Policy Brief

Developing a Progressive Internet Policy for Pakistan

by: Jahanzaib Haque

Date: January 30, 2015

Increasing levels of internet use and accessibility have given rise to significant challenges across the world; Pakistan has not been an exception. However, the response to these challenges at the official level in Pakistan has been disappointing.

Internet policy and regulation is beset by a number of problems, including a dearth of necessary laws to govern online activity, threat of local and global monitoring, surveillance and cyber warfare, and increasing use of social media platforms to spread hate speech and terror literature.

In the absence of concrete measures to address these challenges through a progressive internet policy, there can be little that can be reaped from the opportunities that internet provides across a wide spectrum of fields. This policy brief specifies five key challenges within the realm of internet policy and regulation in Pakistan and presents recommendations to address them.