Texters in Pakistan better start watching their language.
Pakistan's
telecommunications authority sent a letter ordering cell phone
companies to block text messages containing what it perceives to be
obscenities, Anjum Nida Rahman, a spokeswoman for Telenor Pakistan, said
Friday.
It also sent a list of more than 1,500 English and Urdu words that were to be blocked.
The
order was part of the regulator's attempt to block spam messages, said
Rahman. The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority refused to comment on
the initiative.
Many of the words to be blocked were sexually
explicit terms or swear words, according to a copy of the list obtained
by The Associated Press.
It also included relatively mild terms like fart and idiot.
The
reasons for blocking some words, including Jesus Christ, headlights and
tampon, were less clear, raising questions about religious freedom and
practicality. Any word could conceivably be part of a spam message.
The
letter, which was also obtained by the AP, was dated Nov. 14 and gave
cell phone companies seven days to implement the order.
Rahman, the Telenor spokeswoman, said her company first received the letter Thursday and was discussing how to proceed.
"It's a big issue, so it is being examined carefully from all points of view," said Rahman.
The
letter said the order was legal under a 1996 law preventing people from
sending information through the telecommunications system that is
"false, fabricated, indecent or obscene."
It also stated that free speech can be restricted "in the interest of the glory of Islam."
Under
pressure from Islamists, Pakistan has blocked pornographic websites and
ones deemed anti-Islamic. Last year, it temporarily banned Facebook
because of material on the site deemed offensive to Islam. AP
