Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) Chairperson Amir Azeem Bajwa said that the country does not have any way to put a stop on fake news and anti-state propaganda on social media in Pakistan.
Amir Azeem Bajwa said while addressing a meeting of the NA Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunication that the social media platforms do not have their offices here and neither do they confer any explanation for their non-cooperation.
Committee Chairperson Ali Khan Jadoon presided over the meeting, which was attended by Naz Baloch, Makhdoom Zain Hussain Qureshi, and Muhammad Hashim Notezai, among others.
He further said that if social media giants such as Twitter, Facebook, and Google cooperated with Pakistan then we can track down the IP address from where the fake accounts are being generated.
He criticized the social media platforms over their slow response, noting that the companies took time to remove child pornography and anti-state content.
He informed that a national coordinator will be appointed after consultations with the relevant stakeholders.
IT & Telecommunication Secretary Shoaib Ahmad Siddiqui, on the other hand, informed the committee that no system existed to monitor social media in country.
He added that no technology has been made to keep a check on social media. Regularization could only help keep a check and balance on the platform.
He further added that the social media companies will be responsible to remove the content that is insulting and that goes against the state and its culture.
Late last month, the Asia Internet Coalition (AIC) which comprises global digital media giants had banded together against the Pakistani government’s newly-introduced social media rules, threatening to defer services if the laws were not revised.