PTA conditionally restores TikTok services

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Telecom Authority (PTA) has restored TikTok services with certain conditions.

In view of the presence of indecent/immoral content on the platform and its negative effects on the society, PTA has been continuously asserting TikTok to prevent its platform from disseminating the unlawful content.

However, TikTok could not satisfy for taking concrete steps for blocking and removal of unlawful content, said the PTA authority in a news release here on Monday.

Hence, the TikTok application was blocked until a satisfactory content monitoring mechanism is put in place.

As a result of continuous engagement with the platform’s senior management before and after imposition of the ban, TikTok has assured moderating content in accordance with societal norms and the laws of Pakistan and ensured that the users who are continuously involved in uploading unlawful content are blocked from the platform.

PTA, as a facilitator to the users’ healthy digital experience on the internet and growth of digital companies, has therefore, decided to lift the ban.

However, the restoration of TikTok services is strictly subject to the condition that the platform will not be used for the spread of indecent content and that the societal values will not be abused.

PTA will be constrained to permanently block the application, in case the said condition is not fulfilled.