Obligations on Social Media Company with respect to blocking and removal of unlawful online content.-

* A Social Media Company shall, upon being intimated about any online content by the Authority, in writing or through email signed with electronic signature, which is in contravention of any provision of the Act, or any other law, rule, regulation for the time being in force or instruction of the National Coordinator, shall act within twenty-four hours to remove, suspend or disable access to such online content;

Provided that in case of emergency, the Social Media Company shall act within six hours to remove, suspend or disable access to such online content;

Explanation.-for the purpose of this rule the National Coordinator shall be the sole authority in determining the situation of emergency.

* The interpretation or permissibility of any online content, by the Authority or the National Coordinator under law, rule, regulation or instruction, shall take precedence over any community standards or rules or community guidelines or policies or any other instruments devised by a Social Media Company.

* A Social Media Company shall take due cognizance of the religious, cultural, ethnic and national security sensitivities of Pakistan.

* A Social Media Company shall deploy proactive mechanisms to ensure prevention of live streaming through Online Systems in Pakistan of any content in violation of any law, rule, regulation for the time being in force or instruction of the National Coordinator particularly regarding online content related to terrorism, extremism, hate speech, defamation, fake news, incitement to violence and national security.

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Other Obligations of the Social Media Companies.-

A Social Media Company Shall;-

* register with the Authority, within three months of the coming into force of these Rules;

* establish a permanent registered office in Pakistan with a physical address located in Islamabad, within three months of the coming into force of these Rules;

* appoint in Pakistan, a focal person based in Pakistan for coordination with the National Coordinator and the Authority within three months of the date of coming into force of these Rules;

* establish one or more database servers in Pakistan by the Social Media Company, within twelve months of the date of publication of these Rules to record and store data and online content, within the territorial boundaries of Pakistan for citizen data privacy;

* shall remove, suspend or disable access to such account, online content of citizens of Pakistan residing outside its territorial boundaries and posts on online content that are involved in spreading of fake news or defamation and violates or affects the religious, cultural, ethnic, or national security sensitivities of Pakistan.

* if communicated by the Authority that an online content is false, put a note to that effect along with the online content.

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Provision of information by Social Media Company.-

The Social Media Company shall provide to the Investigation Agency designated or established under section 29 of the Act, any information or data or content or sub-content contained in any information system owned or managed or run by the respective Social Media Company, in decrypted, readable and comprehensible format or plain version in accordance with the provision of the aforesaid Act.

Explanation.-The information to be provided may include subscriber information, traffic data, content data and any other information or data.

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Blocking of Online System.-

* In case a Social Media Company fails to abide by the provision of these Rules, the National Coordinator may issue instructions for blocking of the entire Online System, Social Media Application or services or OTTA owned or managed or run by the said Social Media Company.

* The Social Media Company shall have the right to file a representation within two weeks of the date of its blocking before a committee constituted by the Federal Government within fifteen days of the commencement of these Rules, and the Committee after conducting hearing of the representation shall take decision within three months on the submissions made in the representation.

* In case a Social Media Company fails to abide by any of these Rules, the National Coordinator may impose a penalty up to five hundred million rupees on it.