Muhammad Zahid Rifat
Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) , headquartered in Islamabad, works within a given framework and performs the assigned tasks. One of its task is “To investigate and adjudicate on complaints and other claims made against licensees arising out of alleged contraventions of its Act”. Acting on this task, the PTA has just couple of days back imposed a ban on a somehow popular video-sharing app Tik Tok after receiving a number of complaints from different segments of the society , PTA had earlier given a final notice to Tik Tok and given the application considerable time to respond and comply with instructions for development of an effective mechanism for proactive moderation of unlawful online content. This step was taken after Tik Tok management failed to implement the directions of PTA quite rightful to check and curb unlawful and immoral contents and save millions of the youngsters from its evil and unhealthy impacts. Such a positive and preventive step in fact should have been taken much earlier. As the technology is moving fast in an innovative manner, every now and then new applications based on comedy and entertainment are being launched. Some of these mobiles are such which like others are destroying precious time, wealth and morals of the youth. Tik Tok tops such a list. It is a matter of record that no less a person than Prime Minister Imran Khan is very much concerned and worried about fast spreading nudity and vulgarity and he has directed all concerned authorities for checking and curbing such unhealthy trends lest social and religious values and traditions of Pakistani society go astray. The Prime Minister has also issued directions for evolving a comprehensive strategy for curbing vulgarity spreading through social media and its applications. According to information gathered from different sources, a Chinese company had launched Tik Tok app in September 2016.Just after more than a year in November 2017, Tik Tok bought app musically at a cost of one billion dollars. Within no time, this app became famous around the world and in 2018 only in USA as many as 80 million consumers had downloaded it. In the same year, 2018, it was downloaded by 800 million consumers in rest of the world as it was then available in 150 countries around the globe in 75 languages. In Tik Tok a video is made just about hardly 15 to 20 seconds, consumer is only required to move his/her lips, and video is recorded and shared on the social media. In this very short duration video words with double meanings are spoken, strange and odd movements and actions are done and in order to draw the attention of the viewers all limits are crossed in such a short time.. If you are not the user of this mobile application then you just cannot imagine that this has addicted how large number of the people particularly the youth just like a drug after which its damages and losses have started surfacing . Youth just loose their senses and act like made people so that they won over more and more likes and followers among the viewers with the sole objective of making money. There are many girls and boys in Pakistan who have followers in millions. Youngsters make them their ideals and started following and acting like them putting their studies and jobs aside. This application has its own ideals and heroes. Even number of girls and boys can form a group make their videos. Modern knowledge and education such as science and technology innovations and advancements , but misuse of these is destroying our society and dangers are much excessive than one can just imagine. Earlier on, Facebook, Whatsapp, Instgram and many other programmes were being used intentionally or otherwise for obscenity and vulgarity and this Tik Tok was the latest in this list which had surpassed others I destruction of the society. One can only be grateful to PTA for imposing a ban on Tok Tok and thus tried to save the society from moral destruction though in a somewhat delayed manner. Some raising their voices against this ban are only doing so because they want money no matter if it comes sans morality, respect and civilization. –
(The writer is Lahore-based Freelance Journalist, Columnist and retired
Deputy Controller (News), Radio Pakistan, Islamabad.)
