Pakistan Telecommunication Authority reports social media registration failures

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has informed the Islamabad High Court that social media companies have failed to comply with registration requirements for five years. Under Rule 7 of the 2021 Removal and Blocking of Unlawful Online Content Rules, platforms are required to register with the PTA and appoint local compliance and grievance officers. To date, the regulator reports that no platforms have responded to these requests.

In a separate legal matter regarding the protection of minors, the PTA stated it currently lacks the legal mandate to enforce mandatory age verification or restrict social media access for users under 16. The authority noted that its regulatory role is in transition following the Prevention of Electronic Crimes (Amendment) Act 2025, which will establish the Social Media Protection and Regulatory Authority (SMPRA).

The PTA highlighted significant technical hurdles, noting that HTTPS encryption used by platforms like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Google, and X prevents the regulator from identifying or blocking specific URLs. Consequently, the PTA is often limited to blocking entire domains on a “best-efforts basis,” a measure that can disrupt access to lawful content for millions of users.