Senate Panel Grills PTA on Online Anti-State Propaganda

ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Information Technology reviewed the issue of social media content blocking in Pakistan during a recent meeting, raising concerns over the spread of negative propaganda during times of national crisis.

Committee Chairperson Palwasha Khan expressed concern that negative propaganda against the state continued across social media platforms during the recent conflict. The official questioned what steps the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) had taken regarding social media content blocking in the country.

The committee inquired whether PTA had taken any action, including blocking specific YouTube channels involved in disseminating anti-state material.

PTA Responds to Content Blocking Measures

PTA Chairman Major General (R) Hafeez Ur Rehman explained that the authority has two main options when addressing such issues: blocking the entire channel or targeting specific content. He clarified that PTA evaluates the nature of each complaint it receives before taking action.

According to the chairman, the PTA has not received any direct request to block entire social media accounts. However, the authority handles a high volume of daily complaints — around 300 per day — regarding harmful or objectionable online content.

To streamline the content blocking process, PTA has developed a dedicated portal for government agencies to submit complaints. Over the last five months, PTA received more than 45,000 complaints.

Out of these, 72% were related to Facebook, 76% to TikTok, and more than 90% were linked to YouTube, showing the growing pressure to regulate social platforms in the country.

Senator Kamran Murtaza stressed the need for social media companies to establish offices in Pakistan to improve accountability. He pointed out that such platforms have not considered Pakistan a serious market in the past, resulting in limited local cooperation.

The PTA chief informed that the authority takes action whenever anti-state content is identified, highlighting the challenges in enforcing regulations amid the global nature of digital platforms.