Pakistan lifts ban on TikTok over ‘immoral and indecent content’

1 April 2021, 10:14

The TikTok app on a smartphone
TikTok family pairing feature. Picture: PA

The country’s media regulatory agency said contact had been established with TikTok to ensure those who share obscene content are blocked.

Pakistan’s media regulatory agency has reinstated access to the Chinese video service TikTok, after a court banned it weeks ago and urged authorities to ensure that it carried no “vulgar” content.

The court in Peshawar had issued the ban on March 11 following complaints about the alleged presence of “immoral and indecent content” on the popular social media app.

On Thursday, after consulting with the media agency, it repealed it.

At the hearing, senior agency official Tariq Gandapur said contact had been established with TikTok to ensure those who share obscene content are blocked.

The app, owned by China’s ByteDance, has been downloaded almost 39 million times in Pakistan.

Pakistan and China are close allies in the region.

Last year, Pakistan had also blocked TikTok for 10 days over the same issue.

By Press Association

More Technology News

See more More Technology News

Elon Musk

How Elon Musk’s influence has grown both online and offline in 2024

Hands holding the iPhone 16

How smartphones powered the AI boom in 2024

London skyline

US investor to snap up maritime AI specialist Windward for £216m

Donald Trump

How will a second Trump presidency impact the tech world in 2025?

Morning drone (002)

Drone project reaches ‘important milestone’ with final trial flights

Prime Minister hosts Chanukah reception

AI tech giants should not be subsidised by British creatives, Starmer signals

Dr Craig Wright arrives at the Rolls Building in London for the trial earlier this year (Lucy North/PA)

Computer scientist behind false Bitcoin founder claim sentenced for contempt

Google has been contacted for comment (PA)

ICO criticises Google over ‘irresponsible’ advertising tracking change

Some 22% of consumers have increased their use of second-hand shopping apps in the past three months (Depop/PA)

Millions of Britons earning average £146 a month on second-hand platforms

ChatGPT being used via WhatsApp

ChatGPT joins WhatsApp to allow anyone to access the AI chatbot

A Facebook home page on a laptop screen

Meta fined more than 250 million euro by Irish data commission following breach

Finger poised above WhatsApp app on smartphone

Ending use of WhatsApp is ‘clear admission’ Government was wrong, claim Tories

Phone with WhatsApp on the screen

Scottish Government to cease use of WhatsApp by spring, says Forbes

Open AI

OpenAI rolls out ChatGPT search engine tool to all users

Most people happy to share health data to develop artificial intelligence

Government launches consultation on copyrighted material being used to train AI

Debbie Weinstein

Google names UK executive as president for Europe, Middle East and Africa