ISLAMABAD: Pakistani firms have cited connectivity and IT backbone as major hurdles for cross-border e-commerce in South Asia, says World Bank report on Monday.A World Bank report titled “Unleashing e-Commerce for South Asian Integration” launched on Monday stated that small sellers in Afghanistan are particularly constrained by access to trade finance, while firms in Pakistan and Bangladesh cite connectivity and IT backbone as significant hurdles for cross-border e-commerce. Digital regulations appear to be a concern for firms in all countries, the report added.According to the report, firms in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan all rated the cost of cross-border logistics as being among their top 10 specific hurdles, while firms in Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka said that taxes and trade barriers in export markets are among their main challenges.If their top three e-commerce problems were resolved, South Asian firms expect substantial benefits in exports, employment, and production growth. For example, Pakistani firms expect to grow their exports by 23 percent and employment by 20 percent if their top barriers to e-commerce were removed. The gains are similar across firms of all sizes and tend to be higher in countries with a larger share of online sellers.Moreover, the globalisation of Bollywood and the large Indian diaspora have helped make film and content piracy an international business. Indian tracker sites receive substantial shares of their traffic from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, as well as from Australia, Canada, Dubai, Qatar, United Kingdom and United States. Deloitte further reports that, among the more than 150 websites offering pirated versions of Indian films, almost two-thirds are located abroad.In Pakistan, the WB report says that the data protection law does not apply to certain public agencies; it regulates the processing of personal or corporate data carried out by the federal, provincial, or local government.The federal government may exempt any public or private sector entity or business from operation of the act with respect to local electronic data, it added. Similarly, there is not full compliance with the provisions on data in India’s Information Technology Act. The Information Technology Act rules incorporate, to a limited extent, the principles of collection limitation, purpose specification, use limitation, and individual participation.The rules also mandate certain requirements for the collection of information and require that it be done only for a lawful purpose connected with the function of the organisation. However, the rules apply only to corporate entities, leaving the government and government bodies outside its ambit. And the rules are restricted to “sensitive personal data,” which include attributes like sexual orientation, medical records, and biometrics but are silent on the larger category of personal data (Government of India 2017).Furthermore, the Cyber Appellate Tribunal, a critical resolution authority on data privacy issues, appears not to have delivered any decisions, heard any new matters, or appointed a chairperson since June 2011. On the more positive side, the newly introduced Indian Consumer Protection Bill, 2019, features the disclosure of personal information given in confidence (unless required by law or in the public interest) as an unfair trade practice sanctionable with penalties.Moreover, the reform foresees amendments in the foreign exchange regulations of the State Bank of Pakistan to facilitate cross-border electronic payments, together with the finalisation of a national payment gateway for international transactions.Moreover, the reform foresees amendments in the foreign exchange regulations of the State Bank of Pakistan to facilitate cross-border electronic Pakistan’s Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (2016) also includes cyber terrorism, glorification of terrorism-related acts, hate speech, and recruitment or funding and planning of terrorism, payments, together with the finalisation of a national payment gateway for international transactions.Pakistan also introduced other instances of content control, such as banning online protest websites and online gambling, and the proscription of unacceptable foreign broadcasting services or prohibited films. The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority also has the power to remove or block access to information on the basis of religious considerations, the report states.
from The News International - National https://ift.tt/35peQqi
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