Facebook, Google and Twitter have united and threaten to leave Pakistan after local regulators were given permission by Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan to censor digital content.
Digital content may now be removed if it “harms, intimidates or provokes discontent” or “damages the integrity, security and defense of Pakistan”.
Asia Internet Coalition
Speaking through the Asia Internet Coalition (AIC), the tech companies say they are “alarmed” by the scope of the new law. In addition to Facebook, Google, and Twitter, AIC also includes Apple, Amazon, LinkedIn, SAP, Expedia Group, Yahoo, Airbnb, Grab, Rakuten, Booking.com, Line, and Cloudflare.
It is not the first time that tech companies have publicly expressed concern about the new law, which was proposed by Khan’s ministry in February this year. The same group then threatened to leave, but backed off when the Pakistani government promised further consultations on the subject. According to AIC, that consultation never took place.
“If Pakistan is to be an attractive destination for tech investment and achieve a digital transformation, we urge the government to work together on practical, clear rules that protect the benefits of the internet and protect people from any harm,” the statement said. AIC members.
New legislation
Under the new law, tech companies that fail to remove or block the illegal content from their platforms within 24 hours of notification by Pakistani authorities will be fined up to $3.14 million. And like neighboring India, Pakistan is now also demanding that these companies have local offices in the country.
Pakistan has been cracking down on what it considers to be inappropriate content on the internet in recent months. Earlier this year, it banned the popular mobile game PUBG Mobile, and last month it temporarily blocked TikTok.
Countries like Pakistan and India contribute little to the bottom line of the tech giants, but India, which has proposed several protectionist laws in recent years, has largely escaped protest from global tech companies because of its size. Pakistan has only 75 million internet users, while India is the largest market for Facebook and Google in terms of user numbers.
