Pakistan telecommunications authorities have told the countries self phone companies to begin blocking text messages which include terms considered obscene. The list is almost of seventeen hundred phrases (11 hundred in English, and 6 hundred in Urdu). The authorities say that the move is legal under Pakistan stand law. The banned was actually supposed to be starting this week but Self phone companies have asked for more clarifications.
First of all I think there are mayor issues going on in Pakistan that should be of greater importance. Second of all, text messages are part of people's private life and shouldn't be banned. I understand that in a Muslim country words on public writing's are subjugated to censure, but banning private texting is going to far.
They are planning to ban an enormous list of words, some of them completely ridiculous, like the word taxi, which is sometimes used to refer to prostitutes, or word's like flatulence, showtime or idiot. I think people should have the right to use what they think is appropriate in terms of their own morals.
I agree with Africa, Pakistan has bigger issuest to worry about than text messages. Here we get into the common discussion of freedom of speech. Do the muslim countries forbid freedom of speech is this due to Islam, should the UN intevene? to many question a lot of answers but no action
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you on the banning being an extreme measure seeing how the country has greater problems to deal with. Freedom of speech is actually a human right, so it should be respected above all, more if so in people's private messages. And as Pablo asked above, it is clear that there are restrictions to this freedom in Islamic countries, but I don't see the UN intervening any time soon as it is too complicated of a matter to deal with.
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