LAHORE: Social media regulation should align with national laws to protect civil rights and ensure national security, urged participants at a roundtable discussion held on Monday at the National Institute of Public Policy (NIPP).
Chaired by NIPP Rector Dr. Ijaz Munir and moderated by Dean Dr Naveed Ehali, the session brought together experts from academia, digital rights, and media. Keynote speakers included Director General of the National Institute of Management (NIM) Farooq Mazhar, LUMS Associate Professor Dr Taimur Rehman, Chairperson of PU’s Digital Media School Dr. Savera Shami, Executive Director of the Digital Rights Foundation Nighat Daad, Daily Pakistan journalist Usman Shami, and Dr Fareed Zafar, also an Associate Professor at LUMS.
The discussion focused on the unchecked spread of social media, exploring gaps in current regulations and their enforcement. Dr. Fareed Zafar highlighted the critical need for public education on responsible social media use, citing the harmful impacts of misinformation and sensationalism. He emphasized strengthening and enforcing cybersecurity laws.
Dr Taimur Rehman echoed the call for effective regulation, advocating media literacy to encourage responsible social media use. He underlined the importance of well-structured laws to address these challenges.
Professor Dr. Savera Shami advocated for public awareness campaigns on the negative effects of unrestricted social media use. She recommended that international social media companies establish offices in Pakistan to foster a regulated environment. Dr Shami also called for timely law enforcement to counteract extremism and hate speech.
During a Q&A session, participants discussed various proposals to tighten social media regulations. The event concluded with Rector Dr Ijaz Munir presenting shields to the participants to recognize their contributions.
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