After negotiations with the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), TikTok has not only upgraded its ‘Community Guidelines’, but also released its Urdu language version for Pakistani users.
The platform is now localised and will work as per the local laws and norms. The new Community Guidelines provide general guidance about “what is and what is not allowed” on the platform to keep it a safe place for joy and creativity.
TikTok has taken measures to remove content that violates the Community Guidelines and suspends or banned accounts involved in severe or repeated violations. (this sentence needs a little more clarity)
TikTok has an in-app reporting feature for users to flag potentially inappropriate content or accounts to the management of the platform.
These measures demonstrate TikTok’s commitment to removing any potentially harmful or inappropriate content reported in Pakistan.
The content moderation is performed by deploying a combination of policies, technologies and moderation strategies to detect and review problematic content and accounts and implement appropriate penalties.
After receiving complaints that some of the so-called funny videos being uploaded at TikTok are immoral, obscene, vulgar, and even hurt sentiments of respectable citizens, PTA issued a warning to TikTok on July 20.
TikTok has helped reunite a man with his brother and other family members in Sukkur.
According to reports, the brother of the missing man recognised him after a video of his went viral on the video-sharing mobile application. He then approached the local police who helped him locate his missing brother, reuniting the missing person with his family.
SSP Sukkur told media outlets that a man came to them claiming that the person who posed as a beggar in the viral video was his brother and asked for their assistance in locating him. He said that the missing man was identified as Arz Muhammad and that he was missing for more than a year. Muhammad’s family had also earlier registered a complaint with the police over his disappearance.
TikTok is one of the most popular social media apps in the country. Recently, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) had issued a final warning to the app over obscene and immoral content. In a statement, the regulatory body said that complaints were received from different segments of society against immoral, obscene and vulgar content on social media applications particularly TikTok and Bigo.
It also blamed the apps for bringing negative effects on society in general and youth in particular.
On Sunday, Microsoft said they are “prepared to explore a purchase of TikTok in the United States”.
This is for the first time that Microsoft has confirmed they are in talks with ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, for the acquisition of the video-sharing platform.
Microsoft has provided notice of their intent to purchase TikTok service in the countries like the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, which would result in Microsoft owning and operating TikTok services in these markets.
It is not clear how Microsoft would divide market territories from other areas where TikTok operates, like Europe and Africa.
The blog post describes the discussions as “preliminary” but addresses privacy concerns, it said the company would “ensure that all private data of TikTok’s American users are transferred to and remains in the United States.
“To the extent that any such data is currently stored or backed-up outside the United States,” the post continues, “Microsoft would ensure that this data is deleted from servers outside the country after it is transferred.”
The recent development came after a conversation between Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and President Donald Trump.
“Microsoft fully appreciates the importance of addressing the President’s concerns. It is committed to acquiring TikTok after the complete security review and providing proper economic benefits to the United States, including the United States Treasury,” says Microsoft.
The statement further says, “Microsoft wants to acquire TikTok in a matter of weeks, probably before September 15, 2020.”
Microsoft will not purchase the platform entirely on its own investment but will ask investors to participate in the purchase of the platform.
An official of Islamabad Traffic Police was suspended for allegedly making a TikTok video during duty hours. Director Inspector General (DIG) Security/Traffic Islamabad, Sarfaraz Falaki suspended the traffic policeman and ordered an inquiry into the matter.
According to details, Constable Yasir Aftab was on duty in Islamabad when he allegedly made a video while wearing a police uniform in an official vehicle and posted it on TikTok.
Officials of Islamabad police immediately took action against Aftab after the video surfaced on social media and suspended the officer for violating rules and regulations of the force.
Superintendent Police (SP) Islamabad Traffic Police (ITP), Khalid Rashid revealed that Aftab had been on leave but has been called in for the inquiry.
According to the spokesperson, Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) Police Chief, Muhammad Aamir Zulfiqar Khan had ordered all the officers to stay away from social media while on duty.
World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) legend The Undertaker shocked fans with a bombshell by creating an account on TikTok.
He was away from social media for the longest time but then he joined Twitter two years ago, and Instagram just last year. After creating an account on TikTok, the legend has over 59,000 followers on the app despite not posting anything as of yet.
Undertaker has preserved the nature of his character for the longest time and has a persona of a macho guy, that is why fans were stunned over the development given the content on TikTok doesn’t really go with the stature of his personality. Consequently, people started posting memes on Twitter.
Local politician and PML(N) leader, Arbab Khizer Hayat has apologised for Gul Panra’s viral music video, shot at a state-owned residence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
In a detailed clarification, Hayat said that he took Panra to the official residence as a family member where she recorded a Tik Tok dance video and aired it on social media, sparking controversy.
“On July 17, 2020, I went to District Landi Kotal to visit different historic sites in the area along with my family members,” said Hayat in his clarification statement. “Among the family members, I also had singer Gul Panra who joined us for the journey and we visited Michni Fort.”
