Going after the internet

During a meeting of the Senate’s Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat on Thursday, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) Chairman Hafeezur Rehman said that the PTA is whitelisting virtual private networks (VPNs) after which only selected VPNs will be available in Pakistan. He informed the committee that the ban on X (formerly Twitter) will be lifted whenever the government asks them to do so. Ever since the ban on X in mid-February, the usage of X in Pakistan has decreased by 70 per cent despite the availability of VPNs. Now the PTA wants to limit VPN use for the 30 per cent that are using X. Ironically, this 30 per cent also includes all government handles on X, including the president and prime minister. By first banning X soon after the February 8 polls without any explanation during the caretaker government’s era, then denying any knowledge about the ban, then later admitting it had indeed been banned, and then brazenly justifying it by invoking ‘national security’, state functionaries have made a mockery of the entire system and also exposed their ineptness. It is extremely unfortunate that in a world where the tech world is experimenting with artificial intelligence (AI), Pakistan is busy banning social media platforms and now even threatening to limit VPNs.

In June, it was reported that a national firewall was being installed on different internet service providers (ISPs) to rein in social media. Government ministers went out on a limb to defend the indefensible – installing a firewall in the 21st century, in an era where the internet and its use is considered a fundamental right. The government has justified draconian legislation as a way to counter fake news. There is no denying that there is fake news out there on social media platforms. However, regulation does not mean clamping down on social media platforms; it means countering fake news and propaganda with facts. Banning any platform is the easiest way out and also a step towards authoritarianism.

Apart from political entities and their ilk spreading fake news and propaganda, there is another reason why fake news has proliferated social media. It is because of the black hole of information that is created when mainstream media are not allowed access to issues. If mainstream media organizations were allowed to report on those issues, fake news about those issues would be countered there and then with facts. It’s like playing whack-a-mole: the more you ban, the more apps and platforms will pop up. The basic issue however will remain: fake news. To be honest, regulation isn’t just an issue in Pakistan. Global media watchdogs and rights groups have expressed their reservations regarding the UN’s Comprehensive International Convention on Cybercrime that is in the process of being finalized. Organizations like the International Press Institute, Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Washington Post Press Freedom Partners and others have openly called the proposed treaty a danger for journalists. In Pakistan, laws like the Prevention of Electronic Crime Act 2016 (Peca) have only been used to muzzle information and silence dissent. Unfortunately, it seems that under the current system, more such laws and technology will be used to crackdown on social media. What a sad spectacle we are.