A significant amendment to the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016 has been introduced in the Senate, seeking to tighten controls over social media platforms and service providers in Pakistan. The bill, tabled by PML-N Senator Anusha Rehman as the Electronic Crimes (Amendment) Bill 2025, proposes to end the legal protection that currently shields internet companies from action if they fail to remove or block objectionable content on their platforms. Officials describe this as an important step towards making Pakistan’s online environment safer and holding platforms more accountable for harmful material.
The amendment primarily focuses on Section 38 of PECA, which presently grants service providers a level of immunity from direct legal liability when they do not comply with content removal orders. Under the proposed changes, this immunity will be removed if companies fail to comply with directives issued by PTA or other relevant institutions. This adjustment would make it binding for service providers to block or remove objectionable content in all cases where an official removal order has been issued. It marks a shift from a reactive to a more proactive approach in how internet intermediaries are regulated within Pakistan’s legal framework.
According to the draft bill, the new measures will apply to a broad range of service providers including internet, mobile, telephone, web, payment, and data storage or processing companies. These providers will be legally obligated to comply with official instructions for blocking or removing objectionable content. Failure to comply with the orders will not only invite direct legal action against the companies themselves but also against individual officers held responsible for violations. This expansion of liability seeks to ensure that senior management and compliance teams at these companies take the obligations seriously and implement stricter monitoring procedures to avoid penalties.
Government officials have argued that the amendment is part of a wider initiative to curb harmful, illegal, and objectionable material online, reflecting concerns raised by policymakers and the public alike. By making service providers directly accountable for compliance with content removal orders, authorities aim to reduce the circulation of material deemed harmful to social order or national security. The draft also signals a stronger role for PTA and other relevant institutions in monitoring digital platforms, increasing their ability to enforce legal directives swiftly. Through this approach, the government expects to not only strengthen regulatory oversight of social media companies but also to send a clear message to users who upload such content that stricter controls will apply.
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