ISLAMABAD: Obscene and immoral material has emerged as the most widespread violation in Pakistan’s digital space, according to a report submitted by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to the court following a nationwide crackdown.
The report revealed that out of more than 1.4 million web links and URLs blocked for unlawful content, over 1.06 million were related to obscenity and content against public morality, making it the single largest category of violations.
According to the PTA, social media platforms were the primary source of such content. Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and X (formerly Twitter) were closely monitored, with TikTok facing the strictest action. The authority reviewed more than 174,000 TikTok links and blocked over 163,000 videos, resulting in a 94 percent blocking rate, largely due to immoral and inappropriate material.
On Facebook, nearly 197,000 links were blocked after review, while Instagram saw 38,000 URLs taken down, reflecting an 87 percent blocking rate. YouTube also faced action, with more than 64,000 links blocked for hosting content deemed immoral or unlawful.
The PTA stated that the crackdown was carried out in line with legal and regulatory requirements to curb the spread of content that violates societal norms and moral values. The authority emphasized that obscene and unethical material posed serious social risks and therefore remained its top enforcement priority.
The report added that while action was also taken against content related to religion, state security, sectarianism and hate speech, immoral and obscene material remained overwhelmingly dominant among blocked digital content nationwide.
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