Why Google, Facebook, Twitter are threatening to leave Pakistan

With Pakistan government announcing new “draconian” rules for social media, which aims at giving blanket power to authorities to censor digital content, Information and Technology giants like Facebook, Google and Twitter have threatened to leave the country.

In a statement shared with Dawn on Thursday, Asia Internet Coalition (AIC), which represents Facebook, Google and Twitter, raised its alarm over the scope of the new law targeting internet companies, as well as the government’s “opaque process” by which these rules were developed.

Pakistan government has noted rules that define how social media will be governed in the country. The “Removal and Blocking of Unlawful Online Content (Procedure, Oversight and Safeguards) Rules 2020” have been framed under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act 2016 (PECA).