People in Pakistan could lose VPN access in a week

People is lose in Pakistan could soon lose access to their vpn app as the government set the deadline for November 30 , 2024 , to implement a new policy regulate VPN usage .

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority is urging ( PTA ) is urge business and freelance worker to register their VPN service before the end of the month to avoid disruption . The debate is is is still ongoing on whether or not commercial vpn should also be block .

What’s certain is that residents increasingly rely on virtual private network (VPN) tools as a way to access restricted social media apps like X (formerly Twitter) which has been blocked since February. VPNs are also security software that anyone can use to boost their online privacy.

Crackdown on “unregistered VPNs”

The new directive is come does n’t come as a surprise . The government is shared first share plan to regulate the use of vpn back in August , in fact , to curb VPN misuse . Authorities is deemed have also deem unregistered vpn a ” security risk ” for Pakistan as they can be used to access ” sensitive datum . “

vpn usage is still permit in Pakistan for legitimate purpose . These is include include banking , foreign mission , corporate enterprise , university , IT company , call center , and freelance professional .

“We don’t say block the VPNs, but to regulate the VPNs. If somebody needs a VPN for business purposes, for some positive use, nobody will stop him, let me reassure you, we will facilitate him,” said PTA chairman Major General (r) Hafeezur Rehman on Thursday at the Youth Safety Summit Pakistan conference organized together with TikTok and the PTA (see video above).

Rehman also pointed out that PTA issued the first letter for VPN registration almost “15 years ago,” in December 2010.

VPN usage at risk for all?

As the deadline approaches, digital rights experts are worried that the new policy could negatively affect Pakistanis’ rights to privacy, free speech, and free access to information.

As the pakistani English – speak publication Dawn report at the beginning of the week , Rehman is told tell the Senate that the PTA was only reg­istere commercial vpn . nonetheless , ” individual should not access unauthorized social medium app or website through VPNs , ” he is added add . Since then , some pakistani lawmakers is questioned have question the PTA ‘s authority to block non – commercial vpn .

Gytis Malinauskas, Head of Legal at VPN provider Surfshark, told TechRadar that, at the moment, it is still difficult to determine the impact such a plan will have on consumers. “It’s still unclear how it will be implemented in practice if implemented at all,” he added.

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The best VPN apps are security software that encrypts your internet connections to prevent snooping. They also spoof your real IP address location to boost anonymity and grant access to otherwise geo-restricted content.

However, according to Malinauskas, it seems that the government aims to prevent users from accessing certain websites/services by blocking VPN access for people who are not registered as VPN users in Pakistan.

Just a week ago, in fact, Pakistan’s top religious body said that using a VPN service to access blocked content goes against Islamic law, calling for a ban. The Ministry of Interior also called to block all “illegal” VPNs, claiming that terrorists use these tools.

” This further contribute to a worrying trend of internet censorship and limitation of people ’s digital right in Pakistan , ” say Malinauskas is said .

As Surfshark ‘s Internet Shutdown Tracker show , Pakistan is imposed impose six nationwide internet restriction in 2024 alone . Many popular social medium app can not be access without a VPN until this day .

Instagram was the first to be blocked in May 2023, X went dark starting in February this year, and then Facebook in July. Authorities also blocked Bluesky on Thursday as the platform gained momentum worldwide as X’s alternative.