SHC orders banning TikTok in Pakistan

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Monday ordered to ban the video-sharing app TikTok across Pakistan, a private TV channel reported.

The SHC’s ruling came during a hearing, where the court issued a notice to the attorney general of Pakistan and directed him to follow the orders and get the app banned.

On the directive of Supreme Court of Pakistan, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) nearly three months ago had lifted a ban imposed on it in Pakistan.

The court has summoned the parties involved in the case on July 8.

Ban lifted for the second time

Back in April, Pakistan, for the second time, had officially lifted a ban on China-based ByteDance’s app TikTok consequent to a local high court’s order.

This was done almost a month after the same judicature had directed the state-run telecommunication authority to “immediately block access” to the short-form video-sharing service.

However, the PTA had also issued a stern warning to TikTok against “vulgar and objectionable content”, which it was told to remove.

The “PTA has issued directions to the service providers to unblock access to the TikTok App”, the authority said in a press release shared on Twitter.

“However, the TikTok App management has been told to ensure that vulgar and objectionable content are to be made inaccessible in accordance with the PECA provisions and directions of the Honorable Court,” it warned.

TikTok appoints focal person to focus on ‘immoral content’

The court in Peshawar was told during the hearing on April 1 that TikTok had appointed a focal person to focus on “immoral content” and what action should be taken in that regard.

PHC Chief Justice Qaiser Rashid Khan had told the PTA’s director-general that the body should have a system that could differentiate between “good and bad”.

“When PTA takes action [against immoral content], people will not upload such videos,” Justice Qaiser had said, to which the latter said the authority had spoken to TikTok to block repeat offenders.

The PHC had then ordered the PTA to “open TikTok but immoral content should not be uploaded”, asking the official to present a detailed report on the matter during the next hearing scheduled for May 25.

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