Joel Saget—AFP
Regulatory body bans live-streaming app Bigo in Pakistan
The Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA) on Monday issued a “final warning” to mobile video platform TikTok, and blocked live-streaming app Bigo after claiming it had received several complaints against the “immoral, obscene and vulgar content” on these applications and their “extremely negative effects” on society.
In a press release issued late on Monday, the regulatory body said it had issued “necessary notices to the aforementioned social media companies under law to moderate the socialization and content within legal and moral limits, in accordance with the laws of the country.” However, it noted, the response of these companies has “not been satisfactory.”
Citing its powers under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act 2016, the PTA said it had blocked Bigo and had issued a “final warning” to TikTok to enact a mechanism to “control obscenity, vulgarity and immorality through its social media application.”
While the press release did not clarify how much time TikTok had to respond to the “final warning,” the government has of late been becoming particularly active in taking on online applications popular among the youth.
Earlier this month, the PTA “temporarily” banned online game PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) for being “addictive” and detrimental to players’ health. The ban, which is still intact, can be reversed pending a formal hearing.