Cyber-crime Bill and freedom of expression
Article
Rajesh Kumar oad
Roll no:78
The prevention of Electronic Crimes Bill (PECB) or Cybercrime
bill 2015 has been passed by senate on 12th August 2016, after long
controversy. The bill has been adopted and became law after signatured by
president. To be noted that Prevention bill for Electronic Crime was tabled by
Ministry of I.T before National Assembly in 2015 and passed on14th April.
In the modern world where world has been becoming
global village and people are connected through internet to the whole world,
while in the Pakistan where technology is not developed as much, where there is
need of awareness and social literacy but here people are always restricted to
say and from getting information. like some time ago ban on YouTube by the
government but people still found
‘other’ ways to use it as it has wealth
of information on any topic. From students to professionals find it easir way
to learn from it. And in this cyberspace world there are some people who find a
way as government and cyber-space
security agencies cannot restrict the people from getting to whatever
information is available on the internet.
Once again to suppress the freedom through complicated
and vague cyber-crime bill has been passed by government. Intellectuals and different
organizations considering this cybercrime bill as ‘Draconian’ which suppress
the freedom of expression and limits the reach of information to ordinary users
of internet. internet i.e. on social media where people express their ideas,
opinion freely about everyone now must be careful and can come under any law as
other forms of media already restricted such as print or electronic media. People
also considering it against democratic rights as there are no clarification in
the many sections in prescribed cyber crime bill.
Some features of the bill up to three years’ imprisonment,
Rs 1million fine or both for unauthorized access to critical infrastructure
access or data. Up to seven years’ prison 10 million fine or both for an
offence relating to terrorism, any person convicted of a crime relating to terrorism.
Up to six months’ imprisonment, Rs50 thousand or both producing, supplying or
importing a device for use in an offence. three years’ imprisonment, Rs 5
million or both for obtaining, selling or using another person’s identity
information without authorization and many other punishments on doing crime.
After 55 amendments, these are some features of bill
considered to restrict people from doing crime, is this what really Pakistan
needed to control cyber crime? Such strict laws? This countries lawmakers
seriously need a break, as they are turning democratic country into autocratic
one.
digital rights activists in pakistan are much
concerned about this bill.
On the basis of
crime, there are different punishment suggested. How this bill is considered as
better for the society to stop crime in which there is imprisonment for a child
of 10 years! Like this, definitely it will create panic among the public or institutes that they won’t
be able talk openly against state or its institutes. which we can say is useful
for the state to use this bill politically or to achieve political interests
which is against the basic human rights actually. We know that many people
exploit the freedom or due to lack of media literacy say many things about the
institutions concerned with establishment or state that they shouldn’t do, but
definitely public have to talk or discuss, if there are flaws or bad governance
in the state as the criticism is backbone for the democratic societies to
reform and improve their situation.
it is the responsibility of state to protect the
rights of every citizen and secure freedom as constitution of Pakistan
guarntees freedom of speech to its every citizen. If this ‘draconian’ law, misused
will bring unwanted consequences for Pakistani society and will also increase
the knowledge gap among the people as the internet and social media are good
information sources of the people.
That is why,
not only few political parties, human rights organizations, people concerned
with civil society but people using internet especially social media users are
opposing and fearing that it would target them, because it is seemed as against
freedom of speech.
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