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Tag: tiktok

  • Banning culture

    Banning culture

    Earlier this week, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) said in a statement that due to a number of complaints from “different segments of society against immoral/indecent content on the video sharing application TikTok”, it has issued instructions to block the popular video-sharing app.

    This comes after a final warning to TikTok was issued in July over explicit content posted on the platform. PTA says TikTok was given “considerable time to respond and comply with” instructions for development of an effective mechanism for proactive moderation of “unlawful online content” but TikTok “failed to fully comply” with the regulator’s instructions.

    Special Assistant to Prime Minister of Pakistan on Political Communication Dr Shahbaz Gill tweeted that several parents complained against the app on the Prime Minister Portal and said that their young children are being misled by the app’s content, which is against our religion and culture. One is bewildered why these parents felt the need to complain to the state regarding an app being used by their children instead of stopping them from using this app and limiting and monitoring their technology usage.

    It is the duty of parents to keep an eye on their children’s activities. We have seen that most parents give tablets or cell phones to children at a very young age and do not control what they see or do. Instead of encouraging their children to read books or play outdoor games or indulge in other healthy activities, a lot of parents worldwide give their children access to the internet and gadgets when even tech giants like Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg have a very strict policy for their children when it comes to technology. According to Business Insider, Gates, the former CEO of Microsoft, implemented a cap on screen time in 2007 when his daughter started developing an unhealthy attachment to a video game. He also did not let his children get cell phones until they turned 14. Zuckerberg wants his daughters August and Maxima to spend time reading books of all kinds instead of getting lost in technology at a young age.

    This is what these parents should have also done instead of asking the state to ban an app that is not just popular but has made money for many of its users. TikTok is an app that is used a lot by lower middle class or poorer sections of our society. A lot of Pakistani TikTok stars have now made it big due to their huge following on this platform. They are earning their livelihoods due to their popularity on TikTok. It is a platform where they display their talent. It is unfortunate that we have now banned an app that is being used for earning livelihoods in a country plagued by unemployment.

    Moral policing is something we should all be way off. Who would have thought that a biscuit advertisement with a few dance sequences would cause such controversy that the regulatory authority would issue an advisory to advertisers on how to make ads for their products? On October 5, the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) issued an advisory for broadcasters and advertisers, which says: “It has been observed with concerns that themes of advertisements of ordinary consumer products like biscuits, surf, etc. being aired on satellite TV channels are not corresponding with the disposition of these products.” This led to some channels pulling the add off air.

    It is time that we stop regulating people’s lives, what they see, and their creativity. People need to express themselves in different ways and they should be allowed to do so as long as they are not breaking any rules or endangering someone’s life, including their own. Regulations lead to more censorship. We certainly do not need more of it.

  • Govt bans TikTok

    Govt bans TikTok

    The Government of Pakistan has banned TikTok due to “immoral/indecent” content being shared on the social media platform. 

    According to details, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) issued instructions for the blocking of the application across the country. 

    Keeping in view the complaints and nature of the content being consistently posted on TikTok, PTA issued a final notice to the application and gave it considerable time to respond and comply with the Authority instructions for the development of an effective mechanism for proactive moderation of unlawful online content.

    However, the application failed to fully comply with the instructions, therefore, directions were issued for blocking of TikTok application in the country.

    TikTok has been informed that the Authority is open for engagement and will review its decision subject to a satisfactory mechanism by TikTok to moderate unlawful content.

    According to Tiktok’s transparency report, the social media app had earlier issued a statement that the company had “removed 3,728,162 user videos that were found in violation of regulations from Pakistan from July 1 to December 31, 2019, 

    Earlier, in an interview, Minister for Information Minister and Broadcasting Senator Shibli Faraz said that Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan had remarked that the video-sharing app is affecting society’s values badly and should be blocked.

     “PM Imran is extremely concerned about the ‘growing obscenity and vulgarity’ in the society and has directed all relevant sections to check the trend before it destroys the socio-religious values of Pakistani society,” Senator Faraz had said. 

