PTA orders ISPs to block over 400,000 porn websites

Internet Service Providers(ISPs) all over Pakistan have been ordered to block access to a list of over 400,000 pornographic websites.

Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) is reportedly doubling down in its efforts to block Pakistanis from accessing a total of 429,343 websites that feature smut and pornographic material and are available on the web for anyone to see.

This move comes in light of a recent Supreme Court order by the Supreme Court which was issued on the 12th of January. Citing reasons such as the corruption of the youth, the Supreme Court asked the telecom sector’s regulatory body to take such remedial steps to control the nefarious phenomenon of obscenity and pornography.

Further on, the order states that since information is now freely available on the web in every field, the world has become so widespread that any person can acquaint himself with the latest developments taking place in the world

“But this information has to be qualified. It can’t be extended to include every nasty and nefarious phenomenon, which has the potential to corrupt and vitiate the youth. This aspect of the subject has to be thought over holistically so that the negative part of the information may not spoil our young generation.”

As a result, ISPs are now bound to block access to all these websites, even though it’ll come at a huge expense for implementing the system and special equipment to block such a large number of websites.

Censorship in our country is on the rise. Recently, the world’s most popular video-hub, YouTube, ended its 3-year period of censorship, but only after it introduced a localized version for the people of Pakistan. This move by PTA is an indication that censorship and government-backed blocking of websites is going to carry on.

Source- Tribune