Pakistan Blocks Dating Apps Including Grindr and Tinder

Tinder, a globally popular dating app owned by Match Group, said in an emailed response to Reuters that it was always willing to work with regulators and law enforcement.

"We welcome the opportunity to discuss our product and moderation efforts with the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority and look forward to a meaningful conversation," a Tinder spokesperson said.

Grindr's statement did not say whether it would seek to discuss the matter further with Pakistani authorities.

On Wednesday, the PTA said it had asked video-sharing platform YouTube to immediately block certain content for viewing in Pakistan, for the second time in a week.

YouTube, owned by Alphabet Inc., was blocked in Pakistan for three years until 2016.

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Usama Khilji, director of BoloBhi, a Pakistani digital rights advocacy group, said blocking content deemed to offend decency and morality was a way of pressuring social media companies into complying with government requests for user data and censorship of content deemed critical of state policies.

"Dating apps are a soft target," he told Reuters.

(Writers: Gibran Naiyyar Peshimam, Umar Farooq | Editor: Catherine Evans) 

Source: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-pakistan-socialmedia-ban/dating-app-grindr-disappointed-by-pakistan-block-idUSKBN25U1QY