New York Times: Trolls Flood Social Media in Pakistan Amid Virus Lockdown. “Toxic trending on Twitter has also taken aim at minorities, blaming the ethnic Hazaras for allegedly bringing the coronavirus to Pakistan from neighboring Iran. Like most Iranians, Hazaras are Shiites, and traditionally make pilgrimages to holy sites in Iran, which has the deadliest virus outbreak in the region. Some Pakistani pilgrims returning home were among the first reported cases of COVID-19 in Pakistan.”
Pakistan
Daily Pakistan: Facebook introduces new tool for Pakistan to limit fake information
Daily Pakistan: Facebook introduces new tool for Pakistan to limit fake information. “Facebook has launched a new product in Pakistan to help limit the spread of misinformation and to provide people using the platform with additional context before they share images that are more than a year old and that could be potentially harmful or misleading.”
Neowin: Pakistan issues final warning to TikTok over ‘immoral’ content, bans Bigo Live
Neowin: Pakistan issues final warning to TikTok over ‘immoral’ content, bans Bigo Live. “Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) issued a ‘final warning’ to TikTok on Monday over ‘immoral, obscene, and vulgar content’ posted on the short-form video app, in addition to blocking Bigo Live, a live-streaming app, for the same reason.”
Phys .org: Leopards spotted in Pakistan capital’s park as virus clears way
Phys .org: Leopards spotted in Pakistan capital’s park as virus clears way. “Leopards, jackals and other creatures living in Islamabad’s tree-covered hills have been enjoying a rare respite from the throngs of hikers and joggers that normally pack the trails. Rangers in the Pakistani capital’s Margalla Hills National Park saw animal activity increase soon after the city was locked down in March to counter the coronavirus.”
New York Times: Pakistan’s Deficit and Poverty Rate to Soar Due to Coronavirus
New York Times: Pakistan’s Deficit and Poverty Rate to Soar Due to Coronavirus. “Pakistan’s fiscal deficit will be significantly worse than projected this fiscal year, with the fallout from the novel coronavirus pandemic pushing millions into unemployment and poverty, according to government estimates reviewed by Reuters.”
The Diplomat: Pakistan’s Government and Military Are Crushing Dissent on Social Media
The Diplomat: Pakistan’s Government and Military Are Crushing Dissent on Social Media. “Even before the new rules, the digital situation in Pakistan was already quite authoritarian. That can easily be conveyed by the ranking given to Pakistan in the Freedom on the Net report compiled annually by Freedom House. For many years, the country has been ranked among the worst countries of the world on that index; Pakistan was among the 10 worst countries of the 65 surveyed in the 2019 Freedom on the Net report.”
New York Times: Facebook, Google and Twitter Rebel Against Pakistan’s Censorship Rules
New York Times: Facebook, Google and Twitter Rebel Against Pakistan’s Censorship Rules. “When Pakistan’s government unveiled some of the world’s most sweeping rules on internet censorship this month, global internet companies like Facebook, Google and Twitter were expected to comply or face severe penalties — including the potential shutdown of their services. Instead, the tech giants banded together and threatened to leave the country and its 70 million internet users in digital darkness.”
ProPakistani: Maroof International Hospital Hit with Severe Ransomware Attack
ProPakistani: Maroof International Hospital Hit with Severe Ransomware Attack. “Maroof International Hospital Islamabad’s entire computer network has been compromised in the wake of a massive ransomware attack. Maroof is one of the most expensive private hospitals in Islamabad.”
Dawn: CPJ slams new social media measures
Dawn: CPJ slams new social media measures. “A leading media rights watchdog has slammed new regulatory measures for social media platforms in Pakistan. According to a draft of the law, the new measures announced earlier this week would pave the way for allowing Pakistani authorities to ask for the removal of content, disable encryption, and demand companies open offices and host data centres inside the country.”
Dawn: Senate panel recommends pact with Twitter to block fake accounts
Dawn: Senate panel recommends pact with Twitter to block fake accounts. (This is Pakistan.) “The Senate Standing Committee on Information Technology on Wednesday asked the government to enter into an agreement with Twitter’s management to share information and block fake accounts. The committee members asked the authorities concerned to identify accounts that were allegedly involved in defamation and harassment of individuals as well as organisations.”
International Business Times: A YouTuber from Balochistan is petitioning against Google Translate
International Business Times: A YouTuber from Balochistan is petitioning against Google Translate. “Chiragh [Baloch] stated that the Balochi language is spoken by almost 10 million native speakers, making it 0.15% of the world’s population. Furthermore, he stated that the Balochi language is spoken in the regions of Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Southern Turkmenistan, Oman, India and Middle East countries.” Balochistan, which my spell checker insists is spelled Baluchistan, is a region in the Middle East and — it’s complicated. The Diplomat has a history / overview.
Plan devised to make Pakistan polio-free by next year: Zafar (Radio Pakistan)
Radio Pakistan: Plan devised to make Pakistan polio-free by next year: Zafar. “Special Assistant to the Prime Minster on National Health Services Dr Zafar Mirza says government is taking strict measures to regulate vaccine-related harmful content on social media to address the misconceptions regarding polio campaigns…. The Special Assistant said rumours and propaganda spread over social media platforms has been fueling misconceptions about the vaccine and accelerated refusal cases.”
Gulf Times: Islamabad-based start-up starts building online picture library
Gulf Times: Islamabad-based start-up starts building online picture library. “Pak Stock Photo is an Islamabad-based start-up that is building a library of Pakistan-centric stock images. Like pretty much everything else in the local ecosystem, they are trying to introduce an Uberised model where photographers submit their pictures and buyers purchase them, all through a digital platform.”
Samaa: Govt gives public easier access to laws with new website
Samaa: Govt gives public easier access to laws with new website. “The Pakistan Code website… contains more than 900 laws and an archive dating back to 1948, Law Minister Farogh Naseem announced during a press conference on Wednesday.”
New York Times: India Shut Down Kashmir’s Internet Access. Now, ‘We Cannot Do Anything.’
New York Times: India Shut Down Kashmir’s Internet Access. Now, ‘We Cannot Do Anything.’. “As the Indian government’s shutdown of internet and phone service in the contested region enters its 11th day, Kashmir has become paralyzed. Shopkeepers said that vital supplies like insulin and baby food, which they typically ordered online, were running out. Cash was scarce, as metal shutters covered the doors and windows of banks and A.T.M.s, which relied on the internet for every transaction. Doctors said they could not communicate with their patients.”
