“Mobile numbers are verified through biometric verification system in Pakistan. Currently Facebook account is being opened through an e-mail, said Secretary IT Rizwan Bashir, adding that Facebook could overcome its issues of fake accounts if all existing and current accounts are verified with phone numbers”.
This he stated while briefing the National Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunication which met with Captain (Retd) Muhammad Safdar in the chair here on Tuesday.
Chairman Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), Syed Ismail Shah, while briefing the committee, said that 12,977 URLs of blasphemous content are blocked so far.
Further PTA received more than 6,000 complaints online which were reviewed and 350 of them contained blasphemous content that were ultimately blocked.
PTA has established a web analysis cell where 25 personnel are working solely on identifying unlawful content on internet including the blasphemous.
He told the committee that Facebook has designated focal person to coordinate with PTA for prompt action against any reported material. “Facebook reiterated their commitment toward removal/blocking of the blasphemous and objectionable content and assured that they will improve the cooperation and response time”, briefed the Chairman PTA.
Further since, February 2017, 137 blasphemous links have been blocked by Facebook administration for viewership in Pakistan.
Facebook was also asked to help Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) in Pakistan by providing them with the requisite data that they asked for. Facebook, in response, said that it received around 1,000 requests in 2016 from Pakistan and about 70 percent of them have been complied with and that they will continue to support such requests.
The Committee expressed displeasure over the absence of Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) officials in the meeting and decided to write to Secretary Interior in this regard.
