Government Seeks Rs. 20 Billion in Next Budget for Social Media Regulation
The federal government is seeking Rs. 20 billion in the upcoming fiscal year to not only improve cybersecurity but also to regulate and exert better control over social media platforms throughout the country.
According to the Express Tribune, only social media companies with local offices in Pakistan will be permitted to operate under this plan.
The Ministry of IT & Telecom has proposed an allocation of Rs. 20 billion for the Digital Information Infrastructure Initiative (DIII) in the budget for 2024-25. This proposal has been forwarded to the finance division for inclusion in the next fiscal year’s budget.
For the current fiscal year, the IT Ministry has already received Rs. 15 billion for the DIII through a technical supplementary grant. The total estimated cost of the DIII project is around $135 million (approximately Rs. 38 billion), with a major portion of this funding allocated for this year and the remaining funds requested for the next fiscal year.
The government believes that the implementation of new technology will aid in the regulation of social media, prevention of its misuse, and thwarting of malicious campaigns. Although X (formerly Twitter) has been banned in Pakistan, many individuals, including government officials, access it using Virtual Private Networks (VPNs).
It is highly likely that social media platforms will be required to establish physical offices in Pakistan in the upcoming fiscal year. A legislative framework is being considered to formalize these regulations under the Pakistan Electronic Crime Act (PECA) 2016.
