Online platforms

Letter July 27, 2020
This culture of banning serves no purpose

ISLAMABAD:

If some cars experience accidents, would the whole transport system be blocked? This analogy perfectly fits the present-day situation in Pakistan. In a country where fluctuating progress is seldom obstructed by the system, banning online platforms may be the final nail in coffin when it comes to restricting national progress.

The recent announcement of banning of PUBG and rumours around the subsequent ban of YouTube have quickly been met with huge backlash and resistance. Many celebrities and authority figures have also expressed their grievances against the ban by supporting the economic benefits that online platforms have for country. The fact is that banning YouTube is not a solution as such platforms have led to the creation of thousands of jobs over the years. The effect of such a decision would be multi-dimensional, with its repercussions also reverberating across the social and economic realm. The vague justification given by the PTA was that since they cannot remove objectionable content from international online platforms, it would be better to ban it altogether. What the authorities don’t realise is that this would only complicate matters further, with the contextual notion that many applications including Instagram and Facebook also share the same problem. If such a methodology is initiated, one knows where it will lead to.

This culture of banning serves no purpose apart from brushing problems under the rug, which would soon accumulate and give rise to further issues in the future. It is important for the authorities to keep their egos aside and understand the bigger picture.

Mustafa Shah

Published in The Express Tribune, July 27th, 2020.

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