THE new National Cyber Crime & Investigation Authority appears to have landed in limbo, with the authorities apparently unsure about what purpose they expect to see it fulfil. According to a news report in this paper, the government has formally repealed the rules devised to govern the body, leaving its status in doubt. Officials who spoke to this publication were unsure about whether new rules would be issued or whether the body would be dissolved. It may be recalled that the NCCIA was formed in May this year to replace the FIA’s Cybercrime Wing. It was created to combat digital crimes, online harassment, disinformation and social media propaganda under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016. Unfortunately, given our authorities’ obsession with countering social media narratives and silencing criticism of state officials, the body had come to be seen as just another tool with which they would seek to suppress digital rights and limit freedom of expression. While those concerns remain valid, Pakistan still needs a functioning cybercrime authority as its digital economy expands, albeit one tasked with countering the entire gamut of cybercrime rather than just chasing after digital trolls and ‘social media propagandists’.

While cybercrimes such as identity theft, hacking, cyberstalking and harassment have been around since the beginning of the digital age, several newer classes of illegal activity do not seem to get the attention they deserve. For example, phishing, ransomware attacks and social engineering have gradually become more common. Furthermore, as more Pakistanis adopt digital payments, engage in e-commerce and find new means of investment within the digital ecosystem, they are also encountering new types of criminal activity, especially online fraud. It is the government’s duty to protect citizens’ persons and property not only in the physical world but also in the cyber sphere. It cannot do so without a functioning cybercrime authority mandated to take criminals to task. Unfortunately, this cannot happen when ‘cybercrime’ in policy circles is only taken to mean ‘activities that challenge the status quo’. This is a reductive approach that will greatly hinder Pakistan’s progress in the digital age. The government must take immediate steps to fill the gap in its cybersecurity capabilities and ensure that whichever authority it entrusts with combating cybercrime is aware that it must put citizens’ needs before the political considerations.

Published in Dawn, October 25th, 2024