The government will finalize new social media guidelines within a month, according to Syed Amin-ul-Haque, the federal minister for information technology and telecommunication.
The minister informed the National Assembly Standing Committee on IT that social media regulations were adopted by the federal cabinet in 2020. Later on, though, the Ministry of IT was ordered to change the guidelines by the Islamabad High Court.
The government established a committee to update the regulations in response to the Court’s directive. According to the minister, the Ministry of IT has incorporated proposals from national and international businesses into the statute.
When briefing on cybersecurity strategy, the ministry of IT officials noted that the Personal Data Protection Bill had been amended with significant input from social media and internet companies. According to the cybersecurity policy, a national Cybersecurity Authority would be established, and authorities were informed.
The guidelines would outline, among other things, safeguards, procedures, and techniques for the Authority to use when using its Act-granted authority to block or remove access to illegal online content on any information system.
In order to access or utilize any online information system, social media firms are required to establish community rules. These guidelines must instruct their users not to host, display, upload, change, publish, transmit, update, or share any online content that is prohibited by local laws. They must also give any information that is requested by an investigation authority. The data may be presented in plain form or in a decrypted, legible, and understandable format.
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