YouTube mulls action on Pak court order
Alphabet-owned YouTube has said that it was considering blocking the channels of dozens of Pakistani vloggers after a court in Islamabad sought to ban them for being "anti-state", following a complaint filed by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA).
The judicial magistrate court's order came after the NCCIA criticised more than two dozen channels in a June 2 report for "sharing highly intimidating, provocative and derogatory contents against state institutions and officials of the state of Pakistan".
YouTube told 27 content creators that their channels could be taken down if they did not comply with the court orders. "If you fail to do so, as per our local law obligations, we may comply with the request without further notice," the popular video sharing platform said in emails to the channel owners.
Digital rights campaigners have said that any ban would further undermine free speech in Pakistan, where the authorities are accused of stifling newspapers and television, and social media is seen as one of the few outlets for dissent.
In their separate statements, the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) and the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) expressed deep concern over the court order, saying the decision was against the fundamental rights of fair trial and freedom of expression.
The judicial magistrate's order is also against journalistic values and principles of justice, SCBA President Mian Muhammad Rauf Atta said in a statement. "A decision cannot be given against anyone without giving them a chance to be heard. This is another example of suppressing the voice of opponents."
In a separate statement, the HRCP said that shutting down entire channels was an excessive and inappropriate measure. "If specific videos contain hate speech or unlawful content, action should be taken against those individual pieces of contentnot the entire channel," it said.
The commission emphasised that the constitutional right to freedom of expression must be protected. "This right is essential not only for individual liberty but also to ensure government accountability and public access to diverse viewpoints," it added.
However, Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry said those content creators would also face criminal charges. "You cannot use these cell phones and the social media to create chaos," he told a local news channel. "There are laws to regulate and they will have to work under these laws," he said.
One of the creators, Asad Toor, said the move was aimed at undermining fundamental and constitutional rights of the people, political parties and other dissident groups. "I have dedicated my platform for these underdogs who have no place to go to and raise their voices against the state oppression," he said.
Digital rights activist Usama Khilji said that the court did not fulfil due process. "What is jarring is the complete lack of legal process," he said. "In this day and age you can't suppress digital media," said Zulfikar Bukhari of the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.