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  Pakistan orders blocking of 400,000 porn sites

Pakistan orders blocking of 400,000 porn sites

AFP
Published : Jan 27, 2016, 6:21 am IST
Updated : Jan 27, 2016, 6:21 am IST

Pakistan has asked Internet companies to block more than 400,000 pornography websites, officials said on Tuesday, as part of a crackdown on what the top court calls “offensive content” in the Muslim-m

Pakistan has asked Internet companies to block more than 400,000 pornography websites, officials said on Tuesday, as part of a crackdown on what the top court calls “offensive content” in the Muslim-majority nation.

The move follows a Supreme Court order in January to ban online material considered blasphemous or objectionable in socially conservative Pakistan, where pornography is illegal and considered un-Islamic.

Major pornography website are already barred in Pakistan, though hundreds of thousands have fallen through the cracks of Internet censors.

“ISPs (Internet Service Providers) have been directed to block more than 400,000 websites having pornographic content,” a senior government official said.

Industry officials confirmed the move and said they have already started blocking sites, but it could take some time to complete.

Other websites, including Facebook and YouTube, have previously been banned as part of a government-led censorship campaign, and authorities continue to restrict thousands of online links. Last week, Pakistan lifted the years-long YouTube ban, in place since 2012.

Location: Pakistan, Islamabad