Sindh High Court orders removal of indecent content from online platforms
Chief Justice of the Sindh High Court Qazi Aqeel Abbasi heard a petition against indecent content on social media during which the petitioner stated that obscenity is being promoted under the guise of family vlogging.
As part of his plea, the lawyer for Pakistan Telecommunication Authority’s (PTA) informed the court that the PTA lacks the authority to directly remove objectionable content from platforms like Facebook and YouTube. Instead, it must communicate with the relevant authorities for such removal. He added that writing to the relevant authorities is necessary to remove objectionable content.
In response the court responded that indecent content should be removed from Facebook, TikTok, and other apps, and regardless of the orders, all objectionable content from all websites should be removed.
The court directed the PTA to prepare a comprehensive charter and submit a report. The court stressed that these orders must be implemented without delay, with all objectionable material must be removed from websites.
It remains to be seen how this order will affect other social media platforms not mentioned in the petition such as X, Instagram, or Threads. It is also unclear how it will affect user access to these platforms.
Currently, X remains inaccessible in Pakistan for the fourth day in a row. Users are turning to VPNs to continue using the platform.