CNN: Indian soldiers being ‘honey trapped’ by fake social media accounts from Pakistan. “An Indian soldier has been ‘honey trapped’ into giving sensitive information to a fake Pakistani Facebook account, highlighting the widespread ‘catfishing’ problem facing India’s military. Sombir Singh, 22, was stationed near the India-Pakistan border when he struck up an intimate online relationship with an account he believed to be operated by an Indian army medical officer.”
Pakistan
Techdirt: Pakistan Demands Google Take Down Petition For Academic Freedom… Saying It Represents Hate Speech
Techdirt: Pakistan Demands Google Take Down Petition For Academic Freedom… Saying It Represents Hate Speech. “While it’s understandable (these days especially) that some are concerned about what they refer to as ‘hate speech,’ it’s worth reminding people (as we’ve done for years) that laws against hate speech are almost universally used by governments to punish people they don’t like, rather than to protect those who most people normally consider the targets of hate speech. Take this latest example, highlighted by FIRE, concerning an attempt by Pakistan to censor an online petition for academic freedom, claiming that it was hate speech.”
Express Tribune (Pakistan): Govt to establish new watchdog to regulate TV, print, social media
Express Tribune (Pakistan): Govt to establish new watchdog to regulate TV, print, social media. “Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry has said the government while disbanding Pemra has decided to establish Pakistan Media Regulatory Authority, which will simultaneously regulate electronic and print media as well as social media.”
Pacific Standard: Saving The Library Before It Burns
New-to-me, from Pacific Standard: Saving The Library Before It Burns. “In July of 1947, Surjan Singh Sood sensed a coming danger. The British government had announced a plan to divide colonial India into two separate states and Surjan, having already received threats on his own life, wanted to move his family to safety. He loaded his wife and children into a friend’s car and sent them away, across the Punjab province of British India, from Lahore to the city of Ludhiana. At the time, there was no border to cross between Pakistan and India, and the family made the trip with only one or two boxes, leaving most of their possessions at home. To Surjan’s middle son, Kulbhushan, it seemed inconceivable that they would not return. But a month later, Lahore became part of Pakistan. His father’s decision to move the family quickly to Ludhiana may have saved their lives.” This story is about a digital archive for the 1947 partition of India and Pakistan.
The Next Web: Details of 170,000 Pakistani debit cards leaked on dark web
The Next Web: Details of 170,000 Pakistani debit cards leaked on dark web. “Last week, we reported that nearly 20,000 Pakistani debit cards were put up for sale on the dark web. Now, cybersecurity firm Group-IB has found out that earlier this week, a new dump of whooping 177,878 appeared on the dark web. The report noted that the new dump appeared on the dark website Joker Stash on November 13. From the total number of cards, there were 150,632 cards of Pakistani banks, 16,227 cards of other regions’ banks, and 11,019 cards of undefined banks.”
Neowin: Twitter refuses to ban extremist accounts in Pakistan despite pressure from government
Neowin: Twitter refuses to ban extremist accounts in Pakistan despite pressure from government . “Twitter has had a problematic past when it comes to the content allowed on its platform. Earlier this year, it suspended over 70 million fake accounts, acquired Smyte, and partnered with academic researchers to curb the spread of abusive behavior. More recently, it also announced that it will flag offending tweets that break its rules. However, Twitter is now under fire in Pakistan, where it is refusing to ban extremist accounts despite pressure from the government.”
Dawn: Pakistan’s online clampdown
Dawn: Pakistan’s online clampdown. “On the afternoon of June 3, 2018 — with the general elections only a month away — many users on Twitter took to the microblogging platform to express their inability to access a website operated by the Awami Workers Party (AWP). Once accessible to several users on various internet providers of the country, it now directed visitors to a message stating that the website was ‘not accessible’ because ‘it contains content that is prohibited for viewership from within Pakistan’. The website, however, was accessible to users outside the country.”
