PTA blocks Tinder, other dating apps over ‘immoral’ content

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Tuesday blocked access to Tinder and several other dating apps in a bid to control "immoral" and "indecent" content, just days after regulators threatened to shut down YouTube for similar reasons.

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) said it had barred users from accessing Tinder, Grindr, SayHi, Tagged and Skout after the social networking apps failed to "moderate... content in accordance" with Pakistan´s laws.

The PTA said the ban addressed the "negative effects of immoral/indecent content".

Shahzad Ahmad, director of digital rights group Bytes For All, slammed the PTA´s "moral policing".

"If adults choose to be on an app, it is not for the state to dictate whether they should use it or not," Ahmad told AFP.

He described the ban as "a completely ridiculous move" that people would find ways to circumvent.

Tinder did not immediately return a request for comment.

The PTA said the apps could request to have their blocks lifted if they show they are "moderating the indecent/immoral content through meaningful engagement".