Punjab moves to control, regulate cyber cafes.

Faheem Niaz

Senator (1k+ posts)
Punjab-Government.jpg

LAHORE: The Punjab government has decided to control and regulate the sprawling cyber cafes in the province and a new law will soon be enacted.
The Punjab Cyber and Gaming Cafe (Regulation) Act 2012 will define prerequisites to regulate the still unchecked fastest growing cyber cafe business in Punjab failing which the cafes will be sealed.


With the introduction of this act, these cafes will be required to get registered with a yet to be named registration agency, maintaining complete record/information in the log regarding the visitors/users, proper physical layout as per the laid down criteria, preventing access to pornography, not allowing minors to visit the cafe alone and regular visit by the authorised officers of the registration agency to verify the strict compliance of the act.
All cyber cafes would be registered with a unique registration number with the registration authority which includes address with contact details including email address, date of incorporation, name of owner/partner/proprietor/director, type of service to be provided from cyber cafe. The details of registration of cyber cafe will be published on the website of the registration agency. Online registration facility will be available. After the registration, an officer from the registration agency will visit the cafe.

All the computers may be equipped with the commercially available safety or filtering software so as to avoid as far as possible access to all type of pornographic websites. Cyber cafe will display clearly visible board prohibiting the users from viewing pornographic sites as well as copying or downloading information which is prohibited under the law.

The cyber caf will not allow any user to use its computer resource without the identity which includes NID, ID issued by school/college (if age is less than 18 years), bank debit card, passport, employees card, driving licence or Unique Identification (UID) number issued by FIA, CIA, police etc. Such record will be maintained for a period of at least one year which also include log in and log out time.

In addition to the identity established by a user, he may be photographed with a web camera which will be duly authenticated by the user and the cafe and will be part of log register which may be maintained in physical or electronic form. A person accompanying a user will be allowed to enter cafe after he/she has established his identity to be made part of log as is the case with the user for a minimum period of one year. The cafe will immediately report to the concerned police, if they have reasonable doubt or suspicion about any user.

The cafe may maintain an online version of the log register by using digital or electronic signature. Cyber cafe will prepare a monthly report of the log register showing date-wise details on the usage of the computer resource and submit a hard and soft copy of the same to registration agency by the 5th of next month. The cafe owner will be responsible for storing and maintaining backups of log records and history of each websites accessed and logs of proxy server installed at cyber cafe for at least one year.

On account of physical layout, the partition of cubicles built or installed, if any, inside the cyber cafe, will not exceed four and half feet in height from the floor level, the screen of all computers installed other than in partitions or cubicles will face outward, i.e. they will face the common open space of the cafe. Any cafe having cubicles or partitions will not allow minors to use any computer resource in cubicles or partitions except when they are accompanied by their guardians or parents.

The agency will be authorised to seal the net cafe if the infrastructure (physical layout) is not laid down properly. On minor variation/deviations and non maintenance of the record, the cafe will be liable for penalty/fine of Rs50,000 at once and if during the next visit of the agency representative the same situation exists then the cafe will be sealed with a fine of Rs100,000.



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