Pakistan prohibits Tik Tok due to obscene content
Users of the TikTok platform in Pakistan will not be able to access the app again after the Peshawar Supreme Court issued an order banning the short video-sharing platform in the country.
According to the information, the court issued its ruling during a hearing in a petition against the application.
TikTok had about 33 million users in Pakistan (out of a total of 100 million users) as of last month, according to an estimate by App Annie.
After receiving the order from the court, the PTA posted a statement on Twitter confirming that it has issued directives to service providers to immediately block access to the app in compliance.
Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Qaiser Rashid Khan, said: TikTok videos promote vulgarity in society, and that the platform hosts immoral and unacceptable content.
It also decided that the app should remain banned until TikTok cooperates with the authorities after the PTA informed the court that it had approached the company to remove the inappropriate content to no avail.
A spokesperson defended the platform and its supervisory practices: TikTok is built on the foundation of creative expression, with strong safeguards in place to keep inappropriate content out of the platform.
He added: We have developed our local language moderation team in Pakistan, and we have mechanisms for reporting and removing content when it violates community guidelines, and we look forward to continuing to serve the millions of TikTok users and innovators in Pakistan who have found a home for creativity and fun.
It is reported that this is not the first time that the application has been banned in the country, which recently issued digital laws that give regulators the power to monitor content.
As the Financial Times notes, the new laws require companies to remove offensive content, including content that threatens Pakistan's integrity, security, and defense.
TikTok was banned for the first time before the new laws were issued, after the authorities decided that it was hosting unethical and inappropriate videos.
However, the PTA lifted the ban a few days later after TikTok promised to amend the clips according to societal norms and Pakistani laws.
In respectful compliance to the orders of the Peshawar High Court, PTA has issued directions to the service providers to immediately block access to the TikTok App. During the hearing of a case today, the PHC has ordered for the blocking of App.
— PTA (@PTAofficialpk) March 11, 2021