A lot of hue and cry has been raised on the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Bill 2015, with some, labeling it as a draconian endeavor designed to control the online population into submission. That simply is not the case; rather the aim is to further enhance the security and sanctity of the internet dwellers and the population affected by the internet world.
Perturbed by the lack of security on the internet and the ever-growing issue of online hate speech, the government has been looking to effectively tackle online threats, ultimately deciding on a detailed piece of legislation, which is the first of its kind in the country. Subsequently with any new law, the bigger picture and overall security aspect needs to be kept in mind especially when dealing with such delicate issues.
For example, there have been complaints that Section 48 allows relevant intelligence agencies too much power to seize and occupy data that they find suspicious. However it is not without due process that the agency can block content for 24 hours, and would have to produce relevant evidence within that time frame in front of a judge and justify their actions; otherwise the content will be unblocked. The basic purpose of this is to allow intelligence agencies to take quick action where necessary and prevent any untoward incident from occurring.
As far as the security of the data is concerned, Awais Leghari (Chairman Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs) added that Pakistan direly needs a Data Protection Act that can help solve issues concerning intellectual property rights, piracy and privacy.
Pakistan also lacks a legal environment conducive to dealing with data hackers and although the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Bill 2015 aims to address that, it still can be further improved with upcoming laws and amendments that will cater to the fast growing technology world of the internet. The bill is not the end; rather it is a building block which will be improved through further legislations.
