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ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister of Information Technology and Telecommunication Aminul Haque has said the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and TikTok administration are mulling over steps to curb unlawful content.
The federal minister reassured that the recently placed ban on TikTok, a short-video sharing app, will be lifted once the talks with the app’s management are finalized.
He said, “Any content that goes against the moral values of the country, is malicious or spews anti-state ideas will not be tolerated”.
PTA issued two warnings in the past three months to Tiktok with policy guidelines by the Pakistani government but it failed to abide, he added.
The minister noted that PTA and Tiktok have been in talks over the matter and reassured that if their management agrees to follow Pakistani policy guidelines, the ministry will lift the ban and allow it back.
“We have given them some guidelines and are working on a mechanism on how to go ahead with the app in future”, he added.
Earlier, the popular Chinese video app ‘TikTok’ had been banned in Pakistan over ‘obscene’ and ‘indecent’ content. The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority on Friday banned the TikTok in view of complaints.
As per the authority, the app was given significant time to respond and comply with instructions to effectively moderate “unlawful online content”.
“However, the application failed to fully comply with the instructions, therefore, directions were issued for blocking of TikTok application in the country,” the statement said.
Earlier the day Haque addressing a ceremony on electric sharing bike launch in Islamabad the federal minister noted the new technology will contribute to empowering women in Pakistan.
Pakistani women will be able to ride these bikes themselves which will help them become independent, referring to the public transport condition which is male-dominated and wherein the women have long raised their grievances, he added.
Pakistan was becoming home to new technologies every day, federal minister Haque said and added that these e-bikes will be environment friendly in line with the need of the hour.
