Crackdown intensifies on blasphemous content

Authorities have taken action against over 1.5 million illegal URLs and blocked 6.5 million domains carrying obscene content, the National Assembly was informed on Thursday.

A report, revealing the scale of online violations, including blasphemous and explicit material circulating on platforms such as TikTok, was submitted by the PTA and the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA). The report showed a rise in cyber-related offences over the past year.

According to the report, 545 cases of cyber harassment and 322 cases of hate speech were registered, alongside 187 cases involving fake information and 58 cases of child sexual abuse.

The data further showed that 360 women and 110 men were victims of cyber harassment, while hate speech affected 42 women and 273 men. Similarly, 21 women and 180 men were impacted by the spread of false information.

The NCCIA stated it was taking measures to curb blasphemous and obscene content online, reporting that over 600 such URLs had been blocked.

A total of 435 complaints were registered, leading to 98 inquiries and 42 cases, while 73 individuals were arrested in connection with such material. Courts have so far convicted three individuals.

Meanwhile, the PTA said its Web Monitoring System (WMS) was used to block millions of domains and had now been activated to enable the complete blocking of HTTPS websites, further strengthening enforcement capabilities against unlawful online content.