The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) plans to create new rules for using Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) across the country.
In a recent meeting with the Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat, PTA Chairman Hafeezur Rehman explained that under the new policy, only VPNs that have been officially approved by the PTA will be allowed to work in Pakistan.
This decision follows a major increase in VPN usage in 2024. Many people started using VPNs to access X (previously known as Twitter), which was blocked in Pakistan.
A report by Top10VPN shows that VPN use in Pakistan jumped by 131% on February 19, just two days after X was blocked. Another VPN provider, Surfshark, saw a 300-400% rise in new users in Pakistan after the ban on X.
The PTA Chairman noted that the number of X users in Pakistan dropped by 70% since the block, and now only 30% of people are using VPNs to access the platform.
Despite this, many people are still finding ways to bypass the ban, which raises concerns about how well the ban is working.
The PTA Chairman also mentioned that a total ban on VPNs could harm many IT businesses that rely on VPNs to operate.
This isn’t the first time Pakistan has tried to regulate VPNs. Previous efforts, like regulations introduced in 2010 and a registration drive in 2022, haven’t been very successful.
