Perverted minds enjoy unique impunity on social media

Cybercrime law yet to become fully operational

ISLAMABAD: Supreme Court Chief Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali, who lays down his robes on Dec 30, has aptly alluded to the highly despicable “conspiracy” rampant on social media against the legal system, and review of people’s behaviour involved in “yellow journalism”.

Had the contempt law been suitably applied to the worst maligning of judges on the social media, there would have been large scale convictions. The recently-enacted cybercrime law of Pakistan is yet to become fully operational to appropriately punish the offenders. The piece of legislation is ok but its implementation leaves much to be desired as it happens in other Pakistani laws.

Hardly any key institution or figure belonging to the superior judiciary, administrative paraphernalia, or any other leading State organ is safe from the vitriolic attacks on popular social media sites – Twitter and Facebook – being used by millions of Pakistanis. Not even a small modicum of decency is demonstrated in such posts that reflect perverted minds and soiled thought of their masters. They are enjoying unique impunity.

This media is highly disparaging and a vehicle of churning out lies not only in Pakistan but even in countries like the United States. Its negative campaigning and spread of downright falsehoods had heavily impinged on the November presidential election in America where 40pc of citizens get news through the Twitter or Facebook. The Facebook management is under pressure from the mainstream media and a set of American politicians to rein in circulation of disinformation and fabrications.

Three fake breaking news – endorsement of Donald Trump’s candidacy by the Pope, suicide by a Democrat Party official and a sex scandal against Bill Clinton – splashed through the social media during in the US presidential campaign have been repeatedly cited to lambast this medium, provoking forceful calls to place checks on falsification. 

There are several instances when the verified, recognized accounts of some political parties had slandered top judges in the worst manner as they passed remarks or handed down rulings against these entities. Even disparaging caricatures of the honourable men had been posted on the social media. The repulsive abuses hurled over the judges had been unheard of.

Campaigns are launched when cases of political nature are heard by superior courts. Those who get relief praise the judges while the aggrieved political parties subject them to unprecedented abuses. They don’t do on their own, but at the behest of their chiefs.

Even senior members of the armed forces are not spared from the unparalleled harangues. Recently, the Twitter users of this ilk sponsored extremely spiteful material against certain key appointments. At the same time, they also lavishly praised their favourites they wanted to be picked up.

This drive is unending with the implementation of the relevant law being too lax. There have been a negligible number of cases where the offenders have been caught and penalized. There is no doubt and it is evident from the posts on the Twitter and Facebook that their users have no fear of law or being punished.

Prominent political parties including the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) have raised elaborate efficient paid social media teams that keep on taking on their rivals and acclaiming their leaders, at times unjustly. They also keep responding to each other’s campaigns by sponsoring trends on the Twitter. The downside of the social media is too dominant while its positive aspect is minimal. With the passage of time, confidence in the social media, the fastest mode of breaking news, is waning.

Besides, some State institutions have also put up large battalions of social media squads, which keep painting the political parties black, and promoting their masters. They are also doing vilest exploitation and manipulation.

However, whenever fingers are pointed at a political party or State institution for negative propaganda and spreading lies and disinformation, they disown such accounts.