Wikipedia is a free online encyclopedia, created and edited by volunteers around the world
Islamic:
Pakistan has blocked Wikipedia after the site refused to remove offensive or blasphemous material, according to a media report on Saturday.
The blacklisting of Wikipedia comes days after the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA) downgraded Wikipedia’s services for 48 hours, threatening to block it if content deemed ‘blasphemous’ was not removed, the newspaper said. The News reported.
When a PTA spokesman was contacted Friday night and asked about blocking Wikipedia, the official confirmed that “yes” it was blocked.
At the direction of the supreme court, the PTA has degraded – disrupting and slowing access to the encyclopedia – website for 48 hours because of blasphemous content on it.
Wikipedia is a free online encyclopedia, created and edited by volunteers around the world and hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation.
A spokesperson for the PTA stated that Wikipedia has been asked to block/remove said content by issuing a notice.
The opportunity for a hearing was also provided; however, the platform did not comply by removing blasphemous content nor appearing before the authorities.
As part of the platform’s deliberate non-compliance with PTA guidelines, Wikipedia’s services were degraded for 48 hours with instructions for blocking/removing reported content.
The spokesperson said the restoration of Wikipedia’s services will be reviewed if illegal content is reported blocked/removed.
Social media giants Facebook and YouTube were previously blocked for content deemed blasphemous.
Blasphemy is a sensitive issue in Muslim-majority Pakistan.
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