Breaking: Pakistan Bans TikTok for ‘Inappropriate Content’
INFOMEDIA: Pakistan banned made-in-China social network TikTok for the fourth time, and there’s no sign this one will prove any stickier than previous efforts.
Pakistan banned the platform for the same reason the first time in October 2020. However, TikTok assured the authorities that it would take measures to censor the contents deemed inappropriate. Days later, the ban was lifted.
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Pakistan, an Islamic Republic and seen as conservative by many, blocked the app for the second and third time based on complaints from its citizens and under its Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act 2016. This current ban is reportedly the fourth. However, India blocked the app for reportedly political-cum-diplomatic reasons.
TikTok is not alone in being banned by Pakistan on multiple occasions. YouTube has also been banned at least four times – once for four years – and Facebook has copped at least three bans.
Some of the bans are suspected of being politically motivated. The four-hour ban of Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, and Telegram in April 2021 was imposed to disrupt communications during protests staged by a political party that Pakistan’s government has designated as a terrorist organisation.
