The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has warned social media users that illegal, hateful, defamatory or misleading content “must be removed immediately”.
In a public advisory issued on Thursday, the PTA said that under Section 20 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca) 2016, “knowingly spreading false information that harms reputation or violates privacy is a criminal offence.”
The authority advised users to “strictly refrain from creating, uploading, or disseminating” such content and urged the public to avoid “participating in narratives that undermine national integrity or damage the dignity of institutions and individuals.”
“Responsible digital conduct is a collective civic obligation,” the PTA said.
The advisory comes as rumours circulated online on January 15 claiming a nationwide internet disruption, which the PTA denied. The regulator said routine submarine cable maintenance was underway and services remained stable.
Internet disruptions and slow speeds have remained a frequent complaint in recent months, citing factors such as undersea cable maintenance, spectrum constraints and security-related measures.
The report said the Economic Coordination Committee recently approved the auction of 600 MHz spectrum, which is expected to improve speeds and support the rollout of 5G services.
In the past, online content has also been removed or blocked under PECA-related action, with The News reporting that more than 44,000 social media accounts and posts were removed or blocked from January 2023 to June 2024 across platforms including Facebook, YouTube and X.
