Islamabad, Pakistan (CU)_ After a court decision on a complaint that the TikTok app had indignant content, Pakistan banned the famous TikTok social media app. The news was confirmed by the country’s telecommunications regulator source. Khurram Mehran, a spokesman for the Pakistan Telecom Authority (PTA), said that the authority will obey the order. He said, “The court has asked PTA to block access to TikTok”.
According to Jehanzeb Mehsud, a lawyer who spoke for the PTA, the high court of northwestern city of Peshawar imposed ban on TikTok following a private petition which claimed that the social media app was distributing indecent material. According to the regulator, service providers have been ordered to immediately bar access to TikTok app. Following the court’s order, the app was blocked shortly after an hour.
According to a TikTok spokesman in Pakistan, high security initiatives have been put in place to keep offensive materials out of the site. The spokesman said, “In Pakistan, we have grown our local-language moderation team, and have mechanisms to report and remove content in violation of our community guidelines. We look forward to continuing to serve the millions of TikTok users and creators in Pakistan who have found a home for creativity and fun.”
Earlier in October, the Muslim-majority Pakistan had blocked the app, but it was soon recovered after the company pledged to bar all accounts that spread obscenity and immorality. According to the telecom regulator, TikTok decided to moderate accounts in compliance with local laws. After WhatsApp and Facebook, TikTok ranks as one of the most popular apps in the South Asian nation.
By luring youths to post short videos in its app, TikTok, owned by the China-based company ByteDance, gained popularity in a short span of time and is viral among youths globally. However, due to its connections with China, the app has sparked controversy in several countries, where the authorities brought up privacy and security concerns. TikTok has denied the fact that its connections with China put other countries’ privacy and security at risk.
