ISLAMABAD: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has established a direct, official communication channel with Meta Asia Pacific (APAC) to accelerate investigations into organised cybercrime, online fraud, and hate speech.

Under the agreement, Meta formally recognized the FIA’s Single Point of Contact (SPOC) based at the National Command and Control Centre (NC3), allowing secure, lawful coordination for data requests concerning Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.

Previously, the federal agency had to route requests through Mutual Legal Assistance Treaties (MLATs) or Interpol channels, a process that often took months. Officials say the new mechanism will cut response time to days. All lawful requests will now be processed exclusively through NC3.

These include preservation requests, basic subscriber information, acc­ount registration details, login IP history, content removal requests, and emergency disclosure requests. As per the procedure, the Investigating Officer will compile the case with all requisite legal documents and relevant Meta account identifiers.

After scrutiny and approval by the Circle In-charge, the request will be forwarded to the FIA’s official SPOC at NC3, who will submit it to Meta APAC through the established channel.

“All requests will be routed through a single, designated channel to ensure accountability, audit trail and speed,” an FIA official said.

FIA Director General Dr Usman Anwar said the channel would “significantly enhance our capacity to respond to time-sensitive cases involving terrorism and child exploitation”.

Published in Dawn, July 23rd, 2026