The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has initiated a major crackdown against individuals and groups running anti-state campaigns on social media platforms. According to a PTA spokesperson, over 13,000 videos promoting extremist agendas have been blocked on TikTok.
The PTA has also blocked 3,941 TikTok URLs linked to banned organizations. In addition, 13,017 more videos containing content against security agencies have been taken down, the spokesperson said.
Following the Jafar Express tragedy, the PTA contacted all major social media platforms, including Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok, instructing them to take effective measures against the spread of fake news. The PTA has reported anti-state content to these platforms and identified 1,342 URLs involved in propaganda after the Jafar Express attack.
The spokesperson further stated that social media accounts spreading content related to the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) have been identified. From March 11 to March 28, the PTA actively monitored anti-state content on social media.
The process of identifying and blocking such content continues in response to complaints from security agencies. So far, more than 113,000 anti-state URLs have been blocked.
The PTA emphasized that it will not allow terrorist narratives to spread on social media and reiterated that social media platforms will not be permitted to be used against the state.