SnackVideo, BIGO Live and Likee have become the first social media platforms to register with Pakistan Telecommunication Authority.
Under the ‘Removal and Blocking of Unlawful Online Content (Procedure, Oversight and Safeguards) Rules, 2021,’ the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has begun the registration of social media companies.
Section 37 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016, has been developed by the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication.
In this context, Joyo Technology Pakistan Pvt Ltd (#SnackVideo) and #BIGO Service Pakistan Pvt Ltd (BIGO Live, Likee) are the first to register with PTA. pic.twitter.com/KvS3SabOHU
— PTA (@PTAofficialpk) January 14, 2022
The authority has begun the registration of international and local social media enterprises under the new social media guidelines and Joyo Technology Pakistan Pvt Ltd (SnackVideo) and BIGO Service Pakistan Pvt Ltd (BIGO Live, Likee) are the first to register with PTA.
Read more: PTA blocks Bigo, issues final warning to TikTok to control ‘immoral, obscene content’
Companies like Twitter, Facebook, and TikTok will be required to fill out a registration form and send it to PTA via email or post. The applicants would have to explain the company’s foundation, the service’s features, and its userbase in Pakistan, according to a representative of PTA.
Meanwhile, companies with more than 500,000 users will be required to fill out a separate form.
The Ministry of Information and Technology issued a statement last month enforcing the new social media guidelines. The following are the changes that were made:
- Within three months, social media companies must register with the PTA.
- Establishment of a Pakistani office for social media platforms.
- The PTA would give a social media provider 48 hours instead of 24 hours to remove or prevent access to online content.
The new laws, according to IT Minister Aminul Haque, will grant Pakistanis full freedom of expression under Article 19 of the Constitution. The new regulations will only serve to keep the country in touch with social media organizations.
