ISLAMABAD: A trial run of a firewall has led to a slowdown in social media, officials briefed on the development have confirmed, raising concerns about the future of online shopping in Pakistan.
However, they added that once the test is over, internet traffic will return to its normal pace.
The government has allocated more than Rs 30 billion in the development budget for the procurement and installation of this filtration system.
The allocation was made to the Ministry of Information Technology; however, the implementation of this project takes place from another energy center. The MPO’s role in this operation is no more than that of the post office.
The official said that work on the firewall has been going on since January this year, which includes the purchase of the system and its installation, which has been done and is now operational.
Commissioning will take several weeks. Asked if the national filter would affect internet businesses, he said it could be seen as a subtle threat, but businesses were not his target.
Another official said it is targeting social media influencers who the government says are involved in spreading fake news. The aim is to reduce their reach by blocking their content or reducing its visibility.
It is already reaching them through the Prevention of Electronic Crime Act 2016 as courts are also being set up to try those charged under the Act.
While the firewall is now in the trial phase, an advertisement two weeks ago from the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority indicated that the paperwork to substantiate this purchase had not yet begun.
The July 11 advertisement called for tenders for the “supply, installation and configuration of next generation firewalls (ex-Chinese brand – LOT A), Web Application Firewall (WAF) [LOT B] for five years with Next Business Day hardware warranty ( NBD) and support (247/365). The deadline for submissions is July 26.
However, a PTA spokesperson said that this is a separate firewall which raises the question of how much funding is being spent on more than one filter as the aforementioned filter has received a budget allocation of more than Rs 30 billion.
“The tender procedure is intended for the procurement of firewalls intended for exclusive use on the internal IT infrastructure of the PTA. The order is aimed at increasing the security of the internal systems of the PTA and will be used exclusively in the primary data center of the PTA and its Disaster Recovery location,” said the director of the PTA spokesperson.
“Specifically, PTA has issued a tender for the acquisition of four next-generation firewalls and two web application firewalls. This move is intended to provide robust, layered security for PTA internal and application only.”
