Deadline looms on 'obscene' text message ban

Pakistan's mobile operators were on Sunday scrambling to block text messages containing any of over 1,600 "obscene" terms banned by the country's telecoms authority ahead of a Monday deadline.

The list, including words from "quickie" to "fairy" to "Jesus Christ" and obtained by AFP, was distributed on November 14 with operators given seven days to comply, but has met with widespread derision and a threat of legal action.

"There are more than 1,600 words in the list including indecent language, expletives, swear words, slang etc, which have to be filtered," an official at a telecoms firm told AFP.

Other words and phrases on the list of 1,695 terms, issued in English and Urdu, include "monkey crotch", "athlete's foot", "idiot" and "damn", as well as "deeper", "four twenty", "go to hell", "harder", "looser" and "no sex".

The letter accompanying the list says networks must also submit monthly reports on implementation of the ban. It is the first time the country has sought to censor text messages.
Campaign group Bytes for All said on Sunday it would challenge the ban in court, saying it violated rights to free speech and privacy.

"We are now witnessing a new ruthless wave of moral policing in the digital communication sphere of Pakistan imposed by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority," country coordinator Shahzad Ahmed told AFP.

"By developing extremely detailed lists of allegedly 'offensive' words and forcing telecom operators to filter them out to make our society moral and clean, PTA has not only made a mockery of itself but also of the entire country and its government," he added.

The move sparked derision from local Twitter users using the hashtag îPTAbannedlist.

"Maybe all Pakistanis should keep sending expletive-filled text messages every 10 minutes and wait for the networks to collapse," tweeted user Shoaib Taimur.

Another Twitter user, Fariha Akhtar, posted: "Damage to îebanking?" after the word "deposit" was discovered on the banned list.

"The îPTABannedList is also an excellent opportunity for our street language and slang to evolve and grow by coming up with newer abuses," tweeted blogger Shahid Saeed.

"Seriously, why aren't we protesting this ban? Jokes apart, they've banned words that have no vulgar implications whatsoever," tweeted Sara Muzzamil.

Several Twitter users also questioned the inclusion of the term "ass puppy" on the list, saying they had never heard of it.