August 16, 2018
In September 2012, Pakistan blocked access to YouTube throughout the country for over two years.
Twitter has been warned by Pakistan’s telecom authority that the micro-blogging site could be banned in the country for not complying with its directive to block objectionable content, as per a media report.
There have been several instances in the past also when social media were banned in Pakistan. Facebook was banned in the country twice in 2008 & then again in 2010.
In September 2012, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) blocked access to YouTube throughout the country for over 2 years.
On Wednesday, the PTA informed the Senate Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat that while Facebook, YouTube & other social media platforms complied with requests from the government to block objectionable content, Twitter didn't oblige, the Dawn News reported on Thursday.
“Out of a hundred requests from Pakistan to block certain offensive material, roughly 5% are entertained. Twitter ignores all the remaining requests,” Director General of PTA’s Internet Policy & Web Analysis, Nisar Ahmed, told the committee.
The committee had met for a briefing on penalties fixed by the PTA against the ‘derogatory’ comments related to Pakistan spreading through social media, the report said.
Informing the committee about Islamabad High Court’s recent directive to the PTA to ask Twitter to respond to requests from Pakistan or face the risk of being blocked in the country, Ahmed said, “The PTA has conveyed the Court’s concern to Twitter, but hasn't got a response. The regulatory authority will implement court orders if Twitter doesn't respond to the final notice.”
“The Court is determined to teach Twitter a lesson - they'll lose business,” he added.
Meanwhile, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf information secretary Fawad Chaudhry has said that his party was against any kind of censorship on free media, the report said.
“Those who don't wish to see objectionable & offensive content shouldn't search for such content. Social media isn't just for recreation & entertainment. There're jobs & households associated with the business. Blocking social media websites will have both social & economic impacts,” Chaudhry, who's tipped to become information minister in the new government led by PTI chief Imran Khan, said.
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