In a significant development, it has been disclosed that X (formerly known as Twitter) has been blocked in Pakistan due to its non-compliance with local regulations. Government sources informed that X did not adequately address the presence of illegal content, with only a fraction of flagged material being removed. The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) reportedly sent over 67,000 links to Twitter for blocking, but the platform only acted upon some of them. Additionally, Twitter’s response to content deemed blasphemous was considered insufficient by authorities.
This action follows repeated warnings to Twitter to comply with Pakistani laws, including specific instructions to block content violating regulations. PTA had already submitted a report to the Ministry of Information Technology regarding Twitter’s non-compliance, recommending strict measures such as platform suspension and significant fines.
The prolonged disruption of social media platform X in Pakistan has exceeded ten days, raising significant questions about the country’s access to digital communication and freedom of expression. X, which was blocked on February 17th, remains inaccessible to users across Pakistan as of February 27th.
During this disruption, social media users in Pakistan have resorted to using Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) to access X (Twitter). However, reports suggest that government measures to block VPNs are hindering users’ ability to bypass the restrictions, increasing frustrations among the online community.
However, despite the court’s orders, implementation remains elusive, prolonging the period of restricted access for users and exacerbating concerns regarding digital rights.
