4:40 AM
ISLAMABAD: Texters in Pakistan better start watching their language.
A Pakistani cell phone company says the country’s telecommunications authority sent a letter Thursday ordering firms to block messages containing obscenities.
Anjum Nida Rahman, a spokeswoman for Telenor Pakistan, said Friday the company received a list of more than 1,500 English and Urdu words that were to be blocked. She said it was part of the regulator’s attempt to block spam messages.
Many of the words were swear words or sexually explicit terms. But the reason for blocking others, such as Jesus Christ and headlights, was less clear.
The Associated Press obtained both the letter and the list of words. The letter was dated Nov. 14 and gave companies seven days to implement the order.
Posted in: NATIONAL
