KARACHI: Pakistan ranked second in the list of countries where social media giant Facebook restricted maximum content.
The total content curbed in Pakistan by the platform doubled between July and December 2018, according to Facebook’s latest transparency report released on Friday.
4,174 items were restricted in Pakistan during the second half of 2018, as compared to 2,203 pieces from the first half of the year.
According to the breakdown of the content restricted in Pakistan, Facebook suspended 3,811 posts, 343 pages and groups, 10 profiles and one album. On Instagram, the platform restricted a total of nine items — seven posts and two accounts.
Government Requests for User Data
Facebook said that in the second half of 2018, government requests for user data increased globally by 7% from 103,815 to 110,634.
This increase reflects normal growth for the second half as compared to previous reporting periods. Of the total volume.
The United States continues to submit the highest number of requests, followed by India, the United Kingdom, Germany and France.
Content Restrictions
The social media giant maintained that during the second half of 2018, the volume of content restrictions based on local law increased globally by 135% from 15,337 to 35,972.
This increase was primarily driven by 16,600 items they restricted in India based on a Delhi High Court order regarding claims made about a soft drink firm’s products.
Internet Disruptions
The report also monitors and reports on identified, temporary internet disruptions that impact the availability of Facebook products. In the second half of 2018, we identified 53 disruptions of Facebook services in nine countries, compared to 48 disruptions in eight countries in the first half of 2018. This half, India accounted for 85% of total new global disruptions.
Here is the link to the full report.
