The ban we all feared was going to happen eventually has gone through in the end. TikTok has unfortunately been banned in Pakistan. PTA has officially banned the Chinese social media app TikTok due to immoral and indecent content.
PTA Remarks on TikTok Ban
PTA has said in their statement that they tried to contact TikTok to ban the accounts which were releasing immoral content however TikTok was not cooperating well with them so they had no option but to ban the app. PTA has the power to ban anything in the country ever since 2016. In 2016, Pakistan’s parliament passed the Pakistan Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) to regulate content on the internet. It gave PTA the wide-ranging power to block any content that it deemed a violation against “the glory of Islam or the integrity, security or defense of Pakistan or … public order, decency, or morality”.
Ever since 2016, PTA has blocked more than eight hundred thousand websites, which include pornographic or controversial sites. PTA has also banned dating apps such as Tinder in Pakistan.
There were talks of PTA banning YouTube a few months ago but it did not come to a final decision. However, after the ban of TikTok, everyone fears if PTA will ban YouTube and other social media sites.
Ban on TikTok in India
This TikTok ban came a few months after TikTok was banned in India. However, it was banned in India due to security and privacy reasons. It was backed up with proof that TikTok was spying on its users. Due to this TikTok has been in danger in many places from Australia to the United States.
Tiktok: Biggest Market in Pakistan
Pakistan is one of TikTok’s biggest markets in terms of installs having more than 43 million downloads. Pakistan is ranked 12th country with the most amount of TikTok downloads. A TikTok spokesperson said, “TikTok is an inclusive platform built upon the foundation of creative expression, and we are hopeful to reach a conclusion that helps us serve the country’s vibrant and creative online community.”
The Community’s Opinion
Everyone has mixed opinions on this TikTok ban. Some people who hated TikTok are happy that it is finally banned and people who used it daily are upset. No matter what everyone’s opinions are, this is a huge blow to our digital industry. This will bring our digital industry down a lot. People who were on this app and have their whole livelihood on the app have been shut down. People’s careers have been ended in a blink of an eye. There could have been a better solution to block out the indecent content but banning was not the solution we needed.
This just shows that our country’s leaders known nothing of the youth and have no interest in learning about it. They would rather just ban everything that gives people reason to smile and have some fun in this century, which does not comply with their mindset.
When will we come out of our small bubbles and think outside the box? Ask yourself, what would the Holy Prophet Mohammed SAW say and do – would he ban the app or say, everyone, will be judged equally for his or her own actions. They know what is right and wrong and if they choose to live their lives it is theirs, and we all will stand before Allah at the end.
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Think About This
Are we just going to end up censoring everything? Moreover, to the people who hated TikTok, there is a simple solution to that. Just uninstall the app and do not use it. It is as simple as that – why endorse the TikTok ban because you can’t accept it works for others?
Share your comments and views below. We would love to know your thoughts.
If you liked reading this blog, you would like to read Dowry is Banned in Pakistan: A Historic Decision.
