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ISLAMABAD: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has established a direct, official communication channel with Meta Asia Pacific (APAC) to accelerate investigations into organised cybercrime, online fraud, and hate speech.

Under the agreement, Meta formally recognised the FIA’s Single Point of Contact (SPOC) based at the National Command and Control Centre (NC3), allowing secure, lawful coordination for data requests concerning Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.

Previously, the federal agency had to route requests through Mutual Legal Assistance Treaties (MLATs) or Interpol channels, a process that often took months. Officials say the new mechanism will cut response time to days. All lawful requests will now be processed exclusively through NC3.

These include preservation requests, basic subscriber information, acc­ount registration details, login IP history, content removal requests, and emergency disclosure requests. As per the procedure, the Investigating Officer will compile the case with all requisite legal documents and relevant Meta account identifiers.