Pakistan warns social media firms of Brazil-style action over failure to curb terror content

• Government says TikTok, Telegram showed highest cooperation while X remained least responsive
• Pakistan authorities demand platforms share IP data, deploy AI filters and comply with local laws

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday issued a final warning to major social media platforms, urging them to comply with local laws and proactively curb militant content or face action similar to measures taken by Brazil against X, where the platform was briefly banned last year.

Briefing foreign media in Islamabad, Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry and Minister of State for Law and Justice Aqeel Malik said the government had formally raised concerns with platforms including X, Meta, Facebook, WhatsApp, YouTube, TikTok and Telegram. The officials said Pakistan expected these companies to strengthen moderation systems, improve cooperation with law enforcement and adopt tools capable of detecting extremist activity before it spreads.

“This is our last warning. These companies must comply with Pakistani laws, establish offices in Pakistan, and use AI and algorithmic tools to identify terror-linked accounts,” Chaudhry told reporters.

He said authorities had detected dozens of accounts linked to regional militant networks operating across multiple platforms.

“These accounts are linked to organizations already proscribed by the United States and the United Nations,” he noted, underscoring what officials described as cross-border online activity contributing to radicalization and security threats.

The warning comes as Pakistan cites Brazil’s precedent. In June last year, Brazil’s Supreme Court blocked access to X after the platform refused to ban accounts accused of spreading misinformation during the 2022 presidential election. Access was restored in October after X paid a $5.1 million fine and appointed a local representative, as required under Brazilian law.

Chaudhry said Pakistan had raised its concerns repeatedly, including a detailed briefing to platforms on July 24 this year, but responses “remained insufficient,” describing X as the least cooperative platform, while TikTok and Telegram showed the highest compliance.

Officials said Islamabad has also asked platforms to share IP addresses of accounts linked with militancy and to block the creation of mirror accounts through advanced filters.

Malik said the issue had been taken up not only with companies but also with governments where these platforms are headquartered.

“Pakistan is a frontline state against terrorism and continues to pay the price for global terrorism. The world must cooperate with Pakistan in this war,” he added, warning that failure to comply could force the government to take action against non-cooperative platforms.