ISLAMABAD: Pakistanis were exposed to alarming levels of online disinformation, including false messages about COVID-19 origin and treatment, which put their health and safety at risk, Institute for Research, Advocacy and Development (IRADA) has recently unveiled in its report.
IRADA published a report, ‘Regulatory Repressions Amid Pandemic: State of Digital Media Freedoms in Pakistan 2021’ in affinity with International Internet Day.
The report has covered five areas of digital media, i.e., access, privacy, online freedoms, judicial actions, and legal framework, to provide a comprehensive overview of the digital rights situation in the country.
The report highlighted that digital media freedom in Pakistan remained weak during 2020-21 due to regulatory pressures and threats against online expression.
According to the report, the government’s controversial rules to regulate online content threatened the digital rights of media personnel and internet users. Meanwhile, the report stated that Pakistan showed limited internet access and usage gains during the global pandemic.
Mohammad Aftab Alam, Executive Director, IRADA, said the report would help journalists, digital rights advocates, human rights supporters and policymakers, to develop strategies to overcome the challenges to digital rights in the country and create a progressive and safe enabling environment for digital media.
