PTA Devises SOPs For Lodging Complaints : Senate Body Informed

Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has devised Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for lodging complaints against objectionable/unlawful content over internet

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 19th Oct, 2020 ) :Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has devised Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for lodging complaints against objectionable/unlawful content over internet.

According to SOPs an online portal was provided to stakeholder organizations to lodge complaints according to their domain /scope of work, PTA officials informed the Senate Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunication that met here on Monday with Rubina Khalid in the chair.

Currently there were 34 stakeholders including Inter Service Intelligence, Federal Investigation Agency, Intelligence Bureau, Provincial Home Departments, Provincial Counter Terrorism Departments, Ministries, Religious Affairs, Foreign Affairs and Interior were using the Portal.

Any person can lodge complaint via fax, email or conventional email for removal of alleged content. The complaints are analyzed and processed after receiving via CMS (Complaint Management System).

If the reported URL(Uniform Resource Locator) hosted on an unsecured platform, it blocked through local ISPs (Internet service providers).

If it hosted on a secured platform then administration of concerned website requested to remove the unlawful content, the official added.

Deliberating over imposition of ban on Social Media applications in Pakistan, the Committee was informed that PTA has been empowered to remove or block of unlawful online content if it considers it necessary in the interest of Defence of Pakistan, Glory of islam, Contempt of Court, Decency and Morality, Defamation, Child Pornography, Modesty of Natural Person, Dignity of Natural Person, Public Order, Hate Speech, Incitement to an offence etc.

As far as blocking of applications concerned it was submitted that PTA has blocked only two applications PUBG and BIGO due to complaints from public regarding its negative impact on physical and psychological health of the young individuals in addition to the reports of suicides associated with the said game.

Both the applications were unblocked after assurance from the said platforms to respect local laws of Pakistan.

The Committee was of the view that blocking websites and applications was not the answer to curb immorality; regulations need to put in place to achieve this goal.

Regarding the follow-up on current status of the child abuse for filming and uploading videos on dark-web with reference to the case reported in Rawat, Rawalpindi the Committee was informed that on conducting digital forensics analysis it was revealed that three potential applications Tor, Duck-Duck GO and Super VPN were found but no activity or links leading to dark-web.

Access to banned websites and purchase of drugs via email was found.

Medical tests of the three main victims show traces of drugs.

Among other Senators, Kulsoom Parveen, Taj Muhammad Afridi, Fida Muhammad, Faisal Javed, Muhammad Khalid Bizenjo, Mian Muhammad Ateeq Shaikh and senior officers from Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunications and its attached department attended the meeting.