Following India’s ban on TikTok, the Lahore High Court on Tuesday heard a petition filed by a lawyer seeking a ban on the popular social media platform in Pakistan owing to its ‘vulgar content’. The petition filed in the HC stated that the use of the app in the country had caused a rise in cases of ‘blackmailing and harassment.’ It also stated that TikTok was harming ‘the social fabric’ of Pakistan adding that it was ‘peddling vulgarity’ in the country.
Appealing to the Lahore HC, the petition demanded that directions be given to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), to permanently ban TikTok owing to its ‘highly objectionable and problematic content’. Earlier, the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA) had taken a call on popular gaming app PUBG and banned its use across Pakistan. The PTA forbade the use of the game as it is reportedly promoted ‘unhealthy behaviour’ among children including triggering a series of suicides owing to game addiction.
Netizens react
Meanwhile, while netizens agreed that this could be a good move by Pakistan, most were unsure if such a ban on a Chinese app would be allowed given the symbiotic relationship between the Imran Khan-led government and Xi Jinping.
India bans 59 Chinese Apps
On June 29, the Home Ministry banned 59 Chinese Apps including TikTok, UC Browser, SHAREit and WeChat. The Centre stated that it has received many complaints from various sources including several reports about the misuse of these apps for stealing and surreptitiously transmitting users’ data in an unauthorized manner to servers which have locations outside India. The move also came amid the rising tensions between India and China following the violent faceoff along the LAC in Galwan valley. TikTok however, in particular, had raised red flags for its ‘vulgar content’ against women previously as well when the Madras High Court banned the app for a brief while in April 2019, for hosting ‘pornographic and sleazy’ content.
