Civil rights groups join hands against PEC

Karachi
A number of groups working on digital and human rights signed a joint document on Monday pertaining to their reservations over drafting of the PEC 2015 and its problematic clauses.
The document, signed by ARTICLE 19, Human Rights Watch, Privacy International, Digital Rights Foundation, Bytes for All and Bolo Bhi, states that the bill fails to include safeguards for protection of citizens’ privacy and freedom of expression and blocking access to any online content without the court’s approval.
“By removing the oversight of the judiciary, the bill writes a blank check for abuse and overreach of blocking powers,” states the document.
It also points out that, though a possible complaints procedure is provided in the legislation, it neither requires for it to be put in place nor does it call for a right to appeal in front of an independent tribunal.
“In any event, even an ex post facto right of appeal is likely to be inadequate, given the sheer breadth of the blocking powers contained in section 34,” it further reads.
If adopted, the bill will allow the federal government to unilaterally share intelligence gathered from investigations with foreign spy agencies without any independent oversight, putting the security and privacy of ordinary Pakistanis at risk. The document states that cooperation between intelligence agencies must be governed by specific laws and be overseen by an independent body, and called on parliamentarians and senators to take a firm stand over the issue.