The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) advised the National Assembly Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunication on Wednesday that it would be unable to delete problematic content from social media platforms promptly.
According to the committee, social media platforms such as Facebook and YouTube are among the most secure, with data stored outside of Pakistan. They claimed that PTA could do nothing unless the platforms themselves erased the information.
The PTA officials also told the committee that the body could only ask social media companies to remove immoral or offensive content but had no direct method to do so.
Furthermore, authorities informed the committee that the authority cannot assess the income earned by YouTube, Facebook, and other platforms in Pakistan and can only monitor the number of visitors on these platforms.
Romina Khurshid Alam, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM), questioned why Pakistan could not compel social media businesses to follow specific regulations despite the fact that they generate cash. According to IT Ministry officials, conversations with social media corporations are presently proceeding in this respect.
The PTA will contact the platform again in the order to sensitize its moderation personnel and guarantee that unlawful content is immediately deleted and repeat offenders are permanently barred from the network, according to the PTA.
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