Regulator says the web site had till late Friday to heed its warning, with out elaborating on the content material in query.
Pakistan has banned Wikipedia after threatening the crowd-sourced on-line encyclopedia over what it has labelled “sacrilegious content material”, the Wikimedia Basis introduced on Saturday.
Social media giants Fb and YouTube have additionally been blocked prior to now by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority over content material deemed blasphemous, a extremely delicate subject in Muslim-majority Pakistan. Their ban was lifted.
Based on native media outlet Daybreak, a PTA spokesperson mentioned the web site was blocked on Saturday on account of non-compliance with the establishment’s order.
The PTA on Wednesday mentioned the web site had till late Friday to heed the warning, with out elaborating on the content material in query.
“PTA has degraded Wikipedia companies within the nation on account of not blocking/eradicating sacrilegious contents,” the authority added.
Wikipedia has been blocked in Pakistan.
As we speak, Pakistan’s Telecommunications Authority blocked @Wikipedia and different Wikimedia tasks within the nation.
Comply with the thread for extra data 🧵⬇️ (1/4)https://t.co/8xM73if9B2
— Wikimedia Basis (@Wikimedia) February 4, 2023
The web site has beforehand confronted restrictions on a few of its pages.
In response to the PTA, the Wikimedia Basis – which runs Wikipedia – known as on Pakistani authorities to revive entry to the web site.
“We imagine that entry to data is a human proper. A block of Wikipedia in Pakistan denies the fifth most populous nation on the planet entry to the biggest free data repository,” it posted on Twitter on Saturday.
“We hope that the Pakistan authorities joins us in a dedication to data as a human proper and restores entry to Wikipedia and Wikimedia tasks promptly, in order that the individuals of Pakistan can proceed to obtain and share data with the world.”
Pakistanis on social media criticised the choice as a “regressive” transfer and a humiliation to the nation’s world picture.
It’s now confirmed that Wikipedia has been blocked in Pakistan. The motion is regressive, dangerous for Pakistan’s world picture and reveals a lack of awareness how crowd sourced/edited on-line data platforms work. PTA & Authorities must assessment this choice instantly.
— Taimur Malik (@taimur_malik) February 4, 2023
Freedom of speech advocates have lengthy criticised what they are saying is creeping authorities censorship and management of Pakistan’s web and printed and digital media.
Pakistan blocked YouTube from 2012 to 2016 after it carried a movie concerning the Prophet Muhammad that led to violent protests throughout the Muslim world.
In 2020, Pakistani regulators had requested YouTube to right away block all movies they contemplate “objectionable” from being accessed within the nation, a requirement criticised by rights campaigners.
Lately, the nation has additionally blocked the wildly standard video-sharing app TikTok a number of occasions over “indecent” and “immoral” content material.
The app, owned by China-based ByteDance, has been downloaded thousands and thousands of occasions in Pakistan.
