• December 14, 2024
• Social Media

In 2024, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) reported 1,043 fake accounts and 37 hacked social media profiles to Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. According to information released by PTA, the fake accounts, which included impersonations of politicians, government officials, and citizens, were flagged for removal. Of the hacked accounts, 27 were on Facebook […]

• December 10, 2024
• Social Media

On December 9, the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) condemned an online trolling campaign targeting senior journalists Syed Talat Hussain, Hassan Ayub, Muneeb Farooq, and Muzamil Hussain Shah, urging the government to take immediate steps to ensure their safety. The PFUJ said the campaign was allegedly carried out through anonymous social media accounts linked to followers […]

• December 10, 2024
• Access to Information, Media and Governance, Social Media

Minister of State for Information Technology and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja informed the Senate Standing Committee on IT and Telecommunication on December 5 that amendments to the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act 2016 (PECA) were under review to “address concerns regarding misinformation.” The prime minister’s adviser, Barrister Aqeel Malik, had earlier confirmed amendments to the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act […]

• December 9, 2024
• Social Media

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) cybercrime wing has charged 11 individuals, including journalists and vloggers, with allegedly defaming actress and stage performer Nargis, whose real name is Ghazala Idrees, through social media posts. The FIA said Nargis provided evidence during the inquiry that corroborated her allegations. The actress called for “strict action against the culprits.” The accused […]

• December 6, 2024
• Social Media

The government has decided to implement “comprehensive measures” to curb the activities of banned terrorist organizations on social media, including blocking their accounts and SIM cards. These decisions were made during a meeting of the National Action Plan (NAP) coordination committee on December 3, chaired by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi. According to a statement issued after the meeting, the […]

• December 3, 2024
• Social Media

Several school and college principals in Islamabad have fallen victim to WhatsApp account hacks, with scammers using these accounts to solicit money from students and parents. The Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) and the Ministry of Education have issued a warning, urging principals to inform parents about the scams and to take precautionary measures. Dr. Mohammad Qamaruddin, […]

• November 26, 2024
• Social Media

Citizens across the country faced widespread social media outages and disruptions to internet services. The outages, which began late November 23, have affected major platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram. Downdetector, a global outage-tracking platform, reported a peak of 207 complaints within an hour, with users primarily struggling to send media through WhatsApp. The disruptions were […]

• November 25, 2024
• Social Media

TikTok, in collaboration with the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), hosted the Youth Safety Summit Pakistan to raise awareness about online safety, promote digital literacy, and foster collaboration among stakeholders to protect Pakistani youth. The summit convened representatives from government, law enforcement, educators, parents, child protection NGOs, and industry experts to address key issues related to youth and […]

• November 22, 2024
• Information Technology, Social Media

Minister of State for Information Technology and Telecommunications Shaza Fatima Khawaja has expressed her support for TikTok to impart basic education and skill development. During a meeting held on November 20 with a TikTok delegation led by its Director of Public Policy, Mr. Emir Gelen, the minister emphasized the potential of TikTok in promoting quality […]

• November 19, 2024
• Social Media

Meta hosted a key event named “Creators Connect” in Karachi, gathering around 40 content creators from different parts of Pakistan. The event was part of Meta’s ongoing efforts to strengthen collaboration and resource-sharing among the country’s growing digital talent. The tech giant collaborated with prominent creators such as Food Fusion, Samosiii, and Osamah Nasir, focusing on innovative content creation […]

• November 5, 2024
• Information Technology, Social Media

According to a report submitted to the Peshawar High Court, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has blocked 113,133 TikTok accounts since 2020 to regulate and remove obscene and blasphemous content on social media platforms.  The PTA report revealed that since 2020, TikTok has seen over 114,015 uploads of explicit videos in Pakistan. Additionally, the PTA blocked 2,463 posts featuring blasphemous […]

• November 4, 2024
• Social Media

Pakistan has observed a surge in WhatsApp hacks, with nearly 1,500 accounts compromised since July 1, as Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi disclosed on October 29th. In a statement to the Senate, Naqvi detailed that the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has so far received 1,426 formal complaints regarding these breaches, marking a sharp rise in cybercrime activity in […]

• October 29, 2024
• Access to Information, Right to Information, RTI, Social Media

The Balochistan cabinet decided to establish the Right to Information (RTI) Commission includes amendments to the relevant law, enabling citizens to access government documents under right-to-information laws. Additionally, the cabinet approved the province’s first-ever digital social media policy. The digital social media policy aims to develop a comprehensive framework for regulating social media, promoting its positive use, and formalizing the province’s approach to digital media governance. The […]

• October 28, 2024
• Social Media

On October 24, a district court in Lahore granted pre-arrest bail to journalists Shakir Mehmood Awan and Syed Zeeshan Aziz in cases registered by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and Defence-A police for spreading an “alleged rape story” at a private college in Lahore. Additional District and Sessions Judge Suleman Ghuman granted the bail after the two journalists appeared […]