PTA blocks Bigo over complaints of immoral content

ISLAMABAD (92 News) – The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) blocked live-streaming application Bigo over complaints of immoral, obscene and vulgar content. In a press release issued late Monday, the PTA also issued a final warning to China-owned short-form mobile video platform TikTok and blocked Bigo due to 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. 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. 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. Earlier this month, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) heard the case of ban on online game Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) and sought a concerned record from the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA). During the proceedings, the IHC asked the PTA whether the company owning the PUBG was given the right to the hearing of the case per the law or not. “You also told the court that is this game causing for suicides or not,” the court directed PTA lawyer. The lawyer of the company owning PUBG told the court that they would appear during the hearing of PTA on July 9. After hearing this, Justice Amir Farooq adjourned the hearing of the case till July 13, next Monday.