The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) blocked 88,035 unlawful and immoral URLs across social media platforms and the internet during the fiscal year 2024-25, according to official records.
The authority reported a 20 percent decline in the annual upload of immoral content. In the previous year, PTA had blocked 109,771 URLs, showing a significant year-on-year reduction. Officials said this decline resulted from better monitoring mechanisms and continuous coordination with social media platforms under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016.
Platform-specific data shows TikTok had the highest number of blocked links, with 35,000 web pages removed, followed by Facebook with 25,482, Instagram with 13,242, and YouTube with 8,586 links restricted. Other platforms like X (formerly Twitter) saw 2,103 URLs blocked, Likee had 991, and Snack Video had 345 pages removed.
A further breakdown reveals that 38,214 websites were blocked for hosting immoral content. Content against Pakistan’s defence and security led to 31,313 web pages being restricted. Another 7,608 URLs were blocked for material deemed offensive to Islam, while 6,269 websites spreading hate or sectarian content were shut down. PTA also blocked 2,498 URLs containing defamatory material and 353 websites related to contempt of court cases.
PTA officials emphasized that continuous enforcement and collaboration with social media companies have strengthened content regulation. The authority aims to ensure that digital platforms operate responsibly and comply with Pakistan’s legal standards.
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These measures reflect the PTA’s broad efforts to maintain a safe online environment. The regulatory body continues to monitor unlawful, immoral, and security-threatening content while promoting accountability on social media and digital platforms.
