Pakistan has formally acknowledged blocking the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, citing national security concerns.
What Happened: The Pakistani Interior Ministry revealed on Wednesday that it had blocked access to the social media platform X in February, citing national security concerns, Reuters reported.
This confirmation comes after users reported difficulties accessing the platform since mid-February, with no official announcements from the government.
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The Interior Ministry, in a written court submission, stated that the ban was imposed due to X’s failure to comply with the lawful directives of the Pakistani government and address concerns about the misuse of its platform.
“It is very pertinent to mention here that the failure of Twitter/X to adhere to the lawful directives of the government of Pakistan and address concerns regarding the misuse of its platform necessitated the imposition of a ban,” said the report.
The Ministry also mentioned that the decision was made after considering confidential reports from Pakistan’s intelligence and security agencies, which indicated that “hostile elements” on X had intentions to create chaos and instability in the country.
X Corp. did not immediately respond to Benzinga's request for comment.
Why It Matters: This move by Pakistan adds to a series of controversies surrounding X, particularly in relation to national security and legal compliance. Earlier in March, X Corp purged over 5 lakh user accounts in India for policy violations, including those related to child safety and terrorism.
This was followed by an inquiry by the U.S. House of Representatives into Elon Musk‘s activities in Brazil, which were alleged to have violated Brazilian law.
Musk, the CEO of X Corp, later addressed the ongoing legal issues in Brazil on X, stating that his social media platform would respect the country’s laws while refusing orders from the Supreme Court to break them.
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