PECA Amendments 2025: What Pakistani Brands and Creators Need to Know

Pakistan’s amendments to the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) became law this week. The President signed the bill on 29 January 2025, a day after the Senate approved it, amid protests from journalists and rights groups who say the wording is vague and could chill free expression. The law has already been challenged in court.

We’re a marketing agency, not lawyers, so treat this as a practical overview and speak to a legal adviser about your specific case.

What the law does

• A new regulator: the Social Media Protection and Regulatory Authority, which can register platforms and order unlawful content to be blocked or removed.
• A false-information offence: under the new Section 26A, knowingly spreading false information likely to cause fear, panic or unrest can lead to up to three years in prison, a fine of up to Rs 2 million, or both.
• New tribunals to hear cases under the law.

Why marketers should pay attention

Most brand content has nothing to do with politics or public order. But marketing does involve claims, comparisons and creators who post fast and sometimes carelessly. A vaguely written law raises the cost of getting it wrong.

• Product claims: health, safety and “guaranteed results” claims should be backed by evidence you can show.
• Competitor content: avoid unverified claims about other brands.
• Influencers: creators posting for you speak for your brand. Unclear briefs lead to risky content.
• Newsjacking: tying campaigns to political or security events is now riskier than ever.

Practical steps

1. Keep an evidence file for every major claim: lab results, certifications, sales data.
2. Write clear influencer briefs with approved claims, banned topics and an approval step before posting.
3. Keep records of who approved each piece of content and when.
4. Avoid sensitive topics in brand content: politics, security incidents and unverified news.
5. Set up a takedown process so you can correct or remove a post quickly if needed.