ປາກິສຖານ ໄດ້ຮັບຮອງເອົາກົດລະບຽບໃໝ່ຊຸດນຶ່ງ ໃນການຄຸ້ມຄອງເວທີສົນທະນາ ໃນສື່ສັງຄົມອອນລາຍ ຊຶ່ງເປັນການເຄື່ອນໄຫວ ທີ່ພວກຕຳນິວິຈານທັງຫຼາຍ ປະນາມວ່າ ເປັນການໂຈມຕີຕໍ່ເສລີພາບໃນການອອກຂ່າວ ແລະການ ປາກເວົ້າ ຢູ່ໃນປະເທດດັ່ງກ່າວ.
ກົດລະບຽບດັ່ງກ່າວທີ່ວາງອອກໂດຍລັດຖະບານ ໃນວັນພຸດຜ່ານມາ ໄດ້ເຮັດໃຫ້ພວກເຈົ້າໜ້າທີ່ມີອຳນາດເພີ້ມຂຶ້ນ ໃນການປັບໃໝ ຫລືເກືອດຫ້າມການສົນທະນາໃນເວທີຂອງສື່ສັງຄົມອອນລາຍ ສຳລັບເນື້ອໄນຄຳເວົ້າຂອງຜູ້ໃຊ້ທັງຫລາຍ. ບໍລິສັດຕ່າງໆ ເຊັ່ນ Facebook (ທີ່ເປັນເຈົ້າຂອງ WhatsApp), Twitter ແລະ Google (ທີ່ເປັນເຈົ້າຂອງ YouTube) ຈະຖືກຮຽກຮ້ອງໃຫ້ລຶບເນື້ອໃນຢູ່ໃນການລົງຂ່າວໃດໆ ທີ່ພວກເຈົ້າໜ້າທີ່ປາກິສຖານຮູ້ສຶກວ່າ “ຜິດກົດໝາຍນັ້ນ" ລົງພາຍໃນ 24 ຊົ່ວໂມງ.
ເວົ້າສະເພາະແລ້ວ, ບັນດາບໍລິສັດເຫລົ່ານີ້ ແມ່ນມີໜ້າທີ່ໃນການໄຂລະຫັດຂອງ ເນື້ອໄນ ແລະ “ຂໍ້ມູນອື່ນໃດໆທັງໝົດ" ທີ່ກ່ຽວກັບຄົນໃຊ້ສື່ສັງຄົມອອນລາຍທີ່ຖືກກ່າວຫາວ່າ ໄດ້ເອົາວັດຖຸທີ່ເປັນການ "ໝິ່ນປະໝາດສາສະໜາ" ຫລື ໃຊ້ເນື້ອໄນ "ທີ່ກ່ຽວຂ້ອງກັບການກໍ່ການຮ້າຍ, ຄວາມນິຍົມຫົວແຮງຈັດ, ຄຳເວົ້າທີ່ເປັນການກຽດຊັງ, ການເຮັດໃຫ້ເສື່ອມເສຍຊື່ສຽງ, ຂ່າວຂີ້ຕົວະ, ການຍຸແຍ່ໃຫ້ກໍ່ຄວາມຮຸນແຮງ ແລະຄວາມໝັ້ນຄົງຂອງຊາດ."
ກົດລະບຽບທີ່ເອີ້ນວ່າ ລະບຽບການປົກປ້ອງປະຊາຊົນ (ບໍ່ໃຫ້ຖືກທຳໃຫ້ເສຍຫາຍໂດຍທາງອອນລາຍ) 2020, ຈະຮຽກຮ້ອງໃຫ້ບໍລິສັດສື່ສັງຄົມອອນລາຍຍັກໃຫຍ່ສ້າງຕັ້ງຫ້ອງການຜູ້ຕາງໜ້າຂອງຕົນຂຶ້ນຢູ່ໃນປາກິສຖານພາຍໃນ 3 ເດືອນ ແລະໃຫ້ແຕ່ງຕັ້ງຜູ້ທີ່ຮັບຜິດຊອບໃນການຕິດຕໍ່ພົວພັນ ເພື່ອຕອບຄຳຮ້ອງທຸກຂອງເຈົ້າໜ້າທີ່ລັດຖະບານທີ່ກ່ຽວຂ້ອງ.
