• April 25, 2024
• Social Media

On April 20, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar defended the government’s decision to block access to social media platform X (formerly Twitter), stating that it was necessary for national security and public order. His remarks came amid increasing criticism and a court order questioning the legality of the ban. Dar drew comparisons between Pakistan’s ban and other countries’ actions, suggesting […]

• April 24, 2024
• Access to Information

On April 23, mobile phone services were partially suspended in Karachi, Sindh due to enhanced security measures in place for the visit of Iranian President Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi. The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) confirmed the service outages in specific areas of the city. The PTA released a statement citing directives from the Ministry of Interior, outlining the suspension of cellular […]

• April 22, 2024
• Social Media

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has blocked more than 1.25 million URLs for containing objectionable content, the telecom sector regulator reported to the Sindh High Court (SHC) on April 16. The PTA provided a comprehensive breakdown of the blocked content: the majority contained indecent or immoral material, followed by content threatening Islam, national security, and content promoting […]

• April 22, 2024
• Social Media

On April 17, the Sindh High Court (SHC) has ordered the interior ministry to withdraw its February 17 letter to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), which led to the ban on social media platform X, within one week. The court asked the government to provide a valid reason for the extended ban, following over two months of […]

• July 22, 2021
• Social Media

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority on Wednesday announced it had blocked ByteDance’s video-sharing platform TikTok in the country over “inappropriate content”. “In the light of relevant provisions of Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act 2016, PTA has blocked access to TikTok App and website in the country,” the telecom regulator said. “The action has been taken due […]

• March 12, 2021
• Social Media

ISLAMABAD: In respectful compliance to the orders of the Peshawar High Court, the Pakistan Telecom Authority (PTA) has issued directions to service providers to immediately block access to the TikTok App. During the hearing of a case on Thursday, the PHC had ordered for the blocking of App. The official statement from TikTok regarding the […]

• March 12, 2021
• Social Media

PESHAWAR – The Peshawar High Court on Thursday ordered the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to ban ‘TikTok until the ‘App’s officials comply with PTA’s request regarding stopping of immoral and obscene content. Peshawar High Court (PHC) Chief Justice Qaiser Rashid Khan ordered PTA to immediately ban TikTok’s app over proliferation of immoral videos, which were […]

• December 27, 2018
• New Media, Social Media

ISLAMABAD: The Mobile Phone Traders’ Association on Wednesday demanded that the deadline for blocking imported phones be extended by another month or two as a large number of dealers have placed orders for imported mobile phones. Speaking at a press conference at the National Press Club, the association’s Central President Munir Baig Mirza said dealers […]

• October 19, 2018
• Social Media

ISLAMABAD: Succumbing to pressure from some lawmakers, the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA) has extended indefinitely the Oct 20 deadline for registration of mobile phones. After the Senate Standing Committee on information technology directed the PTA not to block mobile phones until the committee approved its Device Identification, Registration and Blocking System (DIRBS) mechanism, the authority […]

• October 15, 2018
• Social Media

ISLAMABAD: In an attempt to curb illegal import of mobile devices, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has started to send messages through Short Messaging Service (SMS) to all mobile subscribers to create public awareness about Device Identification, Registration and Blocking System (DIRBS). Any mobile device that reflects non-compliant status after October 20 would be blocked in accordance […]

• July 21, 2017
• Freedom of Expression, Front Page, Information Technology, Media and Governance

There has been a clear deterioration in the safety of journalists, the problem of impunity and of freedom of expression online. These were the main findings of the report submitted to the 120th session of UN Human Rights Committee in Geneva by Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF), in collaboration with IFEX, the global network defending and […]

• February 23, 2016
• Information Technology, New Media

KARACHI: In a sign that Pakistan is fast catching up with the global trend, the explosive growth of mobile broadband, such as third-generation (3G) and 4G or long-term evolution (LTE) technologies, has changed dynamics of the country’s broadband market. Almost non-existent two years ago, the high-speed mobile internet now accounts for 88% of the broadband […]

• February 11, 2016
• Information Technology, Social Media

ACCORDING to the visionaries at the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecom (MOITT), an ideal telecom and IT policy space in Pakistan would have Section 34 from the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Bill (PECB) in existence as law, with all other laws and policies in the IT and telecom space reflecting it. This is exactly […]

• February 7, 2016
• Social Media

KARACHI: In a move that is likely to reignite the debate over internet censorship in the country, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PAT) has included many conventional and porn-free websites in a list of domains to be blocked as part of its drive against pornography. In January, the telecom sector’s regulatory body directed internet service providers (ISPs) […]