Court seeks report from Centre on social media regulations

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Monday sought a report from the federal government on newly formulated regulations to control social media companies/platforms under Pakistan Telecommunication Reorganization Act 1996 and Prevention of Electronic Crime Act 2016.
Advocate Azhar Siddique, representing a petitioner, contended that the federal cabinet approved the legislation that required the social media platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and others to open their offices in Pakistan and got them registered with the authorities within three months.
He stated that the regulations namely Citizen Protection (Against Online Harm) Rules 2020 will also require the social media giants to appoint their representative in the country to answer complaints by the government.
The lawyer argued that the regulations needed to be implemented in letter and spirit.
Therefore, he asked the court to order the PTA and the federal government to place on record the regulations and a mechanism for implementing them more effectively.
Chief Justice Mamoon Rashid Sheikh directed a deputy attorney general to submit replies on behalf of the government and the PTA along with a detailed report on the regulations by Feb 21.

Source : Dawn