![Pakistan to restrict use of VPNs starting November 30, limiting access to commercial users and raising privacy concerns. [Image via Geo]](https://southasiatimes.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/575680_183732_updates.webp)
Starting from November 30, the government will enforce a restrictive new policy. This policy will prevent internet users in Pakistan from accessing Virtual Private Networks (VPNs).
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) only offers VPN registration to companies and freelancers. These individuals must use VPN services for commercial purposes. A senior official of the state regulator PTA confirmed this to The News.
As of now, this policy excludes ordinary users. These are individuals who rely on VPNs for online privacy or to access content. This includes restricted news websites or social media platforms such as X (formerly Twitter).
On November 15, the Ministry of Interior issued a directive to the PTA chairman to block “illegal VPNs” nationwide.
The directive stated, “Terrorists are increasingly exploiting VPNs to facilitate violent activities. They are also using VPNs to discreetly access pornographic and blasphemous content.”
The ministry urged companies to register their VPNs by November 30.
A VPN, or Virtual Private Network, establishes a secure and encrypted internet connection. It enables users to protect their online activity. This protection shields them from surveillance, censorship, and data theft.
Also See: Pakistan’s Technological Vision for the Next Decade
A Narrow Scope for Registration
As the deadline approaches, PTA’s registration platform caters exclusively to certain groups. These include companies, freelancers, embassies, banks, and call centers. Applicants must provide documents such as company certificates or freelancer authentication letters.
PTA requires companies and freelancers to provide a fixed or static IP address. They must obtain this address from their internet service providers to qualify for registration.
A senior PTA official, who requested anonymity, said, “Once the government whitelists your VPN, it will not affect you if the government blocks VPNs.”
When asked how ordinary Pakistani internet users who wish to use VPNs for privacy or accessing restricted sites could register, the official said that only individuals working as “freelancers for commercial purposes are eligible.”
This statement underscores the likelihood that general internet users, neither affiliated with companies nor freelancing commercially, may lose access to VPNs once enforcement begins after November 30.
Explaining why VPN registration is necessary, the official said, “The advantage is that we will know who is using VPNs for illegal purposes and what they are accessing.”
When asked about the type of information that the PTA would access from those who have registered, the official contradicted his earlier assertion. He said the authority was “not interested” in personal content.
He did not explain which law or rules the authorities were using to implement the VPN ban.
The official also disclosed that, to date, 20,000 companies and freelancers, including the UAE and British High Commissions, have registered their VPN and IPs. He added that there are over 100 million VPN connections daily in Pakistan.
PTA’s spokesperson did not respond to The News’ requests for official comments.
VPN Usage Boosted by 350%
During the current year, using VPNs has become a necessity for Pakistani online users due to increasing restrictions and unexplained social media outages.
In February, the government blocked X, citing “national security concerns.” While in July, users reported difficulties in sending and receiving media files on WhatsApp, a problem that persists for some even today.
Furthermore, the website of the country’s opposition political party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, remains blocked since before the February 8 elections, as well as some international news websites also are inaccessible in the country.
The growing censorship has driven VPN usage up, with only ProtonVPN reporting a 350% increase in sign-ups on November 10.
Increasing Censorship. Going the China Way
On November 10, internet users in the country experienced a temporary VPN disruption for several hours. In response to media queries, PTA attributed the incident to a “technical glitch”, without offering any additional details.
Simon Migliano, the head of Top10VPN, an independent VPN review website, said that the Pakistani state’s policy of only allowing VPN use for commercial purposes shows that the government grudgingly accepts that VPNs are essential for Pakistan’s economy, but it still intends to strictly control VPN use as much as possible.
“With this policy, the devil really is in the details,” Migliano said. “The requirement for a static IP rules out most VPN services that people use to unblock content, which typically rely on dynamic IPs.”
He added that Pakistan appears to follow China’s model, where the government allows only VPNs that meet stringent criteria.
Migliano also suggested that the November 10 disruption was likely deliberate, possibly involving deep packet inspection to identify and block VPN traffic.
“Most free or inexpensive VPNs lack sophisticated obfuscation and are easily blocked,” he said.
VPN Restrictions Could Threaten Privacy
On August 26, the Pakistani government acknowledged in a written statement to the parliament that the PTA was using the Web Monitoring System (WMS) to block online applications and websites in the country.
Interestingly on November 10, several social media users reported their free VPN services to have been most affected. While a spokesperson for ExpressVPN, a paid VPN service, told The News via email that it did not receive reports of service interruptions from its users.
“Regardless of any efforts to disrupt or throttle VPN services, ExpressVPN remains reliable,” it added in its short reply.
Migliano warned that government-approved VPNs could risk privacy in the future, even though encryption keeps VPN traffic secure from state surveillance.
He explained, “The real problems start when the government permits only approved VPNs, as is the case in China. If a VPN provider can only operate in a country with the approval of the government, then they are vulnerable to that government demanding secret access to that service, such as access to traffic logs for example.”
However, it remains uncertain whether the authorities can entirely block VPNs in Pakistan.
Even in China, some VPNs manage to operate by adapting to evolving censorship techniques, said Migliano.
“Where there is sufficient economic incentive, VPN providers with the resources will continue to develop new protocols, obfuscate their traffic to avoid detection, and adapt to blocking measures,” he said.
This news is sourced from Geo and is intended for informational purposes only.
Your trusted source for insightful journalism. Stay informed with our compelling coverage of global affairs, business, technology, and more.
![Pakistan will launch its first AI policy in 2025 to strengthen cybersecurity, boost the digital economy, and drive transformation. [Representational image via The Express Tribune]](https://southasiatimes.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/IMG_68701702624809-0-150x150.webp)
![Pakistan appoints Aaqib Javed as interim head coach for the white-ball team ahead of ICC Champions Trophy 2025. [Image via Reuters]](https://southasiatimes.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/GettyImages-107705455-1731930657-150x150.webp)
Add a Comment