Ali Mumtaz
On 21 July 2015, Privacy International published a “shocking story” under the title “Tipping the Scales – Security and Surveillance in Pakistan”. Hearing from my colleagues about the report which mentioned: nefarious designs of our intelligence agencies and their power to effect privacy of citizens gave me a shock. Sarcasm apart; it raised my eye brows and I decided to go through the article. What did I find? Answer is disappointment in short. 50 odd page report claims that Pakistan is on the hunt for mass level surveillance equipment thereby, interfering with privacy of people. Like a Hollywood action movie; the article had in fact items in form of so called official letter and a picture of Trovicor office. Few readers may differ but this is what I made out of it. Now, I urge the readers to bear me and read what came in my mind:-
” What the story really is?
” What are the missing dots?
For finding my answers – I made use of a handy resource i.e. Google. After, entering few key words related to “surveillance” in search bar something interesting came up; “Lawful Interception” – a relatively new terminology for general public. Again, using open resource of Wikipedia – the fog on my mind lifted a little bit. So here is the answer for my first question. All communication technologies, like internet, mobile phones or simple phones are based on certain set of rules established by their respective International Governing Bodies. In those set of rules, special consideration is paid to Lawful Interception which helps a country in ensuring Law and Order. Obviously, it has international and national legal cover and it respects privacy of people. In simple, it is done to apprehend bad guys (terrorist, robbers, kidnappers etc all included) upon availability of evidence. For the liberals; if bad guys are technology customers through usage of cell phones and internet, than why law enforcing agencies or state cannot equip themselves? This is the real story. Letting bad guys do their job or get law enforcing agencies in technical parity with them.
A little more about this permitted surveillance. Firstly, it is only for targeted bad guys and not for complete spectrum of population. Secondly, like a search warrant, it requires legal formalities. Thirdly, it is only for specified duration as allowed by local law. Fourthly, mass interception of a region or a globe is not permissible. Such continuous mass interception requires huge exchequer and resources as evident from “Prism” revelations of Edward Snowden. A country by international norms is permitted to undertake Lawful Interception of guilty individuals. Pakistan is no exception in this regard. Claims of mass surveillance in the Privacy International’s report appear to be a tale of flimsy observations and twisted facts nullifying these points.
I am unable to find the missing dots. It’s a complex thing. Clichés that timing of release of report, defaming of Pakistan’s national institutes etc are there in media or in cognitive domain of masses. But in my view, minimizing hue and cry on global and regional spying of USA or UK intelligence agencies is by no means comparable to violation of privacy in Pakistan/ it is for the readers to judge and decide themselves about the reality of Privacy Interventions by Pakistan for which this article is just a minor effort.
