Pakistan has seen an increase in unauthorized and illegal VPN usage due to sporadic outages and slow internet speeds. The Ministry of Information Technology has received a proposal from the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to formulate a VPN policy soon.
The PTA emphasized that VPNs would need to be registered rather than suspended. According to PTA sources, VPNs are used by millions of IT firms and independent contractors. Telecom consumers have started using VPNs more often. According to the PTA, setting up a VPN is essential for privacy and online security.
The PTA reiterated that VPN use would be controlled rather than outright banned. According to Information Technology and Telecommunications Minister Shaza Fatima, there was no suspension of internet services or reduction in internet speed in the country.
Any perceived decline in internet speeds can be attributed to the growing popularity of virtual private networks (VPNs), she said. PTA Chairman Retired Major General Hafeezur Rehman informed the media that the internet delay was caused by a damaged undersea cable.
He clarified that there is no such thing as installing a firewall. “No firewall will be installed.” In addition, he made it clear that the government’s online control system is being upgraded and not the firewall.
