Pakistan banned TikTok last week, with a high court pointing to “objectionable” content as the reason behind the move.
It’s also possible the prime minister was just tired of being skewered by teens.
TikTok has been targeted all over: Cybersecurity concerns led India to ban TikTok last year and prompted the U.S. to seek action (it never got far enough for a ban, though). The key concern was parent company ByteDance’s relationship to the Chinese government. Pakistan, an ally of China, had a different reason.
It was about the content: One of the country’s highest courts ruled “TikTok videos are peddling vulgarity in society.”
Not everyone buys the explanation
Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan has been crusading against the app since last fall. He even enacted a short-lived ban back then.
Media personality Najam Sethi tweeted the ban was actually due to users “poking fun of the great leader.”
The Verdict
The ban won’t go over smoothly. Tech companies have already banded together as the Asia Internet Coalition to protest Pakistan.
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