The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) is developing a plan to regulate the use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) in Pakistan by allowing some proxy networks and blocking others.
At a meeting of the Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat, PTA Chairman Major General (R) Hafeez Ur Rehman said that after the implementation of the policy, only whitelisted VPNs would function in Pakistan, and the rest would be blocked.
It is worth noting that there was a significant increase in the use of VPNs by internet users in the country in 2024, with most users utilizing them to access “X,” which was blocked in the country on February 17.
According to a report by a VPN review website, “Top 10 VPN,” the use of proxy networks increased by 131% just two days after “X” was blocked on February 19.
Another VPN company, Surfshark, stated that immediately after the ban on “X,” the number of its new users in Pakistan increased by between 300% to 400%.
A large number of users accessing “X” via VPNs have also raised questions about the consequences of the platform’s ban. The PTA chief reported to the Senate Committee that the number of “X” users in Pakistan had declined by 70%.
He claimed that only 30% of users were accessing “X” via VPNs.
It is important to note that the number of microblogging website “X” users in Pakistan is significantly lower compared to other social media platforms. According to Datareportal, there were 4.5 million “X” users in Pakistan in early 2024.
This indicates that the government’s move to regulate VPNs will affect the IT sector, which uses them for various purposes.
The PTA had also passed VPN regulations in 2010, but their implementation has been negligible.
