PTA approaches Youtube to remove 'vulgar, indecent' content

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on Wednesday announced that it had approached Youtube to remove vulgar and indecent content, ARY NEWS reported.

Taking to Twitter, the PTA announced that it has once again approached YouTube to immediately block vulgar, indecent, immoral, nude and hate speech content for viewing in Pakistan.

Press Release: PTA has once again approached ‘YouTube’ to immediately block vulgar, indecent, immoral, nude and hate speech content for viewing in Pakistan. pic.twitter.com/LoGUHWdEI5

— PTA (@PTAofficialpk) September 2, 2020

It said that the platform has been directed to put in place an effective content monitoring and moderation mechanism to expeditiously respond to PTA’s requests for removal of illegal and harmful online content.

The regulatory body said that it remains committed to facilitate and support YouTube to excel in Pakistan’s digital market while remaining compliant with local laws, societal norms and YouTube’s own community standards.

This is not the first time that the Youtube authorities are being asked to remove such content.

Earlier on August 28, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) had asked YouTube to remove “indecent” content and “hate speech”.

In a statement issued on Twitter, the PTA had said it had asked the video-sharing platform “to immediately block vulgar, indecent, immoral, nude and hate speech content for viewing in Pakistan”.

The state-run regulatory body had said YouTube must ensure that “objectionable content” is immediately blocked and that it is not used for “disseminating such content”.

The PTA had further announced that the Google-owned service was “directed to put in place an effective content monitoring and moderation mechanism so that the unlawful material is detected/deleted and not accessible within Pakistan”.