He added that while visiting the area, he contacted Assistant Commissioner Khyber, Muhammad Imran and requested permission to have refreshments at his official residence. After refreshments, the family members began visiting the premises and inadvertently entered the residence from a back door, where the singer recorded a dance video, which later went viral.
Hayat said all that had happened without his knowledge and permission, so he sought apology from the quarters concerned for the singer’s mistake.
After the video went viral on social media, Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Mahmood Khan had ordered a probe into to the matter.
According to reports, the KP chief ordered an investigation into Panra’s video after it was reported that part of the TikTok video was shot at the Deputy Commissioner Khyber District’s bungalow in Landikotal. CM Khan also questioned who allowed the singer to enter the state-owned property. He asserted that action will be taken against those who allowed Panra access to the government building.
The committee formed to investigate the issue was led by the provincial home secretary and had been ordered to submit the report within 24 hours.
Earlier, the singer also shared pictures from her trip to Landikotal.
Panra shot to fame after she sang Man Aamadeh Am with Atif Aslam in Coke Studio Season 8. Some of her most popular Coke Studio songs include the rendition of Nazia Hasan’s Hawa Hawa and Rasha Mama.
This is not the first time a TikTok video has shown an internet celebrity walking around an official building. Prior to Panra, Pashtun singer Sofia Kaif was seen walking around what reports claim is the official residence of CM Mahmood Khan. Before Sofia, who had reportedly been invited as a singer to the ceremony at the CM House, Hareem Shah, had also been spotted walking around the Foreign Ministry’s office in a TikTok video.
Meanwhile, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority has issued a “final warning to Tik Tok to put in place a comprehensive mechanism to control obscenity, vulgarity and immorality through its social media application.”
Press Release: Number of complaints had been received from different segments of the society against immoral, obscene & vulgar content on social media applications particularly Tik Tok and Bigo, & their extremely negative effects on the society in general & youth in particular. pic.twitter.com/Zow1EuLj4N
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has issued a final warning to popular Chinese social networking app TikTok over obscene and immoral content as it banned live streaming application Bigo over similar concerns raised by the general public.
TikTok allows users to make video clips, lip sync to songs and create short videos, and has time and again been criticised over the quality of content amid unparallel popularity among Pakistanis.
Last week, a civil miscellaneous application was filed in the Lahore High Court (LHC) demanding an immediate ban on TikTok, Dawn reported.
The petitioner said the app was a “great mischief of modern times” and had become a source of spreading pornography for the sake of fame and ratings on social media.
According to a statement released by the PTA late on Monday night, complaints were received from different segments of society against immoral, obscene and vulgar content on social media applications particularly TikTok and Bigo.
On complaints of immoral, obscene and vulgar content, streaming app Bigo has been blocked in Pakistan. TikTok has also been served with final warning on same grounds.
“PTA had issued necessary notices to the aforementioned social media companies under law to moderate the socialisation and content within legal and moral limits, in accordance with the laws of the country,” the statement said.
The PTA said the response of these companies was “not satisfactory”.
“Therefore, in exercise of its powers under PECA, the PTA has decided to immediately block Bigo and issue a final warning to TikTok to put in place a comprehensive mechanism to control obscenity, vulgarity and immorality through its social media application,” the statement said.
The Lahore Police has arrested a man who allegedly gang-rapeda girl with his two accomplices. The two reportedly became friends at a popular video-sharing app, TikTok.
According to reports, the victim girl filed a complaint at Millat Park police station in Lahore in which she accused three men of gang-raping her.
In her complaint, the girl stated that she became friends with a boy, Shiraz, through the TikTok app 20 days ago. Shiraz then called her to come to the Samanabad area on June 13. When she reached there, Shiraz asked her to sit in his car. Two men were already sitting in the vehicle.
The girl said that she was gang-raped by all three men on gunpoint inside the car.
Shayar by Sarmad Qadeer featuring TikTok star Jannat Mirza, which released on Friday, is trending at number one on YouTube Pakistan.
The song has been written and composed by Qadeer and produced by Bilal Saeed. It has been exclusively released through Saeed’s One Two Records.
According to the song’s makers, Shayar is a voice that will resonate with romantics everywhere.
The music video marks Mirza’s debut into the mainstream showbiz industry. Mirza has almost 7.5 million followers on the video-sharing social networking application TikTok.
A student of 10th grade accidentally shot himself while recording a video for TikTok.
As per reports, the boy Abdul Samad, a resident of Abbottabad was filming a video with a pistol when he accidentally pulled the trigger, critically injuring himself.
The body was taken to a nearby hospital for medico-legal formalities. The body of the deceased has been handed over to the family after post-mortem.
TikTok is a Chinese video-sharing social networking application used to create short dance, lip-sync, comedy and talent videos.
