Pakistani government bans Tinder and other dating apps

The ban does not affect the other matrimonial apps such as Shadi.pk or singlemuslims.com

Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) announced the blockade on its official account

Pakistani government bans Tinder and other dating apps. The PTA sent an announcement on its social media accounts. The announcement says that “Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has blocked blocked access to five dating/live streaming applications i.e. Tinder, Tagged, Skout, Grindr and SayHi.”

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It further adds that it is to stop immoral and indecent content sharing in the country. The official statement is given below:

“In view of negative effects of immoral/indecent content streaming through above applications, PTA issued notices to the management of above mentioned platforms for the purpose of removing dating services & moderate live streaming content in accordance with local laws of Pakistan.”

It is unclear how PTA has started moral policing of internet suggesting that these apps are promoting immoral behaviors. The ban does not affect the other matrimonial apps such as Shadi.pk or singlemuslims.com. It means that PTA has no issue with online matrimonial services. However, it does not want the boys and girls to directly engage in conversation.

Ensuring Halal Relationships on Internet

Through this, PTA has opened up a Pandora box. Now, who will be ensuring that a man and woman does not speak on the internet without the consent of their parents or guardians. And how does it confirm that the people on shadi.pk or singlemuslims.com, or any other such site are following the halal means of relationship.

A simple final word came from PTA. It states, “Since the platforms did not respond to the notices within the stipulated time therefore the Authority issued orders for blocking of the said applications.”

Here is an image of the official press release. PTA is sharing it to its social media users:

Press Release of Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA)

Source: PTA official account

The Pakistani government has recently had several skirmishes with the global tech giants including Facebook, YouTube and other entities. A news report suggested that government is mulling over a ban on YouTube in Pakistan. This suggestion was widely criticized as it could cut off the income of several content creators in the country.