Twitter has unblocked dozens of accounts that it restricted in Pakistan, one month after it agreed to government requests on the grounds that the content was ‘blasphemous’.
The company bore much criticism for the move last month, which was the first time it had restricted content in Pakistan. Many claimed the government requests were politically motivated — the EFF went so far as to suggest that, by agreeing to them, Twitter showed it is no longer “the free speech wing of the free speech party” that it claims to be.
For its part, Twitter appeared to make the decision to avoid more serious government action, its service was blocked entirely in Pakistan in 2012 for failing to remove similar content. The company said in a statement that it “reexamined the requests and, in the absence of additional clarifying information from Pakistani authorities, determined that restoration of the previously withheld content is warranted.”
➤ Twitter Restores Access to Pakistani Notices [Chilling Effects] | Via CNET
Image via Digital Saint / Shutterstock
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