Wikipedia blocked in Pakistan over 'blasphemous' content

The popular free online encyclopedia, Wikipedia, has been reportedly blocked in Pakistan over sacrilegious content on the site by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), according to a Bloomberg report. 

The PTA degraded Wikipedia's services first after they ordered the site to remove offensive content within 48 hours. Failure to remove the content from the website, it was banned from the country.

"The action was taken because some of the content is still available on Wikipedia after the expiry of a 48-hour deadline," PTA spokesperson Malahat Obaid, told Bloomberg.

The Muslim-majority nation takes issues like immorality, blasphemy and speaking against Islam very seriously and can have far-reaching repercussions in the country for anyone convicted of affronting Islam.

YouTube and TikTok have faced bans too

Pakistan blocked the popular video-sharing site, YouTube, for more than three years for posting a video deemed insulting to Islam. The ban was lifted in 2016 once the country deemed it was free of any objectionable content.

Popular short-form video-sharing site Tik Tok has been banned twice in Pakistan in the past for peddling immoral and indecent content, according to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA).\

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About Wikipedia

Wikipedia is a multilingual online encyclopedia that was launched in January 2001. It is a free, open-source, and collaborative platform that enables anyone with internet access to write and edit articles. It has become one of the largest and most popular sources of information in the world and is usually among the top 10 most visited websites in the world. 

The goal of Wikipedia is to provide accurate, neutral, and up-to-date information on a wide range of topics, from history and science to culture and current events. Articles are written by volunteers from around the world and are subject to rigorous standards of quality control. Any errors or inaccuracies are swiftly corrected by other volunteers, ensuring that the information on Wikipedia is as accurate as possible.

It is hosted by an American non-profit organization - the Wikimedia Foundation and is funded mainly through donations.

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