Daily Times

Justice Abid Aziz Sheikh of Lahore High Court sought petitioner’s recommendations to approach Facebook Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg to get fake accounts blocked from Facebook.

The judge directed the petitioner to come up today (Thursday) as to how the fake accounts on Facebook could be abolished.

The judge was hearing a petition questioning alleged impact of fake accounts on the upcoming general elections. A local resident Shahid Jamal Tabrezi had filed the petition. He submitted that election was approaching fast and the fake accounts of Facebook could influence the election.

Petitioner said that Mark Zuckerberg had already testified before a joint hearing of the US senate of commerce, science & transportation committee and senate judiciary committee that fake accounts can influence the 2018 polls in Pakistan.

He submitted that the Election Commission of Pakistan was bound to hold free, fair and transparent general elections but after some statements by Zuckerberg, this did not seem likely to happen in Pakistan.

He requested to direct the electoral body and the federal authorities to regulate social media.

The official respondents should also be directed to approach the Facebook chief to get fake accounts blocked. He also requested to direct the government authorities to take action against all fake accounts.

Published in Daily Times, June 21^st 2018.