Sex workers openly using Facebook, Twitter to advertise services

London, Jan 31 ): Sex workers are openly using social networking platforms like Facebook and Twitter to advertise their services.

Prostitutes and escort agencies have created hundreds of unrestricted pages on Facebook.

This has sparked concern that children are being exposed to both explicit content as well as the services of the sex industry, the Telegraph reports.

Many of the pages include explicit photographs, descriptions of services alongside phones numbers, addresses and prices.

Facebook has removed dozens of the pages after being contacted by The Times newspaper.

The site said it "has a clear set of rules and these pages broke them", but said it could only take action when offensive items were reported to them by members of the public.

According to the paper, the postings were also reported to Twitter, but the microblogging site declined to comment or take action.

Under the company's rules, content would need to be illegal to be considered in breach of its terms and conditions, the paper added. 

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Pakistan lifts ban on YouTube only to impose it once again

 

 

In a curious turn of events, Pakistan lifted the 103-day ban on YouTube on Saturday only to impose it again within a couple of hours as some television channels began reporting that the blasphemous content — which had invited the proscription in the first place — was still available on the video-sharing website.

The day began with hopes of the ban being lifted as Interior Minister Rehman Malik tweeted in the wee hours of Saturday that the notification ending the ban could be “expected today.” 

And, sure enough, the ban was lifted early in the day with all Internet Service Providers being asked to “immediately block/restore complete YouTube website provisionally till further orders” and submit compliance through email by 3 p.m.

As word got around and television channels broke the story, some reported that the blasphemous film Innocence of Muslims was still available on YouTube. 

This saw the government swing into action and order a fresh ban on the website. How long YouTube remained accessible is unclear but from the various versions available, the duration was anywhere between 33 minutes to two hours. 

Pakistan banned YouTube on September 17 amid a rising tide of protests against the film. 

Persistent demand

 

Since then there has been a persistent demand for lifting the ban on YouTube which in Pakistan doubles up as a key platform for musicians to launch their new songs as space for expression in any form is shrinking by the day. 

Several musicians have had to either move to alternate platforms or delay launch of their song in view of the ban.

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