ISLAMABAD
— The
popular
TikTok video-sharing app was blocked Wednesday in Pakistan for a fourth
time because of "inappropriate content", the country's
telecommunication regulator said.
اضافة اعلان
The Chinese-owned site has fought a series of legal
battles with religious activists and authorities in the conservative Muslim
nation, and was shut down for two days earlier this month on the order of a
provincial court.
Freedom of speech advocates have long criticised creeping
government censorship and control of Pakistan's internet and media.
"The action has been taken due to continuous presence
of inappropriate content on the platform and its failure to take such content
down," the telecoms authority said in a statement.
A local TikTok representative did not immediately comment.
The app has a huge fan base in Pakistan, where many people
use it to market and sell goods online.
But its critics in the deeply conservative Muslim nation
say it promotes vulgarity and LGBTQ content.
In June, TikTok said it had removed more than six million
videos available to Pakistan users in just three months following complaints
from officials and ordinary users.
Around 15 percent of the videos removed were taken down
because of "adult nudity and sexual activities", the company said.
Officials have previously asked YouTube to block content
they deem objectionable, and several dating apps are prohibited.
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