PTA on Monday issued a final warning to China-owned short-form mobile video platform TikTok and blocked live-streaming application Bigo over complaints of “immoral, obscene and vulgar content” and “extremely negative effects”.
The PTA said it had received a “number of complaints … from different segments of the society against immoral, obscene and vulgar content on social media applications particularly Tik Tok and Bigo”.
Press Release: Number of complaints had been received from different segments of the society against immoral, obscene & vulgar content on social media applications particularly Tik Tok and Bigo, & their extremely negative effects on the society in general & youth in particular. pic.twitter.com/Zow1EuLj4N
— PTA (@PTAofficialpk) July 20, 2020
The complaints, the regulatory body added, also included the apps’ “extremely negative effects on the society in general and youth in particular”.
The “PTA had issued necessary notices to the aforementioned social media companies under law to moderate the socialization and content within legal and moral limits, in accordance with the laws of the country,” the statement added, noting that responses from the social media giants “has not been satisfactory”.
PTA had issued necessary notices to the aforementioned social media companies under law to moderate the socialization and content within legal and moral limits, in accordance with the laws of the country. However, the response of these companies has not been satisfactory.
— PTA (@PTAofficialpk) July 20, 2020
Citing its powers under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), 2016, it said it had immediately blocked Bigo and was issuing a “final warning to Tik Tok to put in place a comprehensive mechanism to control obscenity, vulgarity and immorality through its social media application”.
