ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) confirmed on Saturday the nationwide ban of the popular online encyclopedia, Wikipedia, the latest censorship under the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government.
The ban was imposed due to the website’s failure to comply with the PTA’s directives to remove what it called sacrilegious content within the 48-hour deadline given, it said in a statement.
Wikipedia, known for its free and crowdsourced information, is widely used by millions of people worldwide as a starting point for basic knowledge.
On Wednesday, the PTA degraded Wikipedia’s services across the country as a result of its non-compliance with the removal of controversial content from the website.
According to a PTA spokesperson Malahat Obaid, the website failed to respond to the regulator’s requests and did not take down the content in question. The ban has been imposed primarily due to the non-compliance of Wikipedia with the PTA’s orders.
However, the spokesperson added the decision could be reviewed once the website removes the sacrilegious content identified by the regulatory authority.
The decision comes a day after the Wikimedia Foundation, the charity that runs Wikipedia, said it “does not make decisions around what content is included on Wikipedia or how that content is maintained”.
Wikipedia has been blocked in Pakistan.
Today, Pakistan’s Telecommunications Authority blocked @Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects in the country.
Follow the thread for more information 🧵⬇️ (1/4)https://t.co/8xM73if9B2
— Wikimedia Foundation (@Wikimedia) February 4, 2023
It added this is “by design to ensure that articles are the result of many people coming together to determine what information should be presented on the site, resulting in richer, more neutral articles”.
“We believe that access to knowledge is a human right. A block of Wikipedia in Pakistan denies the fifth most populous nation in the world access to the largest free knowledge repository. If it continues, it will also deprive everyone of access to Pakistan’s history and culture,” it said.
“We hope that the Pakistan government joins with the Wikimedia Foundation in a commitment to knowledge as a human right and restores access to Wikipedia and Wikimedia projects promptly, so that the people of Pakistan can continue to receive and share knowledge with the world.”
Currently, users are unable to access the website, which displays the message “this site cannot be reached.”
Freedom of speech advocates have long criticised what they say is creeping government censorship and control of Pakistan’s internet and printed and electronic media.
“The ban is disproportionate, unconstitutional, and quite ridiculous,” said Usama Khilji, a digital rights activist.
The ban is disproportionate, unconstitutional, and quite ridiculous. This will impact students, academia, the healthcare sector, researchers, and downgrade investor confidence in Pakistan due to the uncertainty & arbitrariness of censorship.
Spoke to AFP: https://t.co/urr5bC9v3M
— Usama Khilji (@UsamaKhilji) February 3, 2023
“This will impact students, academia, the healthcare sector, researchers, and downgrade investor confidence in Pakistan due to the uncertainty and arbitrariness of censorship,” he added.
— With AFP
