NACTA says thousands of social media accounts blocked for spreading hatred, terrorism

National Counter Terrorism Authority said Saturday more than 19,000 social media had been taken down for inciting hate and spreading terrorism in the country.

Google, Facebook, and Twitter had taken down the 19,727 accounts involved in spreading hate and terrorism, the counter-terrorism agency said.

9,633 pages were spreading religious hatred, while 10,094 social media accounts were promoting terrorism and were blocked on the request of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, NACTA said.

NACTA said five websites, spreading terrorism-related material, were also blocked, adding a total of 24,038 social media-related complaints were filed in 2020.

The development comes after services of social media platforms Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, and Telegram were blocked for four hours in Pakistan on April 16.

"In order to maintain public order and safety, access to certain social media applications has been restricted temporarily," PTA had said in its explanation regarding the suspension of services.

Federal Minister for Information Fawad Chaudhry had regretted the blockage of social media sites across the country from 11am to 3pm, promising that he will try his best that the measure is not taken again in the future.

"I regret the three-hour suspension of social media and seek an apology over it," Chaudhry said in a statement on Friday.

"Every effort will be made to prevent a shutdown of social media in the future," said the federal minister.