Pakistan government is going to make FAKE NEWS a non-bailable offence, if found guilty can be jailed

With the increasing spread of social media, fake news is becoming a big challenge. Pakistan, which often faces political and religious upheaval, is also not untouched by fake news. In view of this, Pakistan is going to make fake news a non-bailable offence. For this, the Government of Pakistan is going to make important amendments in the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016.

According to the amended provision, any person who “intentionally” shares any information “which he knows or believes to be false or fake and which is likely to cause fear, panic or a sense of disorder or unrest” may face imprisonment of up to five years and a fine of more than Rs 10 lakh or both.

According to media reports, in the draft of 'Prevention of Electronic Crimes (Amendment) Act, 2024', the formation of a Digital Rights Protection Authority (DRPA) has been proposed. The DRPA will deal with issues such as prosecuting people who share or access banned content, taking down content online and taking appropriate action against social media platforms where fake content is being circulated.

Though the amendments do not explicitly mention what “fake or false information” will include, Prime Minister’s Advisor Barrister Aqeel Malik confirmed the amendments and said the new provisions are aimed at “eliminating misinformation and negative publicity”. While amending the draft, the authorities have also proposed to add a new provision, Section 26 (A), to the PECA to punish those who share “fake news” online.

PTI is accused of disseminating doctored images, AI-generated visuals, and unrelated photos from Palestine and Kashmir) to misrepresent events in Pakistanpic.twitter.com/2xqsWHrK4d#FactsOverPTIFiction#جھوٹ_کا_سونامی_PTI

— عمیر (آزاد پنچھی) 🇵🇰 (@Ommiyar) December 2, 2024

The most notable change in the proposed amendment is the definition of “social media platform”. The authorities have expanded the definition and now include software and equipment that are used to access social media. The new definition also includes “any person who manages a system that allows access to social media”. They have also added definitions of “applications”, “websites” or “communication channels” that allow people to access social media and share content.

This expansion in the definition will allow the government to restrict or block the use of virtual private networks (VPNs) that are used to access banned social media platforms such as X. According to the new draft, the DRPA will be given the power to “list” social media platforms to comply with the terms and conditions. The government and social media companies will be asked to block or remove fake online content.