[Current Affairs] October 12,2020 Top Pakistan Current Affairs for Entry Test Preparation

What’s going on? On Friday, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) said it was banning Chinese-owned video sharing app, TikTok, due to numerous complaints about immoral/indecent content. Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan also accused TikTok of promoting obscenity and vulgarity. PTA already gave TikTok a warning, but the app’s administrators reportedly didn’t address their concerns.

The details: Govt critics think the move to ban TikTok was more about politics, and less about morals. For example, Pakistani journalist, Najam Sethi, claimed that PTA banned TikTok because people on the app were making fun of Pakistan’s leadership. TikTok fans in Pakistan reportedly made videos ranging from dance numbers to monologues about society, politics and daily life. Political content on TikTok soared in the wake of COVID-19 and economic hardships. Videos that criticized the govt also started popping up.

Tell me more: TikTok had around 20 million active monthly users in the country. PTA is open to more talks with the company if TikTok takes steps to moderate “unlawful content.” ByteDance, the Chinese company that owns TikTok, said it was committed to following the law, and was in touch with Pakistani regulators.

The bottom line: Many analysts and journalists reportedly claim the TikTok ban is serving two purposes: Appeasing conservatives, and suppressing criticism about PM Khan. However, the PM’s point person on digital media, Arslan Khalid, said the TikTok ban doesn’t have anything to do with political criticism.

In more tech related news: PM Khan had a virtual meeting with Facebook Chief Operating Officer (COO), Sheryl Sandberg. PM Khan said he would welcome Facebook investments in Pakistan. These investments would support Pakistani incubators and digital literacy initiatives. He thinks digital platforms can provide global opportunities to Pakistan’s youth and entrepreneurs. He believes digital platforms can also give poorer people a chance to climb out of poverty. His concerns about hate speech even came up.