ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has decided to block the use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) countrywide, local media reported on Friday.
Speaking at a meeting of the Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat, the PTA Chairman Hafeezur Rehman said that only approved VPNs would work in Pakistan once the new policy is implemented.
The move comes after a significant increase in Virtual Private Networks usage in 2024, especially to access the blocked social media platform X (formerly Twitter).
According to a report by Top10VPN, demand for VPNs soared by 131 percent on February 19, two days after X was blocked. Surfshark, a VPN provider, also reported a 300-400 percent increase in new user acquisition rates in Pakistan after the ban.
The PTA chief stated that the number of X users in Pakistan has reduced by 70 percent since the ban, with only 30 percent accessing the platform through VPNs. However, the high number of users bypassing the ban raises questions about effectiveness of the policy.
The PTA head warned that a blanket ban on Virtual Private Networks would lead to the collapse of several IT businesses functioning on VPNs.
It is relevant to mention here that this is not the first attempt to regulate VPNs in Pakistan. Previous efforts, including regulation of virtual private networks in 2010 and a 2022 registration drive, have been met with limited success.
