PTA admits to blocking unregistered VPNs

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has admitted to blocking unregistered Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), noting it’s part of a wide effort to improve internet security and protect users.

PTA officials claim that unregistered VPNs provide serious security risks, such as the possibility of accessing banned content and unauthorised access to private information.

The government is temporarily restricting specific VPNs in order to integrate them into PTA’s white-listing process in order to mitigate these threats.

Since the launch of the VPN registration campaign in 2010, more than 1,422 businesses and almost 20,500 VPNs have successfully registered.

Users have recently complained about disruptions to safe browsing and trouble accessing free VPN services.

Officials gave assurances that measures are being taken to reduce illicit VPN use in Pakistan and expedite the whitelisting procedure.

VPNs are widely used around the world to get around content restrictions; in Pakistan, they are particularly well-liked for accessing X (previously Twitter), which is still blocked. According to the authorities, this ban won’t be removed until X properly registers in the nation.

In the first apparent case of a firewall impacting internet users across the country, the government reportedly briefly blocked more than two dozen VPNs during a six-hour firewall test on Sunday.

To ensure continuous access, the PTA has advised banks, freelancers, IT firms, and other corporations to register their VPN IPs.