Hey, Twitter reversed itself on blocking those “blasphemous” tweets in Pakistan.
Pakistani authorities had requested the removal of the material, much of which mocked Islam and other religions, claiming that it was “blasphemous,” “unethical” and violated Pakistan’s Penal Code. Twitter used its Country Withheld Content tool, which blocks content in a particular nation, for the first time in Pakistan, the social network said.
And now it has decided to unuse it.
Twitter issued the following comment Tuesday about its restoration of the blocked content:
“We always strive to make the best, most informed decisions we can when we’re compelled to reactively withhold identified content in specific jurisdictions around the world. On May 18, 2014, we made an initial decision to withhold content in Pakistan based on information provided to us by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority. Consistent with our longstanding policies we provided notice to all of the affected account holders and published the actioned takedown requests on Chilling Effects to maximize transparency regarding our decision. We have reexamined the requests and, in the absence of additional clarifying information from Pakistani authorities, have determined that restoration of the previously withheld content is warranted. The content is now available again in Pakistan.”
- The Chilling Effects blog post on restoration of the content
Result!
Try to get it right, Twitter. Harassment of individual people? Block that. “Blasphemy”? Don’t block that.
You mean Allah didn’t have the power to block it himself?
Allah, like every other god, is pretty powerless. That’s why his minions have to keep telling everyone how omnipotent he is and stifle “blasphemous” comments about how weak he is.
Well, of course, should Allah or Yahweh or Jesus complain about harassment from all the heathens, their complaints should be taken seriously.