Wikipedia blocked in Pakistan for not removing sacrilegious content
Technology
Wikipedia blocked in Pakistan for not removing sacrilegious content
ISLAMABAD (Web Desk) – The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has blocked the services of Wikipedia in the country for failing to remove sacrilegious contents.
The authority is yet to make an official announcement in this regard but users in different areas of the country reported that they were unable to access the website. When someone tries to access Wikipedia, a message appears on the screen stating: “This site can’t be reached”.
The development comes days after the PTA degraded the services of Wikipedia for 48 hours for not blocking/removing sacrilegious contents. It also warned that the platform will be blocked in Pakistan over non-compliant.
In the Feb 1 statement, the PTA said Wikipedia was approached for blocking/removal of the said contents by issuing a notice under applicable law & court order(s). An opportunity of hearing was also provided, however, the platform neither complied by removing the blasphemous content nor appeared before the PTA.
“Given the intentional failure on part of the platform to comply with the directions of PTA, the services of Wikipedia have been degraded for 48 hours with the direction to block/remove the reported contents,” the PTA statement reads.
The restoration of the services of Wikipedia will be reconsidered subject to blocking/removal of the reported unlawful contents. PTA is committed to ensuring a safe online experience for all Pakistani citizens according to local laws, the official statement said.
Wikipedia's Reaction
The Wikimedia Foundation, which hosts Wikipedia, has urged the Pakistani authorities to restore access to Wikipedia and Wikimedia projects in the country immediately.
“The Wikimedia Foundation received a notification from the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority on February 1, 2023, stating “the services of Wikipedia have been degraded for 48 hours” for failure to remove content from the site deemed “unlawful” by the government. The notification further mentioned that a block of Wikipedia could follow, if the Foundation failed to comply with the takedown orders. As of Friday, February 3, our internal traffic reports indicate that Wikipedia and Wikimedia projects are no longer accessible to users in Pakistan,” it said in a statement.
Saying that the world’s largest online encyclopedia, it highlighted English Wikipedia receives more than 50 million pageviews per month in Pakistan, followed by Urdu and Russian Wikipedias. “There is also a sizable and engaged community of editors in Pakistan that contribute historical and educational content. A block of Wikipedia in Pakistan denies the fifth most populous nation in the world access to the largest free knowledge repository. If it continues, it will also deprive everyone access to Pakistan’s knowledge, history, and culture,” reads the official statements.
It said Wikipedia was written by nearly 300,000 volunteer editors, adding that “this global community of volunteers has designed robust editorial guidelines that require strict citations and references to verified sources of information”.
“The Wikimedia Foundation does not make decisions around what content is included on Wikipedia or how that content is maintained. This is by design to ensure that articles are the result of many people coming together to determine what information should be presented on the site, resulting in richer, more neutral articles. We respect and support the editorial decisions made by the community of editors around the world. There are dedicated response channels available to individuals, organizations, or governments that would like to raise concerns about the site’s content directly with volunteer editors for their consideration and review. This contributes to Wikipedia’s transparency and upholds its collaborative model.”
The platform hoped that Pakistan would restores access to Wikipedia and Wikimedia projects promptly, so that the people of the country can continue to receive and share knowledge with the world.
