Internet giants say their services may become unavailable under Pakistan’s new rules 

ISLAMABAD: Leading global internet companies may be unable to operate in Pakistan under the country’s new social media rules, Asia Internet Coalition (AIC) said in a statement on Thursday.
Under the Removal and Blocking of Unlawful Online Content (Procedure, Oversight and Safeguards) Rules 2020, notified by the Pakistani government on Wednesday, social media companies are bound to block access to unlawful online content within 24 hours — or in emergency cases, within six hours — after being reported by a government authority.
A service provider or social media company could face a fine up to Rs500 million ($3.14 million) for noncompliance, which would in turn trigger a mechanism preventing the uploading and live streaming, particularly related to “terrorism, hate speech, pornography, incitement to violence and detrimental to national security.”
“The Rules would make it extremely difficult for AIC members to make their services available to Pakistani users and businesses,” said the Internet coalition which comprises Amazon, AirBnb, Apple, Booking.com, Expedia Group, Facebook, Grab, Google, LinkedIn, LINE, Rakuten, Twitter and Yahoo.
The new rules were approved initially by Prime Minister Imran Khan’s cabinet in February, but while the government promised to initiate a consultation with the tech industry, according to AIC the talks “never occurred” and members of the group are “alarmed by the scope of Pakistan’s new law targeting Internet companies, as well as the government’s opaque process by which these rules were developed.”
Islamabad has been struggling to regulate online content by blocking and removing fake news and propaganda against the country’s national security institutions, including the army, blasphemous content, and other sensitive material that violates cultural and ethnic norms of the country. Last month, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) blocked TikTok for failing to filter out “immoral and indecent” content.
“It’s chilling to see the PTA’s powers expanded, allowing them to force social media companies to violate established human rights norms on privacy and freedom of expression,” AIC said.
“The draconian data localization requirements will damage the ability of people to access a free and open Internet and shut Pakistan’s digital economy off from the rest of the world.“
PTA spokesman Khurram Mehran told Reuters the rules were meant for a better coordination with foreign-based social media companies, which usually “don’t respond to legal requirements.”