Pakistan: Send an 'indecent' text, go to jail

Pakistan's new Cyber Crime Act has come into force and includes provisions that make "indecent, provocative and ill-motivated and concocted stories through e-mails and text messages against the civilian leadership and security forces" a criminal offense.

The Act is very similar to the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Ordinance (PDF available here) introduced by the Musharraf regime in 2007, which put the country's Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in charge of investigation and enforcement of electronic fraud, forgery, data theft, cyberstalking, and cyber-terrorism.

But the law is reportedly being used to trace the origin of messages which "slander the political leadership of the country." While the law has received a great deal of criticism for attempting to stop harmless jokes from being circulated, many also believe it is an attempt to stamp out communication between terrorist and extremist groups.

This move comes just one month after President Asif Zardari's failed attempt to impose a tax on text messages.