PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Thursday took back its ban on TikTok and requested the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to permit the Chinese app function in Pakistan but make sure that “wicked content” is not uploaded.
During the trial, PHC Chief Justice Qaiser Rashid Khan requested the PTA director general what steps the governing body has brought to eradicate “immoral content” from the app.
The PTA DG informed the court that they had taken up the matter with TikTok’s administration once more. He combined that the corporation has appointed a central individual on the issue.
“We will scrutinize all the immoral and illegitimate things being uploaded on TikTok,” said the DG PTA.
To this, the judge asked the PTA that it should have a system in spot to distinguish between “good and bad” content on the app.
“When PTA take action [against immoral content], people will not share such videos,” told Justice Qaiser.
Upon hearing the judge, the DG PTA said: “We have discussed to TikTak executive body to ban those accounts who make the same blunder again and again.”
The court then released instructions to unblock the app and ordered PTA to work on preventing immoral content on the Chinese app.
“Open TikTok but immoral content must not be uploaded,” stated the court while issuing the directives. The court also adjourned the trial till May 25 and asked the DG PTA to submit a comprehensive report on the matter.
TikTok proclamation
Following the PHC order, TikTok said they were gratified to see that the app has become accessible in Pakistan once again.
“We are pleased that TikTok is once again available to our community in Pakistan. This is a testament to TikTok’s continued commitment to enforcing our community guidelines to promote a safe and positive community online,” said the Chinese owned app in a statement.
TitTok admitted the PTA for its “assistance and enduring beneficial dialogue”. It also acknowledged the authority for their consideration of the “digital experience of Pakistani users”.
It added that measures taken by the PTA will go a long way to guaranteeing a secure, facilitating environment to allow TikTok to look at more investment in Pakistan.
Last month, PTA ordered the country’s service sources to block users’ access to video-sharing app TikTok — in line with the court’s instructions.
The Peshawar High Court (PHC) had ordered Pakistani authorities to instantly forbid the video-sharing platform in the country.
“In respectful compliance to the orders of the Peshawar High Court, PTA has released orders to the service providers to right away block access to the TikTok App,” the PTA said.
The orders were released by PHC Chief Justice Qaiser Rashid Khan, who was hearing a request filed by a citizen requesting a ban on Tiktok.
This was the second time that the broadly used App was prohibited in Pakistan.
In October of last year, the PTA had blocked the Chinese-owned video-sharing app after the company “unsuccessful to completely fulfill” with its guidelines for “development of an efficient system for positive moderation of illicit online content”.
