A petition has been filed in the Lahore High Court (LHC) seeking an immediate ban on YouTube, Facebook, and TikTok in Pakistan.
The petition, submitted by a citizen named Aslam through Advocate Nadeem Sarwar, lists the federal government and the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) as respondents. The petitioner argued that YouTube channels are being misused for blackmailing and that immoral content is frequently uploaded to YouTube and Facebook to gain views and generate revenue without proper licensing.
The petition further claimed that fake videos are being shared on these platforms, and some vloggers are featuring women from their families in ways deemed harmful to societal values. The petitioner urged the court to enforce the Citizen Protection Rules and impose a complete shutdown of these social media platforms.
Notably, YouTube was previously banned in Pakistan in September 2012 after it failed to remove a blasphemous video that led to widespread protests. The ban was lifted in January 2016 when YouTube launched a localized version for Pakistan, enabling the government to request the removal of objectionable content.
Similarly, TikTok has faced multiple bans in Pakistan over concerns about immoral and indecent content. The platform was blocked in October 2020, March 2021, and July 2021, but these bans were later lifted after TikTok committed to stricter content moderation and adherence to local laws.
