The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) is working on a plan to regulate the use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) in Pakistan. The plan involves whitelisting some VPNs and blocking others. PTA Chairman, retired Maj General Hafeezur Rehman, stated that only whitelisted VPNs will function in Pakistan once the policy is implemented.
The move comes after a significant increase in VPN use in Pakistan, particularly since the ban on X (formerly Twitter) in February 2024. According to reports, the demand for VPNs increased by 131% after the ban.
However, the PTA claims that the number of X users in Pakistan has decreased by 70% since the ban, with only 30% accessing the platform through VPNs.
The regulation of VPNs could have wider implications for the IT sector, which relies heavily on VPNs for various purposes. The PTA head warned that a blanket ban on VPNs could lead to the collapse of several IT businesses.
The government has previously attempted to regulate VPNs, but none of those plans resulted in tangible action. The PTA had passed VPN regulations in 2010, but their implementation remained evasive.
In addition to VPN regulation, the Law Minister, Azam Nazir Tarar, suggested taxing social media platforms, which are currently out of the tax net. He noted that approximately 132 million Pakistanis use social media for business purposes.
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