to leave, prompting the government to withdraw and promising extensive consultations between civil society and technology companies.
The coalition said in a statement Thursday: These consultations have never taken place, stressing that its members will not be able to work to implement the law in the country.
"The stringent requirements for locating the data will prevent people from accessing the free and open internet and isolate the Pakistani digital economy from the rest of the world," the statement said. Forcing him to compel social media companies to violate recognized human rights standards regarding privacy and freedom of expression. ''
Under the new law, high-tech companies are being fined up to $ 3.14 million. They are prohibited from removing illegal content from their platforms within 24 hours of being notified or banned from such actions by the Pakistani authorities.
The introduction of the new rules comes as Pakistan has taken action against inappropriate content on the Internet in recent months. Earlier this year, PUBG Mobile was banned and last month the app (TikTok) was temporarily blocked.
It should be noted that neighboring India to Pakistan has proposed several similar laws in recent years, but technology companies have not objected. In terms of the number of internet users who have benefited economically, there are about 75 million internet users in Pakistan and about 560 million users in India.