TikTok fans rejoice! Pakistan lifts ban on the app

Islamabad (Pakistan): For Pakistan's TikTok fans, there was some good news. The Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has restored the services of TikTok on assurances of the platform to "control immoral and indecent" content.

"The company assured that the users who are continuously involved in uploading unlawful content will be blocked from using the platform," PTA said in a tweet. PTA said that keeping in view the assurances, it decided to lift the ban on TikTok. However, the authority said that it will continue to monitor the platform in order to ensure that "unlawful content contrary to Pakistan's law and societal values is not disseminated".

The ban was imposed in July. PTA remained in communications with the TikTok management after the ban.The restoration comes as a result of "continuous engagement, senior management of the platform assured PTA of its commitment to take necessary measures to control unlawful content in accordance with local laws and societal norms," PTA said.

The July ban of TikTok was in fact the fourth time such a thing had taken place in the country, considering it was the fourth such ban of TikTok in Pakistan. Pakistan in July 2021 once again blocked access to TikTok in the country for its failure to remove "inappropriate content", taking down the popular Chinese short video-sharing app - the fourth time in recent months. In October 2020, the PTA for the first time banned TikTok after receiving complaints regarding indecent and immoral content but lifted the ban after just 10 days. 

TikTok remains banned in India. In June 2020, the Indian government said it was banning 59 apps developed by Chinese firms, including TikTok, over concerns that these apps were engaging in activities that threatened the national security and defence of the country. The development came several months after the government had first banned Chinese apps temporarily in June in the previous year.

(With Agency inputs)

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