Pakistan blocks Wikipedia over failure to remove blasphemous content

Pakistan blocked Wikipedia services after the platform failed to remove "blasphemous content", a report said. The action comes days after the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority or PTA warned of action in case of non-compliance. PTA said Wikipedia has been asked to block/remove sacrilegious content. It is currently unclear what Wikipedia is to remove.

The platform did not comply by removing the blasphemous content, nor did it appear before the authorities, the PTA said in a statement. On February 1, Wikipedia's services were "downgraded" for 48 hours due to "blasphemous content". The platform was reportedly blocked after a 48-hour period.

"Due to the platform's willful non-compliance with PTA guidelines, Wikipedia's services have been downgraded for 48 hours with instructions to block/remove the reported content," PTA said in a tweet.

The restoration of Wikipedia services will be reconsidered subject to the removal of reported illegal content, the regulator said. Interestingly, Wikipedia has an article on "Censorship of Wikipedia". It mentions that similar Wikipedia bans have occurred in countries including China, Iran, Myanmar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, Uzbekistan and Venezuela.