Pakistan issued a final warning on Thursday to major social media platforms, urging them to align with local regulations and take decisive action against militant content or face consequences similar to those experienced in Brazil, where X was briefly suspended last year.

During a briefing with foreign media in Islamabad, Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry and Minister of State for Law and Justice Aqeel Malik stated that the government had officially expressed its concerns to platforms such as X, Meta, Facebook, WhatsApp, YouTube, TikTok, and Telegram.

The ministers conveyed that Pakistan expects these companies to enhance moderation efforts, strengthen collaboration with law enforcement, and implement tools designed to detect extremist activity before it spreads.

Chaudhry declared, “This is our last warning. These companies must comply with Pakistani laws, establish offices in Pakistan, and use AI and algorithmic tools to identify terror-linked accounts,” Chaudhry said.

 

He mentioned that authorities had discovered several accounts connected to regional militant organizations across different platforms.

 “These accounts are linked to organizations already proscribed by the United States and the United Nations,” he emphasized, highlighting what officials described as cross-border online activity contributing to radicalization and security challenges.

The warning references Brazil’s approach, noting that in June of the previous year, the South American country's Supreme Court temporarily blocked X after the platform declined to remove accounts accused of disseminating misinformation related to the 2022 presidential elections. 

The ban was lifted in October after X paid a fine of $5.1 million and appointed a local representative as mandated by Brazilian law.

Chaudhry remarked that Pakistan had consistently raised the matter, including a comprehensive briefing to platforms on July 24, yet the responses remained "insufficient." 

He described X as the least cooperative, whereas TikTok and Telegram exhibited relatively better compliance.

Officials indicated that the government has also requested platforms to supply IP addresses of accounts associated with militancy and to prevent the creation of duplicate accounts through advanced filtering systems.

Malik stated that the issue had been discussed not only with the companies but also with the governments of the countries where these platforms are headquartered. 

“Pakistan is a frontline state against terrorism and continues to pay the price for global terrorism. The world must cooperate with Pakistan in this war,” he said, warning that failure to comply might force the government to take action against non-cooperative platforms.