The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has significantly intensified its crackdown on illegal and inappropriate digital content, blocking more than 1.4 million online links across major social media and digital platforms. This information was revealed in a detailed PTA report submitted to the Lahore High Court.
According to the report, the highest volume of blocked content was found on Facebook and TikTok. PTA reviewed approximately 229,000 Facebook links, out of which 197,000 were blocked for violating laws and regulations. On Instagram, 43,000 URLs were examined, and 38,000 were subsequently blocked.
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TikTok faced the strictest enforcement action. PTA checked over 174,000 TikTok links and blocked more than 163,000 video URLs, resulting in a blocking rate of around 94 percent—the highest among all platforms monitored.
On YouTube, authorities reviewed 72,000 links and blocked more than 64,000. Meanwhile, on X (formerly Twitter), 112,000 links were examined, with 70,800 blocked. Twitter recorded the lowest blocking rate at approximately 62 percent. In addition, PTA reviewed nearly 898,000 links on other digital platforms, blocking around 891,000 of them.
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The report further states that the blocked content included material related to contempt of court, obscenity, immorality, hate speech, sectarianism, fake identities, proxy usage, and content against religion and the state. Content related to obscenity and morality topped the list, with more than 1,061,000 links blocked. Additionally, 148,000 links containing material against the state and national defense were restricted, while over 109,000 links involving religious violations were blocked. Around 76,000 links promoting sectarianism and hate were also taken down.
PTA noted that the lowest blocking success rate was observed in cases involving defamation, impersonation, and fake identities, due to the complex nature of verification and legal requirements.
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FAQs
1. Why did PTA block over 1.4 million online links?
PTA blocked these links to prevent the spread of illegal content, including obscenity, hate speech, anti-state material, religious violations, and contempt of court.
2. Which platform faced the strictest action by PTA?
TikTok faced the strictest action, with about 94 percent of the reviewed content blocked for violating regulations.
3. What type of content was blocked the most?
Content related to obscenity and morality violations was blocked the most, with over one million links restricted.