Pakistan has asked the Facebook management to link opening of Facebook accounts to mobile numbers to overcome the issue of fake accounts, said a Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) official.

Facebook has already designated a focal person to coordinate with PTA for prompt action against any reported issue.

“Facebook (recently) reiterated its commitment toward the removal of blasphemous and objectionable content and assured the authorities that they will improve the coordination and response time”, an official told APP.

“Mobile numbers are verified through biometric verification system in the country. Currently, Facebook accounts are being opened through an email. The issue of fake accounts could be overcome if all existing accounts are verified with phone numbers”.

PTA received more than 6,000 online complaints, including 350 of blasphemous content. These complaints were reviewed and all the accounts posting blasphemous content were blocked, he said, adding that 12,977 URLs from where blasphemous content was posted, have been blocked so far.

PTA has established a "web analysis cell" where 25 personnel work solely on identifying unlawful content on the internet.

Since, February 2017, 137 blasphemous links have been blocked by the Facebook administration for viewership in Pakistan.

Facebook was also asked to help Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) in the country by providing them with the requisite data that they asked for.

Facebook, in response, said that it received around 1,000 requests in 2016 from Pakistan and about 70 per cent of them have been complied with. The Facebook administration reiterated that it will continue to support such requests.