YouTube | Pakistan

The European Commission is scrutinising safeguards for minors on Snapchat, YouTube, the Apple App Store and Google Play under its Digital Services Act (DSA), it said on Friday. The Commission is asking the businesses to provide information on their age verification systems, as well as on how they prevent minors from accessing illegal products, including drugs and vapes, or harmful material, such as content promoting eating disorders. “Today, alongside national authorities in the member states, we are assessing whether the measures taken so far by the platforms are indeed protecting children,” EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen said. Google, in response, said it had already put in place measures to ensure its platforms offered age-appropriate experiences and had “robust” controls for parents. “We keep expanding these efforts [and] continue to engage with the Commission on this critical area,” a Google spokesperson said. The DSA is an EU landmark law that requires online companies to do more to tackle illegal and ha...

YouTube ramps up AI tools for video makers

An Islamabad district and sessions court on Thursday set aside a lower court’s order to block 27 YouTube channels, granting relief to 11 petitioners. In July, it emerged that an Islamabad court had ordered YouTube in June to block 27 channels for disseminating “fake, misleading, and defamatory” content against the government and armed forces. The sanctioned accounts were being run by journalists, political commentators and social media influencers in Pakistan and overseas. The ban order sparked criticism from various legal and digital rights groups. Among the 27 channels were those of the PTI, journalists Matiuallah Jan, Wajahat Khan, Ahmad Noorani and Asad Ali Toor; former anchors Imran Riaz, Orya Maqbool, Sabir Shakir, and Moeed Pirzada. Additional District and Sessions Judge (ADSJ) Muhammad Afzal Majoka had later suspended the order for at least seven petitioners. A total of 11 of those impacted had appealed against the lower court’s order. ADSJ Majoka conducted a hearing over the matter today and expresse...

The District and Sessions Court in Islamabad has set aside the earlier decision to shut down multiple YouTube channels.

YouTube has started using artificial intelligence (AI) to figure out when users are children pretending to be adults on the popular video-sharing platform amid pressure to protect minors from sensitive content. The new safeguard is being rolled out in the United States as Google-owned YouTube and social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok are under scrutiny to shield children from content geared for grown-ups. A version of AI referred to as machine learning will be used to estimate the age of users based on a variety of factors, including the kinds of videos watched and account longevity, according to YouTube Youth director of product management, James Beser. “This technology will allow us to infer a user’s age and then use that signal, regardless of the birthday in the account, to deliver our age-appropriate product experiences and protections,” Beser said. “We’ve used this approach in other markets for some time, where it is working well.” The age-estimation model enhances technology already in pla...

The Additional District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka on Thursday suspended the closure order of another YouTube channel while hearing appeals against a lower court’s decision to block 27 channels.

An Islamabad district and sessions court on Saturday suspended a lower court’s order to block 27 YouTube channels to the effect of five more channels, a day after a similar halt on channels of two journalists. It emerged on Tuesday that an Islamabad court had ordered YouTube last month to block 27 channels for disseminating “fake, misleading, and defamatory” content against the government and armed forces. The sanctioned accounts were being run by journalists, political commentators and social media in­­fluencers in Pakistan and overseas. On Friday, an Islamabad district and sessions court admitted two revision petitions — submitted by journalists Matiuallah Jan and Asad Ali Toor — against the judicial magistrate’s order blocking 27 YouTube channels, suspending the ban for the two petitioners. Additional District and Sessions Judge (ADSJ) Muhammad Afzal Majoka heard the two revision appeals and ordered the suspension in a one-page written order for each petition. Six more of those affected had appealed agains...

The District and Sessions Court of Islamabad on Friday temporarily lifted the ban on the YouTube channels of two journalists, Matiullah Jan and Asad Toor, following their appeals against a previous order that blocked 27 channels. Additional District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka suspended the order to block the YouTube channels of journalists Matiullah […]

An Islamabad district and sessions court on Friday admitted two revision petitions — submitted by journalists Matiuallah Jan and Asad Ali Toor — against the judicial magistrate’s order blocking 27 YouTube channels, suspending the ban for the two petitioners. An Islamabad court recently ordered YouTube to block 27 channels for disseminating “fake, misleading, and defamatory” content against the government and armed forces. The sanctioned accounts were being run by journalists, political commentators and social media in­­fluencers in Pakistan and overseas. On Wednesday, Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry said that the owners of these channels would face criminal action. Additional District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka heard the two revision appeals and ordered the suspension in a one-page written order for each petition. According to the order dated today, seen by Dawn.com, the petitioners contended that they were not even given a prior notice and that the ban violated Article 10-A of the...

