Situation Report: Big Tech in Pakistan
This situation report investigates the operational presence and influence of major social media companies, such as Google, Meta, TikTok, and X, in Pakistan. Despite the country’s vast user base, none of these platforms maintain a physical office locally. The report explores their historical engagement, compliance with government requests and community outreach while highlighting concerns around transparency, regulatory overreach and user disenfranchisement. It concludes with recommendations aimed at fostering accountability and safeguarding digital rights. The report was produced by IMS, Mediastan and partner IRADA.
Key findings
- Big Tech companies operate in Pakistan without physical offices, relying on remote compliance, government engagement, and community events.
- Government demands for content removal are increasingly met, with platforms such as TikTok and Meta, showing high compliance rates.
- Civil society and users are largely excluded from policy discussions, with opaque backchannel communications between companies and the government.
Core recommendations:
- The government should publish quarterly reports detailing all content takedown and user data requests, categorised by institution, legal basis and platform.
- All formal engagements between government officials and tech companies must be publicly documented, including meeting agendas and minutes.
- Parliamentary committees and civil society representatives should oversee all platform-government interactions, ensuring transparency and public accountability.
Strategic actions
The report urges both the government and tech companies to end opaque dealings and guarantee user representation in all policy engagements. It advocates for institutional reforms that enshrine digital rights, promote harm reduction and ensure that civil society has a permanent seat at the regulatory table. These actions would restore public trust and reclaim online spaces as democratic forums.