ເຈົ້າໜ້າທີ່ປາກິສຖານ ໂດຍຢູ່ພາຍໃຕ້ກົດລະບຽບນີ້ ຈະມີອຳນາດເພີ້ມຂຶ້ນ ໃນການປິດການໃຫ້ບໍລິການ ແລະເກັບຄ່າປັບໃໝຫລາຍເຖິງ 3.24 ລ້ານກີບ. ບັນດາອົງການສະແຫວງຫາການສະໜັບສະໜຸນເສລີພາບຂອງພົນລະເມືອງໃນທ້ອງຖິ່ນ ແລະສາກົນ ໄດ້ປະນາມກົດລະບຽບດັ່ງກ່າວວ່າ ເປັນການດຳເນີນຄວາມພະຍາຍາມໃນການຮັບມືຢ່າງໜັກ ເພື່ອເຮັດໃຫ້ການຕໍ່ຕ້ານລັດຖະບານ ມິດງຽບລົງແລະເຮັດໃຫ້ເສລີພາບໃນການປາກເວົ້າຫລຸດລົງຢູ່ໃນປາກິສຖານ.
ຢູ່ໃນຖະແຫລງການສະບັບນຶ່ງ, ກຳມະການປົກປ້ອງນັກຂ່າວ ຫລື CPJ ທີ່ມີສຳນັກງານຕັ້ງຢູ່ໃນສະຫະລັດນັ້ນ ໄດ້ຕຳໜິລັດຖະບານປາກິສຖານທີ່ຮັບຮອງເອົາ ມາດຕະການຄຸ້ມຄອງສື່ສັງຄົມອອນລາຍ "ແບບປິດລັບ" ໂດຍໄດ້ຮຽກຮ້ອງໃຫ້ເຂົາເຈົ້າລົບລ້າງມັນໃນທັນທີທັນໃດ.
ອ່ານຂ່າວນີ້ເພີ້ມເປັນພາສາອັງກິດຢູ່ຂ້າລຸ່ມນີ້
Pakistan has approved a set of new rules to regulate all social media platforms, a move critics denounced as an attack on freedom of the press and free speech in the country.
The regulations, issued by the federal government on Wednesday, empower authorities to fine or ban social media platforms over their users’ content. Companies such as Facebook (which owns WhatsApp), Twitter and Google (which owns YouTube) will be required to remove within 24 hours content Pakistani authorities deem “unlawful.”
Specifically, the companies are tasked with providing decrypted content and “any other information” about users accused of posting “blasphemous” material or content “related to terrorism, extremism, hate speech, defamation, fake news, incitement to violence and national security.”
The regulations, named Citizen Protection (Against Online Harm) Rules 2020, will require social media giants to establish representative offices in Pakistan within three months and appoint a point person to answer complaints filed by relevant government officials.
Pakistani authorities, under the new regulations, will be empowered to block services and levy fines of up to $3.24 million.
Rollback demanded
Local and international civil liberties advocates have denounced the regulations as a heavy-handed attempt to silence political opposition and curtail freedom of expression in Pakistan.
In a statement, the U.S.-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) criticized the Pakistani government for enacting “in secret” the social media regulatory measures, demanding they should immediately be rolled back.
“These stringent but vague rules approved by Pakistan’s federal cabinet threaten the ability of journalists to report the news and communicate with their sources,” said Steven Butler, CPJ’s Asia program coordinator.
Pakistani officials rejected the criticism, insisting the regulations are meant to hold social media companies accountable within the country’s legal and economic framework.
Firdous Ashsiq Awan, special assistant to the prime minister on information and broadcasting, told reporters Thursday that the regulations were aimed at protecting citizens’ interests and national integrity against fake and baseless social media content.
Until now, she said, the government had been unable to identify “who was creating fake pages and harming our socio-cultural and religious values” through social media platforms. Awan said that with the new authority, extremists spreading hate on the basis of “religion and race” would be deterred and exposed.
She noted an estimated 73% of Pakistanis are internet users. “We will not take any step that is against the interest of these users,” Awan said, adding that social media companies can challenge the regulations in court.
Broader effort urged
CPJ’s Butler called for the Pakistani government to put the rules on hold and seek broad consultations with legislators and civil society, including the media, on how to proceed with social media regulation.
Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, a member of the opposition Pakistan People’s Party and chair of the Senate Human Rights Committee, told CPJ the rules were seen “as an attempt to further restrict space of free discourse in Pakistan.” Khokhar vowed his party would oppose the measures in the parliament and the courts.
The Digital Rights Foundation, a local organization promoting internet safety, denounced the social media rules as a blatant violation of free speech provisions in Pakistan’s constitution, saying the move would lead to self-censorship.
