<br>"existilang" is meant to read as "existing"<br><br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Fri, Feb 24, 2012 at 5:51 AM, Salanieta T. Tamanikaiwaimaro <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:salanieta.tamanikaiwaimaro@gmail.com">salanieta.tamanikaiwaimaro@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><br><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div class="im">On Fri, Feb 24, 2012 at 2:50 AM, Arzak Khan <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:azrak_khan@hotmail.com" target="_blank">azrak_khan@hotmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
The main purpose behind placing this filtering box is to allow the government at any time to completely restrict what it desires.</blockquote></div><div><br>Do they block according to existilang laws such as Obscene Publication Act etc. When I went into the site that Shahzad sent in relation to the link he sent for the RFPs, I noticed that it was being put up by an arm of the Government Ministry which was the R&D Fund. I then went into Pakistan's Legal Database to see how this was organised and found the following:<br>
<br>"The<i> Pakistan Telecommunication (Re-organization) (Amendment) Act, 2006
(Act No. II of 2006) </i>seeks to amend the Pakistan Telecommunication
(Re-organization) Act, 1996. It provides for legal cover to the changes
made in the telecom sector introduced through the Telecom Deregulation
Policy and Mobile Cellular Policy. It further provides for establishment
of R&D Fund (Research and Development Fund) USF (Universal Service
Fund), its administration and utilization making it obligatory also on
the part of the Licensee to contribute to R& D plus US Funds. It
enhances the powers of the Federal Government to increase the number of
members of the Authority and further classifies the functions of
Authority i.e. Pakistan Telecommunication Authority". <br><br>[Several questions surface and I would like ask the following:-<br><ol><li>Was the amendment debated in Parliament? Was it the "express will of the people" ? It says "Act" but at the same time it is categorised as President's Order. I could assume that it was the decision of Pakistan's legislature;</li>
<li>I have difficulties understanding how a Tribunal established by the Federal Government in Pakistan is the Appellate Forum along with the High Court under the <i>Pakistan Telecommunication (Re-organization) (Amendment) Act, 2006
(Act No. II of 2006). </i>Who gets to choose?<i><br></i></li><li>As an outsider, I am somewhat comforted by Pakistan's National Judicial Policy, see: <a href="http://www.supremecourt.gov.pk/web/user_files/File/NJP2009.pdf" target="_blank">http://www.supremecourt.gov.pk/web/user_files/File/NJP2009.pdf</a> which shows the Courts approach to perceived encroachment to certain liberties;</li>
<li>It will be good if the Pakistan IGF could run workshops for the general community and weave it into judicial workshops and the main thing is to get people to understand the diverse perspectives etc and also get the Pakistan Human Rights Commission more involved in IGF if they are not already;</li>
<li>I also note that this is a sensitive issue especially for those in conflict territory" and you may wish to read an excellent piece on "Freedom of Expression in Conflict Areas such as Pakistan, see: <a href="http://www.hrcp-web.org/shownews.asp?id=23" target="_blank">http://www.hrcp-web.org/shownews.asp?id=23</a></li>
</ol>The reality is at the end of the day even for the ICCPR, and freedom of expression there are rights and responsibilities and there are exceptions. It is the determining of the boundaries that is at stake. <br><br><br>
<br> </div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div><div class="h5"> Presently ISP have been instructed to do it but than the chain becomes complicated and long for these internet restrictions to be implemented. Also ISPs do need to consider the business case for such kind of blocking and filtering e.g. in the event of blocking porn in Pakistan we have seen considerable decline in video traffic so we have seen reluctancy of certain ISP in complying to the growing demands of govt to block or deny access to certain content.<br>
Also with the growing use of social media networks for digital activism the government feels threatened from the free and open internet. Example being complete blocking of websites highlighting human rights abuses in Balochistan.<br>
<br>
Cheers!<br>
Arzak<br>
<br>
----------<br>
Sent via Nokia Email<br><br>
<div>
<br>
-----Original Message----- <br>
From: Shahzad Ahmad <u></u><br>
Sent: 2/23/2012 2:32:52 PM <br>
