Google, Facebook, Twitter join forces and demand repeal of PCPR

After GDPR, here's the PCPR "Pakistan’s Citizens Protection Rules" and many tech-giants are not able to bear such rules. Facebook, Twitter, and Google join forces for making Prime Minister of Pakistan repeal PCPR and/or change rules.

A few days back the government of Pakistan is taking strict actions against cyber-crimes and in-return of those actions, the Pakistan government also introduced its internet censorship laws and asked companies to set up their offices in Islamabad.

Pakistan’s Citizens Protection Rules is a modern set of laws that also includes the terms about objectionable content like fake news, terrorism, hate speech and other relative content that is not suitable for Pakistani citizens and also this set-of-rules allows Pakistan government to block any social media platform for a given reason and also levy a fine to any platform for up $6.9 million that could also be levied when platforms don't comply with PCPR.

According to these laws, all the internet companies are liable to accept request of Pakistan government for taking down any content under 24 hours and this will apply to all the social media giants including Facebook, Twitter and TikTok. This notice, forced many big companies to join forces and ask Prime Minister to review the rules and laws.

Soon after the release of these rules, tech giants come together and Asia Internet Coalition wrote a letter to Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan that they should review the rules and regulations for making the companies keep on offering their services to Pakistani nation.

A sentence from the letter reads:

“the rules as currently written would make it extremely difficult for AIC Members to make their services available to Pakistani users and businesses.”

This letter could help tech giants to get the laws revoked and if Pakistan government will not take a step forward to review the rules againt, it may harm over 70 million Pakistanis who are using services of Google, Facebook and Twitter on a daily basis as these companies may discontinue their services in Pakistan.

Update: Some Pakistani officials said that they will review the PCPR and will surely change the rules for making a fair-to-play envoirment for tech giants in Pakistan.