ISLAMABAD: Wikipedia’s downloading speed slowed down on Wednesday after the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) downgraded the platform’s services for two days because it had not complied with orders to “block/remove sacrilegious content”.

According to the PTA, it had issued a notice to Wikipedia asking it to block/remove the contents in question. “An opportunity of hearing was also provided. However, the platform neither complied with by removing the blasphemous content nor appeared before the Authority,” the PTA said.

Therefore, “the services of Wikipedia have been degraded for 48 hours with the direction to block/remove the reported contents,” the regulator said. In case of non-compliance, the platform would be blocked across the country.

Published in Dawn, February 2nd, 2023