The Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016 Understanding the Challenges in Pakistan

Abstract

Cybercrime (e.g., hacking, phishing, and spreading false news) is a criminal activity performed through computing machines. The frequency of these kinds of activities is increasing at a fast pace around the globe and damaging society with financial losses and trust. Miniaturization of computing and the compulsion of web usage in our daily lives are two significant factors that are becoming more pervasive in a rapid increase of cyber security issues, making it a complex problem to tackle. The detection and prevention of cybercrime is paramount for any lawful country. Cybercrime can occur anywhere at any time, and ultimately, the outcome could be devastating. The availability of cyber laws is the first step towards resolving this issue. Still, unfortunately, Pakistani lawmaker institutions, i.e., the National Assembly and Senate of Pakistan, passed the Cybercrime Act very late, i.e., in 2016. Fighting against Cybercrimes in Pakistan is challenging because we still lack a professional workforce and technology. Pakistan is one of the major victims of this problem. This study mainly focuses on the legislation passed by the Government of Pakistan with the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016" followed by analyzing these cyber laws in tackling cybercrime cases.