PHC orders mechanism to filter out objectionable content from TikTok

Peshawar High Court (PHC) after conducting a hearing of a case has asked Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to come up with a mechanism in consultation with TikTok to filter out the content in Pakistan.

The ruling came during the hearing of a case that is seeking a complete ban on the short-video sharing platform, TikTok,  until it agrees with the removal of all objectionable content. The hearing was attended by a PTA lawyer in presence of  PHC Chief Justice Qaiser Rasheed and Justice Abdul Shakoor.

PTA’s counsel informed the court that they have planned to ask TikTok to implement a policy where they will suspend the accounts of Pakistani users for two months who are involved in sharing objectionable content. Later on, the suspension can also lead to permanent blocking of accounts on the video-sharing platform.

The lawyer added that the federal government has conferred more powers on the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) with the promulgation of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016 Amendment Ordinance to deal more effectively with such matters. The court adjourned the hearing till May 31.