Pakistan to restore TikTok after platform assures controlling ‘immoral & indecent content'

Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has lifted a ban on TikTok after the Chinese video-sharing platform assured them that it would take steps to control “immoral and indecent content” on the app. Taking to official Twitter handle, PTA announced the decision of restoring the popular Chinese video-sharing platform in the country. The Pakistan telecommunication regulator had banned TikTok in July due to the presence of “inappropriate content” on the video-sharing platform. 

In the tweet, PTA said, “Press Release: PTA has restored the services of TikTok on assurances of the Platform to control immoral / indecent content[sic].” In a Twitter thread, the Pakistan telecommunication regulator informed that following the ban on the Chinese video-sharing platform in July, the PTA engaged with the TikTok management. After remaining in touch with the senior management of the platform, the company assured PTA of commitment to take important steps needed to control “unlawful content,” according to local laws and societal norms. 

Pakistan lifts ban on TikTok

Furthermore, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority informed that the TikTok management has assured that they would block the people from the platform who would be found involved in uploading unlawful content. Moreover, PTA assured that they will continue to monitor TikTok in order to ensure that the “unlawful content” that is against Pakistan's law and societal values is not shared on the app owned by a Chinese company. According to AP, it is the fourth time in the last 15 months that the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority has banned the popular video-sharing media platform owned by China’s company ByteDance.

Earlier in July, the Pakistan authorities had banned the application TikTok citing the “continuous presence of inappropriate content on the platform”. Last year in October, Pakistan banned the Chinese social media app TikTok after receiving complaints about the presence of “immoral, obscene and vulgar” content on the app. Pakistan authorities have urged TikTok to develop a way to control the dissemination of unlawful content on the platform, as per the news agency. The TikTok app, which is popular among young adults and teenagers in Pakistan has been downloaded more than 39 million times in the country.

(With inputs from AP)

(Image: AP/Unsplash)