In recent years, authorities in Pakistan have temporarily banned TikTok multiple times before reversing their decision. In one instance dating back to 2021, a court blocked the app after receiving complaints over “immoral and indecent content,” the Associated Press reported, noting that the block was lifted less than a month later.

More recently, TikTok played a key role in the country’s shock election result, with Imran Khan’s party using the app to reach millions of illiterate voters who don’t use Facebook and other text-heavy platforms, The Washington Post reported.