Websites, online channels, and YouTube channels will now be registered by the federal government.
An E-Safety authority will be established to keep an eye on online behaviour.
On Wednesday, the Federal Cabinet, which is presided over by Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, approved the E-Safety Authority Bill.
According to sources, the federal government has decided to increase the scrutiny of online content.The Ministry of IT created the E-Safety Bill and submitted it to the Federal Cabinet.
The e-Safety Bill has received initial approval from the Federal Cabinet. By restricting the authority of PTA, FIA, and PEMRA, a new authority will be established under the law.
All websites, web channels, and news YouTube channels will be registered with the e-protection authorities, which will also keep watch of them. The ability to register and monitor news organisations’ and newspapers’ websites will also fall within the purview of the same authority. The authority would be empowered to restrict and punish websites for disseminating false information.
The sources assert that Section 37 of the PICA Act, which regulates internet monitoring, violates the law’s assertion that the objectives are attained. PTA will no longer have access to monitor the web. The Bill also deemed the FIA’s authority granted by the PICA Act as insufficient.
The bill claims that the PECA Act’s social media regulations have also not proven to be successful. PTA is unable to block social media. According to the bill, no independent agency has been set up to deal with cybercrimes under the PECA Act. The duty was given to the FIA, which is already overburdened with other problems.
By limiting the authority of PEMRA, the same body will also register online news outlets.The same authorities will also decide whether to provide advertisements to registered websites, internet channels, and YouTube channels that abide by government regulations.