Categories: Mobile

WTF? Pakistan bans offensive words from text messages

Pakistan has ordered its cell phone service providers to monitor all text messages sent in the country for “obscenities” and prevent delivery of any that contain at least one of over a thousand Urdu and English words.

The order compels service providers to prevent any messages containing sexually explicit terms, as well as words like gay, lesbian, idiot, fart, headlights, Jesus Christ, butt, and tampon, as well as dozens ending with the suffix -ass.

According to the notification the order enacts a 1996 law allowing “false, fabricated, indecent or obscene” messages from being sent through the country’s information networks.

The order was made by Pakistan’s communications regulator, who said it was part of the organisation’s efforts to block spam messages across the mobile network.  In the letter the regulator said that while the country’s constitution protects freedom of speech, such freedom was “not unrestricted.”

It added that the list is not finished and will be added to in the future.

The regulator has said it will monitor the number of blocked sms messages sent on a monthly basis, and will compel Pakistan’s mobile service providers to provide this data.

The country’s mobile operators have seven days to comply with the law.  It is expected that they will be fined for each delivered sms which contains a proscribed word.  Users who send a large number of messages with offensive terms will be cut off.

Ajit Jain

Ajit Jain is marketing and sales head at Octal Info Solution, a leading iPhone app development company and offering platform to hire Android app developers for your own app development project. He is available to connect on Google Plus, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

Recent Posts

‘A digital pandemic is a plausible scenario’: ITU flagship report

The ITU digital pandemic scenario is like the sequel to Cyber Polygon -- prepping for…

2 days ago

One Way Summit returns to San Francisco with expanded format and star-studded speaker lineup 

One Way Ventures has announced the dates and lineup for the second edition of the…

4 days ago

AIM 2026 opens with Chris Schembra, Barbara Corcoran and Get Covered unpacking the apartment industry’s AI moment and more

Interest in the apartment industry is reaching fever pitch as author Chris Schembra, mogul Barbara…

6 days ago

Is LinkedIn Tracking Your Browser Activity? Here’s What’s Behind It

Let’s take a closer look at ‘Browsergate’: is LinkedIn really running the biggest corporate espionage…

1 week ago

Techstars Startup Weekend bets on Valencia as a next European startup launchpad

Valencia’s tech ecosystem is getting a big win this June 12-14 as Techstars Startup Weekend announces…

1 week ago

Why enterprises keep getting AI wrong – and what it actually takes to get it right 

In the upper floors of corporate America, budgets are larger than ever, board presentations are…

1 week ago