‘Goodbye to freedom of speech and expression’

This is apropos two back-to-back letters by this writer carried by the newspaper on Saturday and yesterday.

Let this writer further argue that hypothetically, presuming that the government might be thinking of introducing the National Media Regulation and Accountability Act aimed at enhancing licensing and registration requirements for all media organizations, including digital platforms.

The licensing process could involve stringent vetting criteria to ensure compliance with national security standards, granting the government greater control over which entities are allowed to operate.

One component of the act could be to require all media outlets, including social media platforms, to implement government-approved content moderation tools to filter and remove content deemed harmful or seditious in real-time.

Additionally, media organizations could be required to submit periodic reports on their content moderation activities to a central regulatory body enabling the government to maintain oversight of media content and ensure that potentially harmful information is swiftly addressed.

The act may also include national security and public order clauses that criminalize the dissemination of any content which criticizes the armed forces and government.

Violations would result in severe penalties, including heavy fines, suspension of licenses, and imprisonment for responsible individuals to serve as a deterrent against the publication of content that the government deems harmful.

The government may establish a National Media Oversight Committee comprising government officials, security agency representatives, and select civil society members aligned with the government’s interests to enforce regulations, issue fines, and recommend the suspension of licenses. Additionally, the government would fast-track the establishment of special media courts to handle cases of non-compliance swiftly and to ensure that actions against media entities are executed efficiently, minimizing delays in enforcement.

The government in partnership with technology firms is and will invest in advanced surveillance and content analysis technologies to monitor media activities comprehensively to further strengthen the government’s oversight mechanism and maintain robust control over media content ensuring that national security and public order are maintained.

While these measures would enable the government to control and filter content that it perceives as contemptuous and against its vested interests, they would simultaneously gravely wound one of the most important pillars of the state: the media, an indispensable pillar of a vibrant and functional democracy.

Qamar Bashir

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024