PTA bans live streaming app Bigo, issues final warning to TikTok over obscene content

 Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has decided to ban live streaming application Bigo, citing complaints from people regarding the “immoral, obscene and vulgar” content. Morever, the authority also issued a “final warning” to video-sharing service TikTok over problematic content on the platforms. The PTA said the video sharing apps were having negative effects on the society in general and the youth in particular.

Earlier this month, the PTA temporarily suspended online game PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) despite a lot of criticism from PUBG players.

Read also: Tragic fate of digitization in Pakistan: PUBG ban hurts unemployed youth and future of eSports

The move has also been opposed by Science and Technology Minister Fawad Chaudhry who said the banning culture was “killing the tech industry”.

The PUBG ban in Pakistan has stirred up a lot of controversy, leaving the egaming audience agitated and hopeless. Digital rights groups say there is no legal basis for a video game to be censored, and the PTA has not cited any legal provision for going ahead with this “ban”.

Source: Dawn