The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) banned on the popular online encyclopedia Wikipedia on Saturday.
The PTA penalized Wikipedia for failing to “block/remove sacrilegious content” within 48 hours.
Wikipedia is a free, open-source, editable online encyclopedia frequently used as a starting point by millions of people worldwide for basic information.
Wikipedia had not complied with orders to remove controversial content from the website; the PTA downgraded Wikipedia services nationwide on Wednesday.
The Wikipedia charity, the Wikimedia Foundation, said it “does not make decisions around what content is included on Wikipedia or how that content is maintained.”
This is “designed to ensure that articles result from many people coming together to determine what information should be presented on the site, resulting in richer, more neutral articles.”
“We hope that the Pakistan government joins with the Wikimedia Foundation in a commitment to knowledge as a human right and restores access to Wikipedia and Wikimedia projects promptly so that the people of Pakistan can continue to receive and share knowledge with the world.”