  • PM Imran Khan wants Tiktok to be banned

    PM Imran Khan wants Tiktok to be banned

    Prime Minister Imran Khan is of the view that social media apps like TikTok are affecting the society’s values badly and should be blocked, Information Minister Shibli Faraz said in an interview with The News.

    Speaking to the publication, Faraz said, “PM Imran is extremely concerned about the ‘growing obscenity and vulgarity’ in the society and has directed all the relevant sections to check the trend before it destroys the socio-religious values of Pakistani society.”

    The information minister added that the Prime Minister had talked about this issue with him not once or twice but 15 or 16 times and wants a complete strategy to check the vulgarity spreading through mainstream outlets, social media and its applications.

    Read more – Pakistanis are outraged with PTA for blocking Tinder

    PM Khan’s opinion has social media divided but actor Ahmed Ali Butt supported the premier’s point of view. Feroze Khan had also earlier referred to TikTok as ‘cancer’.

    Earlier, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) had issued a final warning to TikTok ordering it to filter out obscene and immoral content after it banned live streaming application Bigo over similar concerns.

    The PTA has also directed internet operators to ensure that no “immoral or illegal” content is made accessible to users.

  • Three men drown in Karachi while filming TikTok video

    Three men drowned in a huge pond while making a TikTok video in Karachi’s Rais Goth on Sunday.

    According to reports, three friends, residents of Kemari Town, went to Rais Goth for a picnic where they decided to film a TikTok video at the bank of a pond situated near a stone crushing plant in the area.

    One of the friends slipped and fell into the pond. His friends then jumped into the pond to rescue him but unfortunately, they all drowned. 

    Also Read: VIDEO: Police arrest TikToker for risking his life for TikTok video

    After receiving emergency calls, police and rescue officials hurried to the spot and recovered their bodies from the pond which were then shifted to the hospital for medico-legal formalities.

    The deceased were identified as Shehzad, Sajjad and Zubair.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJvdsrb_RIg&feature=emb_title

    Earlier on July 21, a boy had drowned in the Khanpur Dam while trying to take a selfie. The 20-year old was taking a selfie at the edge of the dam. According to details, a 20-year-old was attempting to take a selfie while standing at the edge of the dam when he suddenly lost his balance and fell into the dam. 

  • VIDEO: Police arrest TikToker for risking his life for TikTok video

    A boy who got hit by a train while recording a TikTok video in Abbottabad has been arrested. Umar Hayat was shooting a video of himself near the railway tracks of the Haripur station.

    In the video, Hayat can be seen posing beside the railway tracks while one of his friends was filming him. It looked like he misjudged the distance between him and the train and was hit by one of its handles on the back of his head. 

    Read more – TikTok reunites man with family after more than a year

    The boy survived and was later arrested by the police.

    According to the details, a case under Section 325 (attempt to commit suicide) of the Pakistan Penal Code and Section 122A1 of the Railways Act, 1980 has been registered against him.

  • VIDEO: TikToker Adil Rajput’s wife responds to backlash after faking husband’s death

    TikTok star Adil Rajput’s wife Farah Rajput recently shared a video of herself crying and announcing the news of her husband’s death.

    “Adil is no longer with us,” she said in tears. Farah said she got a call and was told that Adil had passed away in a road accident.

    Later, Farah posted another video in which Adil is seen meeting relatives with several injuries on his body.

    After she posted the video of her husband coming home alive, people on social media started calling them out for their “publicity stunt”.

    https://twitter.com/han3yy/status/1305899775569653760?s=20

    Following the backlash, Farah recorded another video in which said that she got a call from Adil’s brother. She shared that Adil was unconscious for hours because of which his brother “panicked” and declared him dead.

    “Please, I request you all to stop spreading fake and authentic news,” asserted Farah.

    Hailing from Rahim Yar Khan, Rajput is a famous TikToker with over 2.6 million followers.

