ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) this week followed up on its plan to regulate the use of virtual private networks (VPNs) in the country, clarifying that it has whitelisted VPNs through an “automated process” to ensure the “smooth and secure functioning of IT services and online business”.
On Thursday, the head of the authority told a parliamentary committee that plans were being worked on to regulate the use of VPNs in the country by whitelisting some proxy networks and blocking others.
Speaking at a meeting of the Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat, PTA Chairman Major General Hafeezur Rehman said that once the policy is implemented, only whitelisted VPNs will operate in Pakistan and others will be blocked. Responding to a query by committee chairman Senator Ran Mahmoodul Hasan, the PTA chief said VPNs can be blocked in the country but “it would lead to the collapse of several IT businesses that operate on VPNs”.
On Saturday, the PTA issued a statement on Instagram: “In response to the recent media reports on PTA VPN blocking, it has been clarified that no such action has been taken and all kinds of blocking are done only on the instructions of the Government of Pakistan in accordance with the legal framework and guidelines.
“It is further clarified that for the smooth and secure functioning of IT services and online business, VPNs are whitelisted through an automated process available on the PTA and PSEB websites.” A VPN is a service that creates a secure, encrypted connection over a less secure network such as is the Internet, allowing users to protect their online privacy, secure their data and access restricted content.
The use of VPNs by Pakistani internet users has seen a significant increase in 2024. Most of them use them to access X, formerly Twitter, which has been blocked in the country since February 19.
