Block 'offensive content' or face shutdown: Twitter warned in Pakistan

[Laozi]

Block 'offensive content' or face shutdown: Twitter warned in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Micro-blogging website Twitter has been asked to either block offensive content or face a total shutdown in Pakistan, reports said on Thursday.

According to a report in Dawn, the popular micro-blogging site has been warned by the establishment to filter content which the government feels is ''unfit for public consumption''.

Twitter has been under the scanner in Pakistan over its alleged inaction in blocking inappropriate content on its site.

On Wednesday, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) had informed the Senate Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat that a similar request was made to other popular social media platforms like Facebook, YouTube etc which responded positively.

However, Twitter did not oblige and failed to comply with the government's repeated request to block objectionable content on its website, the PTA said.

The reports quoted the Director General of PTA’s Internet Policy and Web Analysis, Nisar Ahmed as saying that out of several hundred requests from the government to block certain objectionable content, roughly five percent were entertained by Twitter.

''The popular micro-blogging site ignores all the remaining requests,” he told the Senate Committee.

Ahmed made these submissions during a meeting of the committee on penalties fixed by the PTA against ‘derogatory’ comments spreading through social media targeting the state, its citizens and its institutions.

During the briefing, Ahmed also informed the Senate Committee that the Islamabad High Court (IHC) had last week directed the PTA to issue a final notice to Twitter, asking the website to either entertain the government's requests or face the risk of being blocked in the country.

The senior PTA officials also stated that Twitter was not as popular as Facebook and that's why the website has not much to lose.

However, Twitter would certainly lose business if it was shut down in the country, the PTA official told the Senate Committee members.

As compared to Twitter, Ahmed said that Facebook had been extremely cooperative with Pakistan, and had obliged when asked to block content that might be perceived offensive.

The move to block Twitter has evoked sharp reactions from Prime Minister-designate Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf party, which said that ''it was against any kind of censorship on free media.''

http://zeenews.india.com/asia/block...tdown-twitter-warned-in-pakistan-2133330.html

 

[El Sidd]

I dont have Twitter

 

[Verve]

Shut it down!

 

[VCheng]

The rest of the world will still see whatever the establishment finds objectionable.

 

[Asimzranger]

Twitter, facebook other social website are propaganda, flash news machine to cloud people minds and free thinking.

 

[Sully3]

2 major problems with twitter in Pakistan

1) the object able content is never taken down because the local twitter office is in India and they have no problem with anti Pakistan tweets

2) what will twitter do about the hundred thousands of fake twitter accounts usually fake Baloch being run by indians and bots.

Twitter never deletes Baloch terrorists tweets even when they are calling for killing Chinese and Pakistanis. Pakistan cant let twitter undermine its national security. Till twitters local office is in India Pakistan will continue to face such problems.

out of all the social media companies twitter seems to be the most right wing racist social site.

 

[newb3e]

barray heavy hogaye hain Pakistan keh lovely!

 

[Orca]

barray heavy hogaye hain Pakistan keh lovely!

sir ji heavy nahi howey, heavy hotey tu pehley twitter band kartey aur phir kehtey key first remove offensive content, please

 

[Verve]

The rest of the world will still see whatever the establishment finds objectionable.

World is not going to stop trading with us over blocking Twitter, Facebook etc.

As long as local population is sheltered from the propaganda on these platforms, that's just fine and desired.

 

[UnitedPak]

I am against banning these platforms but Twitter and Facebook have serious issues with the amount of fake profiles used to promote and distribute fake content. A better approach would be to build tools that quickly highlight the authenticity of news, tweets and shares and possibly a reputation system of some sort. The problem with that is the fact mainstream media use the same tactics and also excel at building fake narratives albeit with more resources and finesse.

The counter reaction to MSM had to happen and we ended up with the situation today.

Its a complete cluster**** if you ask me.

 

[VCheng]

Such censorship NEVER works for its stated objectives, no matter how fine and desired they may be regarded by the establishment. It N E V E R works. Ever.

 

[war&peace]

I am against banning these platforms but Twitter and Facebook have serious issues with the amount of fake profiles used to promote and distribute fake content. A better approach would be to build tools that quickly highlight the authenticity of news, tweets and shares and possibly a reputation system of some sort. The problem with that is the fact mainstream media use the same tactics and also excel at building fake narratives albeit with more resources and finesse.

The opposite reaction had to happen and we ended up with the situation today.

Its a complete cluster**** if you ask me.

Normally I'm against banning a few of the sites but banning twitter won't have any adverse effect for Pakistan.
IMHO in terms of utility YouTube >> (Facebook + Twitter). Youtube should never be banned because it has a lot of pros especially for education and other positive activation but facebook and twitter have much less utility and among the two ....twitter is has the least. Facebook in fact a lot of negative effects ... so in principle it should be banned.

 

[El Sidd]

Such censorship NEVER works for its stated objectives, no matter how fine and desired they may be regarded by the establishment. It N E V E R works. Ever.

This is No censorship.

Just #FakeNews filtering

 

[Pindi Boy]

very well said?

Such censorship NEVER works for its stated objectives, no matter how fine and desired they may be regarded by the establishment. It N E V E R works. Ever.

why are Champions of Freedom of expression censoring Russia based Twitter/Facebook accounts?

 

[cloud4000]

If Pakistan bans Twitter, for whatever reasons, they will only be hurting themselves. People use it to promote Pakistan as much to criticize it. Nevertheless, it's up to Pakistanis to decide: their country, their rules.