TikTok has been hit with yet another country-wide ban. Pakistan has now put a block on TikTok, and this isn’t the country’s first time banning the short-form video app.
Pakistan Bans TikTok for a Second Time
The Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA) sent out a Tweet announcing a ban on TikTok, noting that the Peshawar High Court “issued directions to the service providers to immediately block access to the TikTok App.”
In respectful compliance to the orders of the Peshawar High Court, PTA has issued directions to the service providers to immediately block access to the TikTok App. During the hearing of a case today, the PHC has ordered for the blocking of App.
— PTA (@PTAofficialpk) March 11, 2021
According to a report by a Pakistan-based outlet, Ary News, Chief Justice Qaiser Rashid Khan ordered the ban, noting that “videos being uploaded on TikTok are unacceptable to our society,” and that “TikTok videos are peddling vulgarity in society.”
A TikTok spokesperson denied these accusations in a statement on Aljazeera, stating:
TikTok is built upon the foundation of creative expression, with strong safeguards in place to keep inappropriate content off the platform. In Pakistan we have grown our local-language moderation team, and have mechanisms to report and remove content in violation of our community guidelines. We look forward to continuing to serve the millions of TikTok users and creators in Pakistan who have found a home for creativity and fun.
Pakistan first banned TikTok in October 2020 for containing “immoral” and “indecent” content, and lifted the ban only 10 days later. TikTok promised to address this issue, but it obviously wasn’t enough, as Pakistan has blocked the app once again.
TikTok Stays in the Crosshairs of Controversy
TikTok has faced criticism across Southeast Asia, with India moving to ban the app in June 2020. India later finalized the ban on TikTok in January 2021.
Even the US has considered banning TikTok. Former US President Donald Trump was adamant about banning the app, and accused TikTok of siphoning US data to China. Trump nearly forced TikTok into selling its US assets to an American company, but that deal ended up fizzling out after President Joe Biden took office.
Most recently, TikTok was criticized by the European Consumer Organization (BEUC) for allegedly breaching EU consumer rights. TikTok subsequently formed the European Safety Advisory Council to improve on its moderation policies, but it’s unclear whether that will satisfy the BEUC.
Will TikTok Ever Redeem Itself?
TikTok has faced negative reception across the globe. Not only has it been accused of sending data to China, but its safety policies for children have also been called into question.
Despite all of this, TikTok still remains wildly popular. With millions of videos being uploaded to the app on a daily basis, it’ll be hard to drag it down.
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