LHC admits petition seeking ban on Tiktok

The Lahore High Court (LHC) permitted a plea to be heard, urging a ban on a number of applications for social media, including TikTok, Bigo Live, and Likee.

The petition was accepted by Justice Abid Aziz Sheikh of the LHC and directed that the case be fixed well before judicial bench. He said that, in addition to naming the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and other respondents in the case, many young people lost their lives while trying to shoot short videos for the Tiktok.

The petitioner argued that these social media apps “trying to spread vulgarity in the society” adding that Pakistan is an Islamic country and the state should take swift steps to protect its young people from falling victim to obscenity.

It is appropriate to note that TikTok and Bigo were barred by the PTA last year after they failed to follow the government’s guidelines. TikTok’s ban was lifted after it assured the telecom regulator that the indecent content was blocked.

Take Away

The petitioner argued that the app should be banned immediately and the authorities should be directed to enact legislation to control those applications. Many South Asian markets already have restricted the controversial application, which poses, among other issues, safety concerns for children.