ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) announced on Wednesday that it has blocked a total of 844,008 websites for hosting obscene content.
The PTA, which is tasked with regulating internet services, stated that over 100,183 URLs have also been blocked for profane and immoral content.
In its statement, the authority emphasised that it is taking strict action against websites that spread offensive and immoral content on social media platforms.
The PTA is also blocking websites reported by citizens and government organisations.
According to the PTA, approximately 20 million attempts to access pornographic websites are made every day across the country, which are blocked at international gateways. However, users often bypass these blocks by using VPNs to access the restricted websites.
The PTA confirmed that it is taking all necessary steps to effectively block such content and is fully committed to curbing this issue.
Yesterday, the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony sent a letter to the PTA urging the telecom regulator to block blasphemous content on social media.
The ministry’s letter highlighted that Pakistan is among the countries with the highest viewership of adult content, calling this trend “alarming.”