The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has told the Islamabad High Court that blocking specific posts, videos or pages on major social media platforms is technically difficult because their data is protected by encryption.
The authority said telecom operators can identify the platform being accessed but generally cannot see the exact content.
In a report submitted to the Islamabad High Court in Writ Petition No. 4163 of 2026, the PTA explained that platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Google and X use HTTPS to secure communication between users and their servers.
Because the connection is encrypted, internet service providers and other network operators cannot normally identify the exact webpage, post or video a user is accessing. This makes it difficult to block individual pieces of content directly.
The PTA said telecom operators may know that a person is connected to a particular social media platform, but they cannot access the specific resource being requested through the encrypted connection.
According to the authority, removing a particular post, video or page may therefore require cooperation from the platform itself. The PTA can contact social media companies through official channels and ask them to remove specific content.
However, the final decision rests with each platform. Companies review such requests under their own community guidelines and terms of service, meaning some requests may be rejected if they do not meet the platform’s rules.
The PTA said another option would be to restrict access to an entire website or platform. However, such a move could also block lawful content and affect users who are accessing legitimate information.
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The authority stressed that any wider restriction should therefore be considered carefully, taking into account the relevant legal powers, proportionality and the broader impact on internet users.
