ISLAMABAD: To curb the spread of fake news and propaganda, the government has decided to amend the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016 (PECA), and the relevant laws are being studied.
Last year, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif formed a committee headed by Minister of Law and Justice Senator Azam Nazir Tarar. The committee has now almost completed its work with the support of Ministry of Information Technology (MIT), Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).
Reliable sources told JEE News here on Thursday that fake news targeting the reputation and image of a particular person or group of people, organization or other institution will be checked through all available sources.
Social media laws will reportedly be amended to increase the powers of the PTA and FIA to curb fake news. And ‘e-safety law’ is being introduced to protect government portals.
Additionally, a new section is likely to be added to PECA to empower the concerned authorities to take strict action to punish the offenders for their crime.
PTA officials are of the view that PECA 2016 does not provide adequate support to take action against those spreading fake news.
One view is that the FIA is helpless in almost all complaints where fake news is identified and action is sought.
In recent months, complaints have multiplied that a group of people is engaged in damaging the reputation of certain organizations and individuals. While the complaints were found to be genuine, the authorities could not take any action against the culprits.
Social media companies will need to operate from Pakistan or set up offices in the country to be held accountable for the content on their sites.
If they fail to take action, their platform may be blocked or the offending content may be removed upon receipt of complaints.
It is likely that the law will be ready before the end of the term of the National Assembly and the end of the tenure of the current government.
Sources also said that in case of malfunction, the law can be replaced by an ordinance issued by the caretaker government even after the end of the current government.
