Information Minister Attaullah Tarar has urged tougher oversight of social media platforms, stronger fact-checking and wider public awareness as ways to limit misinformation, disinformation and fabricated content. He made the remarks on Thursday while speaking at the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) in Islamabad.
Tarar argued that social media algorithms are built to reward engagement, measured through views, clicks, likes and reposts, rather than the accuracy of what is shared. He said the gatekeeping role once held by newspaper and broadcast editors had effectively passed to software, which has no built-in method of verifying information.
Algorithms, AI labelling and platform fact-checking
Tarar said the government was in talks with social media companies to encourage the labelling of content generated by artificial intelligence. He noted that TikTok had made labelling mandatory for material that is fully or partially created using AI.
He said a more robust regulatory framework was needed for social media, where the editorial filters common in traditional electronic media are largely missing. He also urged platforms such as X to strengthen their internal fact-checking, pointing to its Community Notes feature as an example of how users can be warned when old footage is passed off as a current event.
The minister said three areas needed attention:
- better coordination with social media platforms and stronger fact-checking systems
- capacity-building and public awareness
- collaboration with educational institutions to introduce courses on algorithms, digital media and fact-checking
Digital Communication Department and crisis messaging
Tarar said the government had set up what it described as Pakistan’s first Digital Communication Department after he became information minister, following changes to the ministry’s rules of business. According to him, the unit brings together graphic designers, video editors, content creators and scriptwriters who verify information and present it in formats suited to different audiences and platforms.
He stressed that digital communication cannot follow a “one size fits all” approach, noting that content that works on TikTok may not work on Instagram, Facebook or X. He added that the government was also working with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Institute of Business Administration (IBA) and other ministries to build its capacity to verify information, and he called for specialised courses in mass communication, journalism and digital media.
Responding to a question on balancing speed with verification during emergencies, Tarar said information should be released gradually as details are confirmed. Authorities could first confirm that an incident had taken place and share its other aspects later, in coordination with relevant agencies. He said effective crisis communication required cooperation between the government, state institutions, media organisations and social media platforms.
Referring to the conflict with India during Marka-e-Haq, Tarar said India had circulated false and fabricated information before, during and after the fighting. He said Pakistan countered these claims by sharing evidence, including video footage and verified accounts of events. He praised Pakistani journalists, anchors, reporters and young social media users for their conduct during the conflict, and singled out memes created by Gen Z users, which he said had become part of the public response.
Tarar credited coordination with Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations Lt-Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry with ensuring information reached television channels and digital platforms in real time. He said verified information, coordination and platform-specific communication were essential to countering false claims.
NCCIA, AI rules and an international convention
Tarar called for stronger laws against crimes in the digital space and proposed an international convention to deal with the harmful use of artificial intelligence, including misinformation, disinformation and fabricated content. He said Pakistan also needed an effective domestic framework to tackle cybercrime, online harassment and the misuse of AI-generated audio and video.
He said the government had established the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), which is setting up regional offices and training its staff to investigate offences committed online. Tarar described the agency as an important step and cited cases in which women were blackmailed or received inappropriate messages, as well as child pornography and child abuse.
He also referred to a social media post by a hardliner offering a bounty for the killing of a former chief justice. Tarar questioned whether authorities had previously been equipped to respond to such threats. “Were we able to address that issue? The answer is no, because there was no regulatory framework,” he said.
Tarar said he had proposed the convention at two international conferences, one in Riyadh and another in Istanbul. The convention, he said, could be backed by an international organisation or body, with countries joining as member states. He also warned that misuse of AI threatens creative industries, including advertising and filmmaking, and said “A lot of our creative talent is going out of jobs.” He stressed that human input must remain part of AI use and that the technology should not fully replace human creativity.
PECA, press freedom and defamation concerns
Responding to concerns that the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) could limit journalists’ ability to report and hold the government to account, Tarar said several regulatory bodies already oversee different parts of the media. These include the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA), the Press Registrar, the Audit Bureau of Circulations, the Press Council and the Council of Complaints. He also cited the Implementation Tribunal for Newspaper Employees (ITNE), which handles disputes involving newspaper staff.
Tarar said the Social Media Regulatory and Protection Authority had also been established and its chairperson appointed, and that it would develop gradually as legal precedents and regulations took shape. He defended PECA by saying it was meant to prevent electronic and cybercrime, not to restrict freedom of expression or stop journalists from doing their work. He said the law was intended to protect people facing threats or defamation online.
He called for stronger defamation laws, arguing that people who can afford it often pursue cases abroad, and said media organisations had sometimes filed defamation suits in the United Kingdom. The minister maintained that PECA addresses threats arising in the cyber and digital space, where, he said, no other dedicated body existed to handle such offences.
