Pakistan is seeking to ban the use of VPNs that circumvent its ban on the X app.
The government launched a ban on X in February of this year, citing threats to its national security. This resulted in a 70% drop in usage of the app, where users resorted to VPN as their only means of surpassing the block.
Now, new reports are hinting at the government’s plans to block VPNs that give users access to X. As reported by the Express Tribune recently, the country’s leading telecommunication authority spoke about carrying out a screening that would whitelist those complying with the government orders while others would be removed.
This means limiting access to a host of social media apps and services that are currently banned by the nation. Meanwhile, Pakistan’s chairman for the PTA spoke during a meeting before the Senate that only a handful of VPNs are being allowed after the process.
The country blocked access to the X app, right before the start of the country’s elections in February, and since then, it has refused to lift the ban. The app is said to be non-compliant with the directives of the government and has also failed to address matters linked to misusing the platform.
This decision is not being appreciated by a host of rights groups who feel it’s restricting the free entry of information into the country which is a part of every citizen’s rights. But officials argued that Musk’s app is only compliant with 7% of the general complaints related to the government in the past three months.
Despite a massive 70% fall in the X app’s usage in the country, users were seen bypassing this ban via VPN which gives rise to digital connections from one device to the next and also enables a remote server to function. As a result, users can sidestep any kind of block or firewall that could be in place to facilitate the ban.
The meeting also had senior officials speak about plans for 5G auctions in the country as early as March of next year. There might also be new laws related to adding taxes to earnings made by leading social media platforms.
Right now, the PTA says it’s ready to lift the ban whenever it receives the signal from the government. The news is disheartening for X because Pakistan has the fifth largest population in the world where more than 57% of individuals get internet access.
With time, we’ve seen how the administration of Shehbaz Sharif has cracked down against those propagating political and religious hostility as well as those falsely accusing the country’s strong military forces through posts on social media.
So many users have also been detained on allegations linked to running hate and hostile campaigns against the country’s institutions which the government says it has no room for.
Image: DIW-Aigen
Read next: Apple Pressurizes China’s Tencent And ByteDance Into Making Changes That Facilitate Its 30% Commission
The government launched a ban on X in February of this year, citing threats to its national security. This resulted in a 70% drop in usage of the app, where users resorted to VPN as their only means of surpassing the block.
Now, new reports are hinting at the government’s plans to block VPNs that give users access to X. As reported by the Express Tribune recently, the country’s leading telecommunication authority spoke about carrying out a screening that would whitelist those complying with the government orders while others would be removed.
This means limiting access to a host of social media apps and services that are currently banned by the nation. Meanwhile, Pakistan’s chairman for the PTA spoke during a meeting before the Senate that only a handful of VPNs are being allowed after the process.
The country blocked access to the X app, right before the start of the country’s elections in February, and since then, it has refused to lift the ban. The app is said to be non-compliant with the directives of the government and has also failed to address matters linked to misusing the platform.
This decision is not being appreciated by a host of rights groups who feel it’s restricting the free entry of information into the country which is a part of every citizen’s rights. But officials argued that Musk’s app is only compliant with 7% of the general complaints related to the government in the past three months.
Despite a massive 70% fall in the X app’s usage in the country, users were seen bypassing this ban via VPN which gives rise to digital connections from one device to the next and also enables a remote server to function. As a result, users can sidestep any kind of block or firewall that could be in place to facilitate the ban.
The meeting also had senior officials speak about plans for 5G auctions in the country as early as March of next year. There might also be new laws related to adding taxes to earnings made by leading social media platforms.
Right now, the PTA says it’s ready to lift the ban whenever it receives the signal from the government. The news is disheartening for X because Pakistan has the fifth largest population in the world where more than 57% of individuals get internet access.
With time, we’ve seen how the administration of Shehbaz Sharif has cracked down against those propagating political and religious hostility as well as those falsely accusing the country’s strong military forces through posts on social media.
So many users have also been detained on allegations linked to running hate and hostile campaigns against the country’s institutions which the government says it has no room for.
Image: DIW-Aigen
Read next: Apple Pressurizes China’s Tencent And ByteDance Into Making Changes That Facilitate Its 30% Commission
