Pakistan among countries with most content removal requests: Facebook.

Byline: Ramsha Jahangir

KARACHI -- Of the 15,826 content restrictions made by Facebook globally during July-December 2019, Russia, Pakistan and Mexico accounted for almost half of global content restrictions, according to the platform's transparency report released on Tuesday.

Facebook restricted 2,300 items within Pakistan (the second highest after Russia with 2,900 pieces removed) during the second half of 2019. In the first half, Pakistan had reported the highest volume of content (31 per cent) to Facebook.

None of these items from the Facebook's transparency report were removed for violating its content policies but under Pakistan's cybercrime law.

'We restricted access in Pakistan to items reported by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority as allegedly violating local laws prohibiting advocacy against the polio vaccine, blasphemy, anti-judiciary content, proscribed organisations supporting separatism, defamation, and condemnation of the country's independence,' said Facebook.

The company said during July-December 2019, it also restricted access to five items in response to private reports of defamation from the Pakistan government.

Social media company restricts 2,300 items within country during second half of 2019

In January 2019, Facebook received a formal takedown request from the PTA, alleging that two Facebook posts constituted illegal obscenity under Section 37 of the Prevention of Electronic Crime Act (Peca). The posts linked to an article discussing wife swapping and swingers events.

The platform added that neither of the reported posts violated the Facebook Community Standards pursuant to the request from the PTA. However, following the assessment of local laws, Facebook restricted access to the posts within Pakistan and notified the impacted users.

Less removal, more user requests

Overall, the content removal requests from the government declined during the period as compared to the first half of 2019.

According to the breakdown of the content restricted in Pakistan, Facebook suspended 2,009 posts, 140 pages and groups.

On Instagram, the platform restricted a total of 121 items - 116 posts and five accounts.

However, the government's legal requests to Facebook continued to spike in the period under review - the highest ever - as the authorities sent a total of 2,027 requests. Pakistan sought data of 2,630 users/accounts, of which 1,878 requests were processed legally.

Facebook complied with 52pc of the legal requests for...