Pakistan lays down the law on text words
Source: Agencies |
November 19, 2011, Saturday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
TEXTERS in Pakistan had better start watching their language.
The country's telecommunications authority has ordered cellphone companies to block text messages containing what it perceives as obscenities, according to Anjum Nida Rahman, a spokeswoman for Telenor Pakistan.
It has also sent a list of more than 1,500 English and Urdu words to be blocked.
The order was part of the regulator's attempt to block spam messages, Rahman said. Many of the banned words are sexually explicit terms or swear words, including relatively mild terms such as "fart" and "idiot."
The reasons for blocking some words, including Jesus Christ, headlights and tampon, were less clear. Any word could conceivably be part of a spam message.
The order was dated November 14 and gave cellphone companies seven days to implement it.
Rahman said her company first received the order on Thursday and was discussing how to proceed.
"It is a big issue, so it is being examined carefully from all points of view," said Rahman.
A letter sent to the company said the order was legal under a 1996 law preventing people from sending information through the telecommunications system that is "false, fabricated, indecent or obscene." It also stated that free speech can be restricted "in the interest of the glory of Islam."
Pakistan has blocked porno-graphic websites and those deemed anti-Islamic. Last year, it temporarily banned Facebook because of material on the site deemed offensive to Islam.
The country's telecommunications authority has ordered cellphone companies to block text messages containing what it perceives as obscenities, according to Anjum Nida Rahman, a spokeswoman for Telenor Pakistan.
It has also sent a list of more than 1,500 English and Urdu words to be blocked.
The order was part of the regulator's attempt to block spam messages, Rahman said. Many of the banned words are sexually explicit terms or swear words, including relatively mild terms such as "fart" and "idiot."
The reasons for blocking some words, including Jesus Christ, headlights and tampon, were less clear. Any word could conceivably be part of a spam message.
The order was dated November 14 and gave cellphone companies seven days to implement it.
Rahman said her company first received the order on Thursday and was discussing how to proceed.
"It is a big issue, so it is being examined carefully from all points of view," said Rahman.
A letter sent to the company said the order was legal under a 1996 law preventing people from sending information through the telecommunications system that is "false, fabricated, indecent or obscene." It also stated that free speech can be restricted "in the interest of the glory of Islam."
Pakistan has blocked porno-graphic websites and those deemed anti-Islamic. Last year, it temporarily banned Facebook because of material on the site deemed offensive to Islam.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
