ISLAMABAD: Concerns over the safety of Pakistanis’ personal information and the role of global social media platforms dominated discussions during a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Interior, where lawmakers warned that sensitive national datasets were being openly traded on the dark web and called for tougher measures against non cooperative digital platforms.
A lawmaker from the ruling Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz stated during the meeting that highly detailed and up to date personal data of Pakistani citizens was available on the dark web, raising serious questions about internal safeguards within state institutions. Senator Afnanullah Khan said the quality and completeness of the data suggested it had been consolidated from multiple official sources, including National Database and Registration Authority, Federal Board of Revenue and banking records. He remarked that the dataset was so comprehensive that even government departments might not possess such well processed information. According to the senator, individual records could be obtained for a small fee, while access to data covering the entire population was reportedly being sold for tens of billions of rupees. He stressed that the scale and accuracy of the information made it impossible for such a breach to occur without internal involvement. The senator questioned why incidents of data theft continued to surface repeatedly and warned that stolen personal information could be misused for obtaining passports and identity documents under false identities.
Addressing officials from the Directorate General of Immigration and Passports, Senator Afnanullah asserted that a breach involving data of millions could not take place without collusion from within the system. He maintained that the responsibility could not be shifted solely to external actors, pointing instead to serious lapses inside Nadra and related departments. Later, while speaking to Dawn, the senator reiterated that such extensive leakage could only have occurred with the involvement of insiders. In response, officials informed the committee that investigations had been conducted and that some officials had been sacked following internal probes. Committee chair Senator Faisal Saleem Rahman emphasized that safeguarding the data of law enforcement and government personnel was equally critical and questioned who would be held accountable if such sensitive information was compromised.
The meeting also focused on the use of social media platforms by violent groups to spread propaganda and coordinate activities. Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry told the committee that the nature of security threats had evolved, with online platforms increasingly being used for harmful purposes. He noted that social media companies often refused to share internet protocol addresses or other details of accounts flagged by authorities, creating hurdles for enforcement agencies. Senator Rahman suggested that the government should formalize agreements with social media platforms and consider banning those that fail to cooperate when asked to remove such accounts. Pakistan Peoples Party Senator Palwasha Khan supported the proposal, stating that restrictions should be imposed where cooperation was lacking. Senator Rahman also referenced China’s model of operating its own platforms, arguing that reliance on uncooperative foreign companies was unnecessary. Chaudhry acknowledged that while such measures could be taken, they would likely spark debate around freedom of expression, underscoring the sensitivity of any decision in this area.
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