CCII chief Advises Public Awareness To Prevent Offensive Content On Social Media

Islamabad: Council of Islamic Ideology (CCII) Chairman Dr Qibla Ayaz emphasised the need for a public awareness campaign across all media platforms to deter offensive content and draw attention to pertinent regulations to guide future young minds.

Dr Qibla Ayaz advised the electronic media to broadcast programs relating to the biography of the Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) in order to respond to such insolence by presenting the role of a sincere Muslim in light of divine mandates and Sunnah.

He said that the users must report offensive content on social media to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), or Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony for timely handling of the situation within the domain of laws and the Constitution.

Drawing a distinction between legitimate freedom of speech and hate speech is necessary for the regulation of damaging communication in online environments, Chairman Ayaz further said.

He further added that digital platforms need to be held accountable for the circulation of unlawful content, incitement to violence and terrorism, and other issues.

The CCII Chairman stated, “Immoral and obscene content will be a punishable offence under the new rules.” Additionally, in order to educate users about submitting content, social media companies and service providers will be obliged to create community rules, he added.

Ayaz further stated that in order to stop the use of vulgar content, the government had already begun a stern enforcement campaign aimed at curbing incidents involving the use of vulgar content.

Dr Qibla opined that nowadays, social media has gained much fame and has become an inseparable part of our lives, adding that social media can be beneficial when used positively. APP