(ANSA) - KARACHI, 03 JUL - The popular TikTok platform is back in operation in Pakistan from today after the Sindh court judges 'temporarily' lifted the ban imposed on the platform, ordering it to take into consideration the complaints received on its 'indecent' content.
This was reported by an official of the Pakistani authority for telecommunications.
Users have confirmed that it works again.
On Thursday, the telecommunications authority blocked access to TikTok, owned by the Chinese group ByteDance, for the third time, after a Sindh court ruling on June 28 in favor of a citizen who accused the video-sharing platform for promoting obscenities. The court therefore indicated that a new hearing has been set for 8 July.
Free speech advocates have long criticized the Pakistani government's rampant censorship and control of the internet and media. TikTokera's new ban has been condemned by the platform's many fans in Pakistan, many of whom use it to market products. But critics of the app in this conservative Muslim country accuse it of promoting vulgar content or evoking LGBTQ communities. TikTok had already been shut down twice in Pakistan, the last time in March, due to videos deemed "indecent". The platform is committed to better moderating its content. The company said it removed more than six million videos in three months in Pakistan to avoid a permanent ban in the deeply conservative country. About 15% of removed videos were about "adult nudity and sexual activity ". (ANSA).