ISLAMABAD: Is it conceivable for the Pakistani government to remove explicit and objectionable content from social networking websites, given that the Sindh High Court (SHC) has ordered prompt action against immoral content on social media and demanded the submission of a detailed report on the subject?
According to digital experts and transparency reports on major social networking networks, the government cannot remove the content itself. The government must file a request to gain or access data or remove information that violates local laws or community rules.
The counsel representing the Pakistan Telecommunication ability (PTA) further informed the SHC bench that the regulatory body lacks the ability to remove content from Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and other social media platforms.It must write to the authorities responsible for these social networking website companies.
For any immoral content or any user/account that violates the host country’s local laws, social networking services have their own set of regulations or community guidelines. If these guidelines or local laws are broken, social networking websites will either remove the content or block/remove the user/account from their platform.
According to the YouTube Community Guidelines Enforcement report, Pakistan is one of the top seven nations in the world with the highest number of videos deleted in the last year. Between July 2022 and September 2023, YouTube removed about 1.1 million videos at the request of the Pakistani government or in violation.
