Pakistan lifts ban on Chinese app TikTok after being assured ‘immoral’ content will be blocked
- Adviser to prime minister previously tweeted that the ‘exploitation, objectification and sexualisation’ of young girls on TikTok concerned parents
- Neighbouring India has already banned the app, along with dozens of other Chinese mobile platforms
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But the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on Monday said it had received assurances from TikTok that the company will “block all accounts repeatedly involved in spreading obscenity and immorality”.
It warned, however, that it would be banned permanently if it failed to moderate posts.
TikTok said it in a statement it had committed to enforcing “community guidelines and complying with local laws” but did not comment on what morality or decency standards it had agreed to.
Arslan Khalid, a digital media adviser to Prime Minister Imran Khan, previously tweeted that the “exploitation, objectification & sexualisation” of young girls on TikTok was causing pain to parents.
But freedom of speech advocates have long criticised the creeping government censorship and control of Pakistan’s internet and printed and electronic media.
Owned by China’s ByteDance, TikTok has also faced increasing controversy over how it collects and uses data although it has repeatedly denied sharing user information with Chinese authorities.
In Pakistan – a close ally of China – no privacy concerns have been raised.
