Sat 20 November 2021:
On Friday, Pakistan’s Telecom Regulatory Authority lifted a ban on TikTok after the company pledged to monitor “immoral and unlawful” content.
After “continuous” dialogue with TikTok management, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) agreed to lift the ban on the Chinese video-sharing app.
“As a result of continuous engagement, senior management of the platform assured PTA of its commitment to take necessary measures to control unlawful content in accordance with local laws and societal norms,” it said in a statement. “PTA will continue to monitor the platform in order to ensure that unlawful content contrary to Pakistan’s law and societal values is not disseminated.”
The PTA has blocked and restored the app several times during the last year on similar charges — the last in July.
Last March, the Peshawar High Court imposed a ban on the video-sharing application, which was later lifted in April.
Just after two months, the Sindh High Court ordered PTA to block access to TikTok because it was “spreading immorality and obscenity.”
But the court lifted the ban three days later.
In its latest transparency report, the platform said it removed more than 81 million videos globally between April and June 2021, including over 9.8 million from Pakistan, for violating guidelines.
Over the years, Pakistan has also forwarded hundreds of complaints to Facebook and Twitter about content, alleging it is offensive and potentially insulting to Islam, which goes against Pakistani law.
In 2008, Pakistan banned YouTube over videos depicting the Prophet Muhammad. Muslims generally believe any physical depiction of Islam’s prophet is blasphemous.
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