AGL 40.12 Increased By ▲ 0.12 (0.3%)
AIRLINK 130.65 Increased By ▲ 1.12 (0.86%)
BOP 6.85 Increased By ▲ 0.17 (2.54%)
CNERGY 4.48 Decreased By ▼ -0.15 (-3.24%)
DCL 8.74 Decreased By ▼ -0.20 (-2.24%)
DFML 41.40 Decreased By ▼ -0.29 (-0.7%)
DGKC 83.32 Decreased By ▼ -0.45 (-0.54%)
FCCL 32.80 Increased By ▲ 0.03 (0.09%)
FFBL 76.49 Increased By ▲ 1.02 (1.35%)
FFL 11.71 Increased By ▲ 0.24 (2.09%)
HUBC 110.00 Decreased By ▼ -0.55 (-0.5%)
HUMNL 14.30 Decreased By ▼ -0.26 (-1.79%)
KEL 5.40 Increased By ▲ 0.01 (0.19%)
KOSM 8.12 Decreased By ▼ -0.28 (-3.33%)
MLCF 38.91 Decreased By ▼ -0.88 (-2.21%)
NBP 64.00 Increased By ▲ 3.71 (6.15%)
OGDC 196.70 Decreased By ▼ -2.96 (-1.48%)
PAEL 25.80 Decreased By ▼ -0.85 (-3.19%)
PIBTL 7.62 Decreased By ▼ -0.04 (-0.52%)
PPL 156.02 Decreased By ▼ -1.90 (-1.2%)
PRL 26.00 Decreased By ▼ -0.73 (-2.73%)
PTC 17.50 Decreased By ▼ -0.96 (-5.2%)
SEARL 81.16 Decreased By ▼ -1.28 (-1.55%)
TELE 8.06 Decreased By ▼ -0.25 (-3.01%)
TOMCL 33.80 Decreased By ▼ -0.71 (-2.06%)
TPLP 8.70 Decreased By ▼ -0.36 (-3.97%)
TREET 16.78 Decreased By ▼ -0.69 (-3.95%)
TRG 57.80 Decreased By ▼ -3.52 (-5.74%)
UNITY 27.75 Increased By ▲ 0.32 (1.17%)
WTL 1.47 Increased By ▲ 0.09 (6.52%)
BR100 10,561 Increased By 154 (1.48%)
BR30 31,490 Decreased By -223.7 (-0.71%)
KSE100 98,471 Increased By 1142.3 (1.17%)
KSE30 30,658 Increased By 465.2 (1.54%)

LAHORE: In an important decision, the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Saturday declared access to the phone data of an individual, including that of a suspect, without his or her permission illegal and a violation of article 13 of the constitution.

Pronouncing a decision on the criminal appeal filed by one Rehmatullah, who was serving a 10-year prison term for having links with a terrorist organization and spreading prohibited material, a two-member bench of the LHC, comprising Justice Ali Baqar Najafi and Justice Muhammad Amjad Rafiq, set him free.

In its decision, the LHC said that getting access to somebody’s phone data was a violation of an individual’s privacy.

The court further said that if a person, including a suspect, was not ready to share his or her cell phone data with the law-enforcement agencies (LEAs), then permission could be sought from a magistrate for that.

Personal data protection bill finalised

Furthermore, it said that in these modern times, a person could contact members of his or her family and loved ones through audio and video. “Our phones are nothing less than our homes. The privacy of our family enjoys constitutional protection,” the court said, adding, “A person sees YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and visits other social media platforms, which is not prohibited at all.

The LHC went on to say that in case there was a suspicion that the data stored in somebody’s cell phone could lead to the arrest of a criminal, then it could be checked by bringing it to the knowledge of the court within 24 hours.

Comments

Comments are closed.