PTA sends notices to Google and Wikipedia for disseminating 'sacrilegious content'

• PTA had received multiple complaints against  both the platforms 
• PTA says if platforms remain non-compliant then it will act under PECA and Rules 2020

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on Friday sent notices to Google and Wikipedia for disseminating "sacrilegious content".  

In a press release, the regulator said that it was acting against tech giant Google after it received multiple “complaints" seen on the its search results regarding the ‘Present Khalifa of Islam’ and an "unauthentic version of Holy Quran uploaded on Google Play Store”.

The PTA said that it has approached Google and ordered it "to immediately remove the unlawful content" and informed it that the issue was of a "very serious nature".

"The platform has been issued with the notice under Removal and Blocking of Unlawful Online Content (Procedure, Oversight and Safeguard) Rules 2020 ("Rules") to remove the sacrilegious content to avoid any legal action by the regulator," the statement read.

The PTA also said that it had received complaints against online encyclopedia Wikipedia for "hosting of caricatures of Holy Prophet (PBUH) and dissemination of misleading, wrong, deceptive and deceitful information through articles portraying Mirza Masroor Ahmad as a Muslim".

The PTA said that they have served the platform with a notice after "extensive communication" to remove the "sacrilegious content to avoid any legal action".

"In case the platforms remain non-compliant, PTA shall be constrained to initiate further action under Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act 2016 (PECA) and Rules 2020," said the regulator.