To: <a href="mailto:governance@lists.igcaucus.org" target="_blank">governance@lists.igcaucus.org</a> <u></u>, 'Anriette Esterhuysen'
<u></u><br>
Subject: RE: [governance] Pakistan: National URL Filtering & Blocking System. <br>
<font>
<div>Thanks Anriette for the kind message. <br>
<br>
We think that this advertisement is just to complete the bidding and<br>
documentary process as it is required now otherwise, competing parties end<br>
up in the court. The system would have already been in place by now... who<br>
knows?<br>
<br>
Right now, we are working on our public statement against the proposed<br>
system. Will post it here and send to you separately.<br>
<br>
Best wishes<br>
Shahzad<br>
<br>
<br>
-----Original Message-----<br>
From: <a href="mailto:governance-request@lists.igcaucus.org" target="_blank">governance-request@lists.igcaucus.org</a><br>
[<a href="mailto:governance-request@lists.igcaucus.org" target="_blank">mailto:governance-request@lists.igcaucus.org</a>] On Behalf Of Anriette<br>
Esterhuysen<br>
Sent: Thursday, February 23, 2012 6:47 PM<br>
To: <a href="mailto:governance@lists.igcaucus.org" target="_blank">governance@lists.igcaucus.org</a><br>
Subject: Re: [governance] Pakistan: National URL Filtering & Blocking<br>
System.<br>
<br>
Thanks for this Shahzad. Very relevant for next week's panel. The<br>
transparency of putting out a public call for bids for filtering and<br>
blocking systems is quite remarkable :)<br>
<br>
It shows confidence, it sends a strong public message, and it will also<br>
encourage competition and innovation in the internet industry to come up<br>
with 'smarter' ways of filtering. All very disturbing.<br>
<br>
Anriette<br>
<br>
<br>
On 23/02/12 06:14, Shahzad Ahmad wrote:<br>
> Folks,<br>
> <br>
> <br>
> <br>
> Forwarding for your kind information, the little news and the grand <br>
> plans of Government of Pakistan to build Great Firewall.<br>
> <br>
> <br>
> <br>
> We believe that it coincides well with the UN's Experts Panel on 29th <br>
> Februaryand the panelists may like to raise this?<br>
> <br>
> <br>
> <br>
> RFP is attached and here is the link:<br>
> <br>
> <br>
> <br>
> <a href="http://ictrdf.org.pk/RFP-%20URL%20Filtering%20&%20Blocking.pdf" target="_blank">http://ictrdf.org.pk/RFP-%20URL%20Filtering%20&%20Blocking.pdf</a><br>
> <<a href="http://ictrdf.org.pk/RFP-%20URL%20Filtering%20&%20Blocking.pdf" target="_blank">http://ictrdf.org.pk/RFP-%20URL%20Filtering%20&%20Blocking.pdf</a>><br>
> <br>
> <br>
> <br>
> *An excerpt from the RFP: *<br>
> <br>
> "/Each box should be able to handle a block list of up to *50 million<br>
> URLs* (concurrent unidirectional filtering capacity) with processing <br>
> delay of *not more than 1 milliseconds*."/<br>
> <br>
> <br>
> <br>
> Bytes for All, Pakistan have been expecting that there will be major <br>
> crackdown on the Internet towards elections. and this probably is the <br>
> start of things to come in the near future. We are going to issue a <br>
> public statement on this and will share the updates.<br>
> <br>
> <br>
> <br>
> Best wishes and regards<br>
> <br>
> <br>
> <br>
> Shahzad Ahmad<br>
> <br>
> <a href="http://www.bytesforall.pk" target="_blank">www.bytesforall.pk</a> <<a href="http://www.bytesforall.pk" target="_blank">http://www.bytesforall.pk</a>><br>
> <br>
> <br>
> <br>
<br>
--<br>
------------------------------------------------------<br>
anriette esterhuysen <a href="mailto:anriette@apc.org" target="_blank">anriette@apc.org</a><br>
executive director, association for progressive communications <a href="http://www.apc.org" target="_blank">
www.apc.org</a><br>
po box 29755, melville 2109 south africa tel/fax <a href="tel:%2B27%2011%20726%201692" value="+27117261692" target="_blank">+27 11 726 1692</a><br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
</div>
</font>
</div>
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<br></blockquote></div><span class="HOEnZb"><font color="#888888"><br><br clear="all"><br>-- <br><div>Salanieta Tamanikaiwaimaro aka Sala</div><div><br></div><div>Tweeter: @SalanietaT</div><div>Skype:Salanieta.Tamanikaiwaimaro</div>
<div>Cell: <a href="tel:%2B679%20998%202851" value="+6799982851" target="_blank">+679 998 2851</a></div><div>
</div><div><font color="#222222" face="arial, sans-serif"><span style="line-height:16px"><br></span></font></div><br>
</font></span></blockquote></div><br><br clear="all"><br>-- <br><div>Salanieta Tamanikaiwaimaro aka Sala</div><div><br></div><div>Tweeter: @SalanietaT</div><div>Skype:Salanieta.Tamanikaiwaimaro</div><div>Cell: +679 998 2851</div>
<div> </div><div><font color="#222222" face="arial, sans-serif"><span style="line-height:16px"><br></span></font></div><br>