TikTok Pakistan’s ban is back

TikTok Pakistan’s ban is back

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The popular short form video app is no longer available to regulators on mobile devices in the country reached out an order late Thursday to block access to it “immediately.”

The Pakistan Telecommunications Authority said it was banning TikTok after a provincial court in Peshawar asked for the platform to be removed.

According to a court order, judges argued that the app was ‘detrimental to the youth’ of Pakistan. They also claim that ‘videos are being uploaded [were] against the established norms and values ​​”of the country.

The platform was blocked for the first time last October after the telecommunications authority accused it of presenting ‘immoral’ and ‘obscene’ content.

Authorities said at the time that TikTok had not created a satisfactory way to block offensive content, following a warning to get his house ready during the summer.

The decision was later reversed after the app, which is owned by Chinese technology giant ByteDance, undertook to moderate the content in accordance with local laws.

Since then, questions about the future of the company in Pakistan have resurfaced.

Representatives of the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority said in court on Thursday that TikTok has yet to prove that it can fulfill its promise to curb certain content, according to Sara Ali Khan, legal representative for a local resident of Peshawar, who submitted the petition. which led the court to consider. a ban. Khan told CNN Business she was in court during the proceedings.

TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But it said earlier that it “has robust protection in place to support a secure and welcoming platform”, and that it “will continue to enable Pakistani voices and creativity in a secure environment.”
The social network has recently faced numerous obstacles worldwide. In January, they had to lay off workers in India after the country doubled over what had already been a month-long ban on the platform.

TikTok said at the time that “there is no clear direction given on how and when our programs can be re-established” in India, and that they “have no choice but to reduce the size of our workforce.”

– Michelle Toh contributed to this report.

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