Last Updated on: 8th July 2023, 01:20 am
IHC Says Blocking TikTok Violates Human Rights
Blocking access to the popular short video sharing app TikTok violates the human rights of Pakistani citizens enshrined in the 1973 constitution, the High Court in Islamabad (IHC) found.
While listening to a petition against the TikTok ban, IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah called on lawyers for the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA) to attend the next hearing, which will be held on 12th January.
Noting that thousands of citizens make a living using TikTok, he added that the PTA’s decision also prevents people from expressing their talents.
Citing the PTA’s affidavits filed with the Peshawar and Sindh high courts, the presiding judge told IHC that only 1% of content shared on TikTok was offensive.
Objectionable content can be found in almost any social media application, not just on TikTok. Does that mean the PTA would ban all apps that host offensive content?
He asked the PTA lawyer if the telecommunications regulator consulted with tech experts before the TikTok ban, and ordered that the names of all experts consulted by the PTA be sent before TikTok was blocked.
Chief Justice IHC said people’s religious and moral values must be strong enough not to see anything that violates established standards.
Already Blocked 4 Times
The PTA has so far banned access to TikTok in Pakistan on four occasions.
The first time TikTok was banned in Pakistan was in October 2020. Access was restored 10 days later after TikTok claimed to address PTA concerns.
Earlier this year, in March, the Peshawar High Court (PHC) ordered the PTA to ban TikTok in the country. However, the ban was lifted a month later, in April.
Also Read: PTA Again Bans TikTok App and Website in Failure For Removing Inappropriate Content
In June of the same year, the High Court of Sindh (SHC) ordered the PTA to restrict access to TikTok across the country. However, SHC reversed its decision after 3 days and TikTok was reinstated.
Finally, in July this year, the PTA blocked access to TikTok after the platform ignored repeated calls from the telecommunications regulator to remove objectionable content and enforce an effective content moderation mechanism in Pakistan.
Also Read: Facebook is going to invest $1 billion plan to reward creators and compete with TikTok
