ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority on Wednesday announced it had blocked video-sharing app TikTok, the fourth time the platform has been banned in the South Asian nation over “inappropriate content.”
Earlier this month, Pakistani authorities blocked the popular TikTok app after a court ruling on a private citizen’s petition that accused the company of promoting obscenity.
“In the light of relevant provisions of Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act 2016, PTA has blocked access to TikTok App and website in the country,” PTA said on Twitter. “The action has been taken due to continuous presence of inappropriate content on the platform and its failure to take such content down.”
Last month, TikTok said it had taken down more than six million videos from the app in Pakistan over three months.
Wildly popular among Pakistani youth, the Chinese-owned app has been shut down by authorities several times in the last year over “immoral content.”
Last month, the Sindh High Court ordered the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority to suspend the services of the video-sharing site on a citizen’s petition who said he was aggrieved by “immorality and obscenity” on the app. PTA blocked the app on June 30.
The ban was reversed after four days after PTA assured the court that the app’s content would be monitored.
On March 11, the Peshawar High Court had ordered the app be blocked in the country based on a petition alleging it had obscene content.
Last October, PTA blocked TikTok for similar reasons, but reversed its decision after 10 days saying the company’s owners, China-based ByteDance, had agreed to moderate content in Pakistan.
TikTok blocked in Pakistan, again, over ‘inappropriate content’
Short Url
https://arab.news/2b7rk
TikTok blocked in Pakistan, again, over ‘inappropriate content’

- Pakistan telecoms regulator says app and website banned for failure to take down obscene content
- Last month, TikTok said it had removed more than six million videos from the app in Pakistan in three months