THE Islamabad High Court’s directive to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority that it should review its ban on the short video-sharing app TikTok is a much-needed call for preserving the right to freedom of expression and digital rights in an environment of intimidation. This week, IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah raised some relevant and critical questions about the telecom authorities’ decision to ban the platform. The judge observed that the authority cannot use its powers in an “unbridled manner” to block access to a popular app just because of its misuse by a few users. He also dubbed the action as moral policing in an arbitrary manner, saying this is not the job of the PTA. He noted that the benefits of the platform outweigh the disadvantages, and questioned whether the PTA had even applied proper standards for judging obscenity or immorality. It also emerged that the PTA had not consulted the government before taking this controversial step.

The PTA’s disdain for TikTok is obvious, given how the authority jumps at every opportunity to ban it. But this also betrays the censor-happy authority’s poor understanding of the platform. TikTok allows its users the unfettered freedom to create anything, and encourages originality and humour. It is used by citizens of all ages, across the socioeconomic divide and in every corner of the country. TikTok users are not just people having harmless fun, they are also teaching skills, have a political voice and are talking about all kinds of experiences. The fact that our telecommunication authority fails to see the value in this content is unfortunate, and, instead, points to an appalling inclination to censor any platform that allows individuals to have a voice. Though platforms have more work to do to improve their community standards, it is unclear what the government’s reservations are. Lumping all the so-called objectionable content under the umbrella term of ‘obscenity’ is unacceptable, as is the lack of transparency in the regulator’s complaints. The fact that it has a history of policing ‘morality’ only compounds the problem. The PTA needs to engage with the government and communicate its reservations about the content it deems genuinely harmful. These reservations can then be taken to the platform for review. Consulting with digital rights experts and activists would be greatly beneficial in this process. This blanket ban on an app that democratises creativity and is a source of considerable income for scores of citizens is foolish and anti-people.

Published in Dawn, August 8th, 2021