  • VIDEO: After Asif Magsi, Bhakkar youth jumps over 12 motorcycles

    VIDEO: After Asif Magsi, Bhakkar youth jumps over 12 motorcycles

    After Asif Magsi from Thatta, who jumped over 11 motorcycles, another young man — Dilawar Baloch — showed his talent by successfully jumping over 12 motorcycles in Bhakkar.

    According to details, the locals awarded Khan, a resident of Behl Nasheeb area of Bhakkar, a cash prize for his long jumping skills.

    Recently, the army recruited Magsi from Thatta after his video went viral on social media and said it would provide training to him.

  • TikTok launches Urdu version, updated community guidelines to moderate ‘vulgarity’

    TikTok launches Urdu version, updated community guidelines to moderate ‘vulgarity’

    After negotiations with the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), TikTok has not only upgraded its ‘Community Guidelines’, but also released its Urdu language version for Pakistani users.

    The platform is now localised and will work as per the local laws and norms. The new Community Guidelines provide general guidance about “what is and what is not allowed” on the platform to keep it a safe place for joy and creativity.

    TikTok has taken measures to remove content that violates the Community Guidelines and suspends or banned accounts involved in severe or repeated violations. (this sentence needs a little more clarity)

    TikTok has an in-app reporting feature for users to flag potentially inappropriate content or accounts to the management of the platform.

    These measures demonstrate TikTok’s commitm­e­­nt to removing any potentially harmful or inappropriate content reported in Pakistan.

    The content moderation is performed by deploying a combination of policies, technologies and moderation strategies to detect and review problematic content and accounts and implement appropriate penalties.

    After receiving complaints that some of the so-called funny videos being uploaded at TikTok are immoral, obscene, vulgar, and even hurt sentiments of respectable citizens, PTA issued a warning to TikTok on July 20.

  • TikTok reunites man with family after more than a year

    TikTok reunites man with family after more than a year

    TikTok has helped reunite a man with his brother and other family members in Sukkur.

    According to reports, the brother of the missing man recognised him after a video of his went viral on the video-sharing mobile application. He then approached the local police who helped him locate his missing brother, reuniting the missing person with his family.

    SSP Sukkur told media outlets that a man came to them claiming that the person who posed as a beggar in the viral video was his brother and asked for their assistance in locating him. He said that the missing man was identified as Arz Muhammad and that he was missing for more than a year. Muhammad’s family had also earlier registered a complaint with the police over his disappearance.

    TikTok is one of the most popular social media apps in the country. Recently, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) had issued a final warning to the app over obscene and immoral content. In a statement, the regulatory body said that complaints were received from different segments of society against immoral, obscene and vulgar content on social media applications particularly TikTok and Bigo.

    It also blamed the apps for bringing negative effects on society in general and youth in particular.

  • Microsoft to buy TikTok before September 15

    On Sunday, Microsoft said they are “prepared to explore a purchase of TikTok in the United States”.

    This is for the first time that Microsoft has confirmed they are in talks with ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, for the acquisition of the video-sharing platform.

    Microsoft has provided notice of their intent to purchase TikTok service in the countries like the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, which would result in Microsoft owning and operating TikTok services in these markets.

    It is not clear how Microsoft would divide market territories from other areas where TikTok operates, like Europe and Africa.

    The blog post describes the discussions as “preliminary” but addresses privacy concerns, it said the company would “ensure that all private data of TikTok’s American users are transferred to and remains in the United States.

    “To the extent that any such data is currently stored or backed-up outside the United States,” the post continues, “Microsoft would ensure that this data is deleted from servers outside the country after it is transferred.”

    The recent development came after a conversation between Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and President Donald Trump.

    “Microsoft fully appreciates the importance of addressing the President’s concerns. It is committed to acquiring TikTok after the complete security review and providing proper economic benefits to the United States, including the United States Treasury,” says Microsoft.

    The statement further says, “Microsoft wants to acquire TikTok in a matter of weeks, probably before September 15, 2020.”

    Microsoft will not purchase the platform entirely on its own investment but will ask investors to participate in the purchase of the platform.