Social media companies have not registered with the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) as of the latest reports. The PTA had previously directed social media companies to adhere to Rule 7 of the Removal and Blocking of Unlawful Online Content Rules, 2021, in October 2021.
These compliance requirements mandated both registration with the PTA and the appointment of a local officer responsible for grievances and compliance. The PTA has not yet received confirmation of compliance from the companies involved.
Regarding technical limitations, the PTA informed the Islamabad High Court that selectively blocking individual content across major social media platforms presents technical difficulties. This difficulty stems from leading platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Google, and X, using the secure Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) for data transmission between users and their servers.
Telecom operators can identify the platform or web server a user connects to but cannot view the specific resource accessed through an encrypted connection. Consequently, the PTA can approach these companies via official channels to request the removal of specific content.
Blocking a single post, video, or page on an HTTPS-based platform may require assistance from the concerned company. The alternative technical measure involves blocking access to an entire website or platform on a best-effort basis.
Furthermore, the PTA advised the Islamabad High Court that it lacks the legal power to prohibit children under 16 from using social media. The PTA also stated it does not possess the legal authority to mandate age verification across all platforms.
While Section 37 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), 2016, permits the PTA to remove or block unlawful online content under specified legal grounds, the PTA cannot unilaterally set a minimum age or enforce universal age verification through an administrative order.
