From Wikipedia’s legal battles in India to the hearing of petitions against suspension of X in Pakistan, here’s everything we covered at Digital Rights Monitor (DRM) this week.
Read our weekly news roundup.
US: TikTok sale deadline extended
The deadline for the sale of TikTok in the US, which was supposed to be April 5, has been extended by 75 days, according to a post by President Donald Trump on his social media platform Truth Social.
This is the second time that Trump, through an executive order, has extended the deadline for TikTok’s sale to a non-Chinese buyer in the US. According to reports, the deal for TikTok’s sale has been impacted by Trump’s sweeping tariffs, which are 34 per cent for Chinese goods.
Trump, in his post, claims his administration has been working “very hard” on a deal to save TikTok, and that it has made “tremendous progress”. Calling the reciprocal tariffs “important” to US national security, Trump said, “We do not want TikTok to ‘go dark.’ We look forward to working with TikTok and China to close the deal.”
The original date for the sale or ban of TikTok was January 19, 2025, which was extended to April 5 by Trump on his first day in the office.
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PAKISTAN: High court summons AGP in X ban petitions
The Lahore High Court (LHC) has summoned the Attorney General of Pakistan (AGP) Mansoor Usman Awan in petitions filed against the continuing suspension of social media platform X, according to a report by Dawn.com.
The petitions, which have been filed by journalist Shakir Mahmood and several others, have picked up steam in the LHC, with the judges coming down hard on government representatives over lack of justifiable responses.
In a hearing held on Tuesday, a three-member bench — headed by Justice Aalia Neelum, Justice Farooq Haider, and Justice Ali Zia Bajwa — questioned the legality of the notification banning X, which was issued by the Ministry of Interior to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA).
The complainants’ counsel Advocate Azhar Siddiqui pointed out that the government had not produced the list of officials who have been using X despite the nationwide ban.
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PAKISTAN: Starlink expected to be available by year end, says IT minister
Starlink, owned by billionaire Elon Musk, is expected to launch its internet services in Pakistan by the end of this year, Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja announced on Monday.
The satellite-based internet network, managed by Starlink Services, LLC, made headlines last month when it was issued a No Objection Certificate (NOC) by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA).
Although temporary, the NOC created a buzz among internet users and experts weighed in on various aspects of the international internet provider’s potential impact on the larger digital infrastructure in the country.
The IT minister made the remarks concerning the availability of Starlink on Monday during a meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Information Technology, which was held in Islamabad. It was chaired by Syed Aminul Haque and attended by PTA Chairman Major General (retd) Hafeezur Rehman.
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Meta expanding ‘Teen Accounts’ to Facebook, Messenger
Meta Platforms is expanding its “Teen Accounts” feature to Facebook and Messenger, roughly eight months after private accounts for underage users were rolled out for Instagram.
Meta announced the expansion of Teen Accounts to its other social media platforms on Tuesday, claiming that private accounts have been received well on Instagram.
In addition to rolling out the feature across Facebook and Messenger, Meta says it is tightening restrictions for Teen Accounts on Instagram. They will prevent users aged under 16 from going live or turning off default protections from unsolicited images in direct messages without parental permission and blurring media containing nudity.
As far as the protections for private accounts on Facebook and Messenger are concerned, the company says they will be similar to those on Instagram. “Teen Accounts on Facebook and Messenger will offer similar, automatic protections to limit inappropriate content and unwanted contact, as well as ways to ensure teens’ time is well spent.”
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