In Pakistan, cyber law amendment criminalises disinformation, tightens control on digital expression

Journalists, human rights defenders and digital rights activists in Pakistan are protesting the recent changes to the country’s cyber law that they say will allow authorities to stifle online expression and target independent journalism under the guise of fighting disinformation.

In January, the Pakistan parliament enacted an amendment to the controversial 2016 anti-cybercrimes law, the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA). The PECA Amendment Act 2025 introduces a new criminal offence for intentional distribution and sharing of false information, with a maximum jail term of three years and fines of up to 2 million Pakistani Rupees (around €6,880).

The amendment also defines new kinds of illegal online content to be removed or blocked, including false information and defamatory material, especially in relation to representatives of the executive, judiciary, legislature and armed forces. Under the Act, a string of new government-appointed agencies and tribunals will be set up to enforce content blocking and pursue criminal prosecutions. The law provides a vague definition of false information but calls for the establishment of a Social Media Protection and Regulation Authority that will likely have broad mandate to determine which online posts constitute disinformation and move to block them with the help of its associated complaints council and tribunals.

The definition of social media platforms, which are subjected to content regulation, is expanded through the amendment to include messaging apps and companies that own or manage information systems for provision of social media services. Analysts believe that this might be used to impose criminal liability on intermediaries, such as Internet Service Providers and Virtual Private Networks, which previously had limited liability for hosted content and drag them into the content regulation regime.

The legal amendment was passed without any serious consultation by the government with relevant stakeholders. It is preceded by an eight-year history of misuse of the PECA law to control digital expression, including repeatedly targeting journalists for critical and independent news reporting online.

The amendment also follows developments throughout 2024 that saw internet freedoms being restricted in the country, with the government confirming the deployment of a “web management system” with deep-packet inspection for online surveillance, the ongoing domestic ban on the micro-blogging website X (formerly Twitter), and frequent allegations that the authorities were slowing down Internet services to curb political dissent.

The country’s largest journalist trade union, the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), has challenged the PECA amendment in the Islamabad High Court and announced a nationwide protest movement. Editors and publishers of newspapers and TV news stations are also putting up a joint front against the development. Separate legal challenges on the PECA amendment’s constitutionality have been set up in other courts.

However, the threats anticipated by journalists have already begun to materialise. At the end of February, a police officer used the Act to accuse a digital news outlet of sharing false information and defaming local law enforcement online. The news organisation claims that it had reported independently on a murder case in the area to investigate alleged issues with the police investigation.

Sabookh Syed, president of the Digital Media Alliance of Pakistan, rejected the PECA amendment, in a statement issued in January.

“This amendment will create more problems for journalists and media professionals in Pakistan,” Syed said. “It is concerning to see that all political parties appear to be onboard for the amendment without realising its long-term impact on freedom of expression.”

The changes in the cyber law are “disproportionate, non-transparent and anti-free speech,” Iqbal Khattak, executive director of IMS partner Freedom Network, said in an interview. “These amendments will lead to silencing dissenting voices and suppressing critical journalism instead of countering disinformation.”

Civil society representatives, led by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), have condemned the PECA amendment, with the HRCP expressing concerns that the law will be used to target political workers, human rights defenders and journalists. The IMS-supported Forum for Digital Rights and Democracy has urged the government to review the amendment and adopt a transparent multi-stakeholder approach to developing internet governance mechanisms that respect fundamental rights.

IMS partners Freedom Network and IRADA have also joined a coalition of civil society and media to oppose the amendment. The protests are likely to continue in March.