Posts from users on social media platforms X and Facebook on Wednesday claimed that the Supreme Court had declared an Islamabad court’s ban on 27 YouTube channels unconstitutional. However, no such development has occurred. It emerged on Tuesday that an Islamabad court last month ordered YouTube to block 27 channels for disseminating “fake, misleading, and defamatory” content against the government and armed forces. Among the 27 sanctioned accounts — run by journalists, political commentators and social media in­­fluencers in Pakistan and overseas — are those of the PTI, Matiuallah Jan, Wajahat Khan, Ahmad Noorani and Asad Ali Toor, Imran Riaz, Orya Maqbool, Sabir Shakir, and Moeed Pirzada. On Wednesday, former anchorperson Sabir Shakir said in a post on X: “Supreme Court declares ban on 27 YouTube channels unconstitutional.” The post was seen by more than 39,000 people. The same claim was shared by several other X users as can be seen here, here, here and here. The claim also circulated on Facebook, as can b...

ISLAMABAD - Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry on Wednesday announced criminal action against 27 YouTube channels facing closure for allegedly airing anti-state content and spreading “false and misleading” information.

YouTube has announced to impose a major update to its Partner Program monetisation policy, aiming to ban mass-produced, repetitive, and AI-generated content from July 15, 2025. The platform focuses on rewarding creators who produce authentic, original videos, while clamping down on low-effort uploads that weaken viewer experience and advertiser trust. According to the official statement […]

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) on Wednesday expressed concern over the recent court decision banning 27 YouTube channels as the government said the owners were expected to face criminal action. It emerged a day ago that an Islamabad court last month ordered YouTube to block 27 channels for disseminating “fake, misleading, and defamatory” content against the government and armed forces. Among the 27 sanctioned accounts — run by journalists, political commentators and social media in­­fluencers in Pakistan and overseas — are those of the PTI, Matiuallah Jan, Wajahat Khan, Ahmad Noorani and Asad Ali Toor, Imran Riaz, Orya Maqbool, Sabir Shakir, and Moeed Pirzada. In a statement on X, HRCP said that it was “greatly concerned” by the court’s directive. “The wholesale blocking of entire channels — rather than addressing specific instances of unlawful or hateful speech in accordance with due process — conflates dissent with criminal activity,” the statement said. “The constitutional right to freedom ...

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has issued a strong clarification regarding media reports falsely attributing recent judicial orders to the FIA concerning the closure of YouTube channels. According to the official statement, the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) has now been formally established and is fully operational. All investigations and legal proceedings related […]

An Islamabad court ordered the blocking of 27 YouTube channels for allegedly airing anti-state content and spreading “false, misleading and fake” information, it emerged on Tuesday. The federal government established the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) to probe illegal activities on social med­ia. The NCCIA, operating under the Interior Divi­sion, has a key role in combatting cybercrime in Pakistan. Sub-Inspector (SI) Waseem Khan of the NCCIA’s Cyber Crime Circle informed the Islamabad judicial magistrate on June 24 that under Section 37 (unlawful online content) of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016, the department was conducting an inquiry regarding 27 “Youtube channels who are involved in disseminating and propagating fake and misleading information against the state Institutions which is likely to cause fear, panic, disorder or unrest in the general public or society along with defamatory and fake remarks/information, which violates the privacy and harms the dignity of the off...

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has blocked 16 Indian YouTube news channels, 31 YouTube video links, and 32 websites for disseminating false information and anti-Pakistan propaganda.

Amid escalating tensions between India and Pakistan following the Pahalgam incident, the Indian government has suspended the official YouTube channel of Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

ISLAMABAD - Federal Information and Broadcasting Minister Attaullah Tarar on Monday condemned the Indian move to ban YouTube channels of Pakistani media, journalists and anchorpersons in India following the Pahalgam incident.