Peshawar High Court (PHC) in Pakistan today for the second time lifted the ban on Chinese video sharing app TikTok. Peshawar High Court asked Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to let the Chinese app operate in Pakistan on condition that it does not allow ‘immoral’ content on the platform.
PHC Chief Justice Qaiser Rashid Khan has asked PTA director general about the action taken to remove the ‘immoral content’ from TikTok. PTA has reportedly taken up the matter with the TikTok management and the company has also hired a local person on the issue. Justice Qaiser also cautioned that if the police take action against those who upload such ‘immoral content’, then they will stop doing so.
This was the second time TikTok was banned in Pakistan. In October 2020, the PTA had blocked the Chinese-owned video-sharing app after the company “failed to fully comply” with its instructions for “development of an effective mechanism for proactive moderation of unlawful online content”.
https://twitter.com/fawadchaudhry/status/1377509028109160448?ref_src=twsrc%5EtfwPakistan Minister Chaudhary Fawad Hussain tweeted that Pakistan should be careful while taking decisions that may affect economic future of the country. He claimed that Pakistan needs framework to encourage international companies to ‘make Pakistan the investment hub’.
Hours after this decision, Pakistan government decided to revoke the decision to lift self-imposed ban on import from India.