Says PPP will block bill in Senate, says bill is more a tool for personal and political vendettas than it is a cybercrime bill
Senator Sherry Rehman said on Tuesday that Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) would not allow a bill of Pakistan Electronic Crimes Bill (PECB) to go through the Senate because it did not conform to rules of democracy.
“The current version of the cybercrime bill being bulldozed through the Parliament by the ruling party will become a tool for silencing dissent more than its purpose of combating cyber terrorism,” she said.
Rehman said the bill carries dangerous clauses that are open to misuse.
The Senator noted that some sections of the bill provided blanket powers to regulatory and law enforcement authorities not just to curtail freedom of speech, but also to access private data of the individuals and the people they are in contact with, as well as to confiscate private properties.
“The bill can become a vicious tool for political victimization and undue subjugation of freedom of expression. The drafting itself leaves a lot to be desired – with open ended construction of sentences and vague wording, the bill in its current form is more a tool for personal and political vendettas than it is a cybercrime bill,” Rehman said.
“A toothcomb review of the bill is imperative to eliminate and amend provisions which are grave violations of Article 19 of the UN Charter, of which Pakistan is a signatory,” said the Senator.
The senator said that in its present form, the bill would allow LEAs to have sweeping powers to arrest by easily bypassing court permission or warrant.
Rehman said the bill also allows the PTA to exercise control over information transmitted through any device, threatening privacy of citizens and placing restrictive bars on the flow of information itself.
“It also overrides judicial oversight of actions taken under its loosely defined contours. How will transparency be ensured in PTA’s operation, given that it would have access to a massive database of communication and information, for example?” Rehman questioned.
In its current form, the bill not only allows for convenient seizure of data but also fails to lay out a clear procedure on how the seized data is to be used by the authorities.
“The federal government will also have the discretion to share data with international agencies and other governments without any oversight, under the bill. With no laws specific to privacy and data protection in Pakistan, it is essential to draw a clear framework for data acquisition, use, and sharing.” she said.
Rehman said that the bill also allows authorities to search and seize information without any provision for warrants obtained through courts, while ‘authorized personnel’ will have over-riding powers that are not even subject to judicial oversight. “People can be wrongly implicated and subjected to punishments with nowhere to seek justice from. Is this the democracy we envision for ourselves?” she said.
