The E-Crime Bill 2007, has been approved in principle by the Federal Cabinet and will be enacted soon, according to the Minister for IT & Telecom, Awais Leghari. The Bill is one of the most draconian laws yet to emanate from the Government. It conflicts with international treaties, usurps fundamental human rights, violates the Constitution and effectively lays the legal foundation for a police state. It also obstructs any international cooperation on cyber crime, terrorism and enforcement.
The legally and technically incorrect definitions in the E-Crime Bill 2007 ensure that rather than preventing cyber crimes, perpetrators will view Pakistan as a safe haven. The innocent will fall victim to its abuse, and for international and domestic businesses and investors, Pakistan will not be a destination of choice but a jurisdiction to stay away from.
T2F has hosted 2 awareness/activism sessions, DAWN TV has done a show, various print publications have written articles, and bloggers across the country have been blogging about the implications of the Bill. This is not enough. Please spread the word and help people understand that this Bill does not affect techies only. It adversely affects every Pakistani who uses a computer or mobile phone. Please watch the videos, read the blog posts, and join hands with us as we lobby for a redrafting of the E-Crime Bill 2007.
Google and YouTube Videos
Zahid Jamil’s Presentation:
One-to-One Q/A with Civil Society
Blog Posts
Another Draconian Law In The Offing
Draconian Cyber Crime Law in Pakistan
I’m Scared
I Can’t Believe The Government Is Doing This
Internet Freedom, Goodbye
The Activism Continues
Be Really Scared
Recommended Reading:
Cyber Crime FAQ | Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act | Letter to Cabinet
Please send links to other blog posts and articles via comments.
on the surface it seems to be one of the government’s desperate attempts to save its ass by further worming it’s way into uncle sam’s good books by *legally* opening up pakistani cyberspace to imperial spooks (either for the purpose of *helping* to fight *terizm* or providing a testing ground for this kind of draconian legislation).
even though i tend to favour conspiracy theories over most other types, i feel that this argument cannot explain it away. nonetheless, the question remains: if that is not the case, are our sarkari legal experts so incompetent and/or indolent that they can’t come up with a better law!?