KARACHI: A leading digital rights organization has called for the establishment of an independent oversight body comprising civil society activists and government functionaries to monitor Internet censorship decisions, highlighting concerns over the impact of Pakistan’s cyber laws on press freedom.
In a report analyzing the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) and related legislation, the Digital Rights Foundation (DRF) warned this week the law had been used to target journalists and suppress dissenting voices across the country.
Enacted in 2016, PECA was introduced to combat cybercrime but has been widely criticized by activists who see it as a tool for curbing free speech and stifling political opposition. Over the years, several journalists have faced legal action under the law, with cases registered against them in different parts of the country.
The Digital Rights Foundation (DRF), a non-profit established in 2013 to promote free speech, noted in its report that PECA was passed after more than a year of closed-door consultations between the government and lawmakers, despite objections raised by civil society and international human rights organizations.
The lack of transparency in the legislative process, it said, had created an uncertain digital environment, allowing law enforcement agencies to target individuals who question state policies and actions.
“Journalists remain particularly precarious in this increasingly restrictive online environment given their outsized visibility and centrality to freedom of expression,” the report said, adding media workers were “under attack from the state’s lawfare.”
The DRF stressed the need for revising existing laws, including the wholesale repeal of certain sections and enacting reforms to prevent law enforcement agencies from misusing legislation against journalists and dissenting voices in digital spaces.
It recommended the formation of “an independent oversight body, comprising a majority of civil society experts and a minority of government officials, to review and monitor Internet censorship and throttling decisions, ensuring transparency, accountability and adherence to international human rights standards.”
One of the most significant consequences of aggressive digital regulation, the report noted, had been the “chilling effect” phenomenon, where self-censorship becomes a preemptive protective mechanism in response to state surveillance and regulatory crackdowns.
The DRF further emphasized the importance of ensuring that future legislation on digital governance and technological regulation is developed through inclusive consultations with all stakeholders, including civil society organizations, journalists, media professionals and the technical community.