The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has given a two-week deadline for unregistered VPNs to register, with a nationwide crackdown set to begin on December 1.
Reports indicate that the decision was made following instructions from the Ministry of the Interior about the shutdown of unregistered VPNs.
Users will have until November 30 to complete the registration process, as decided upon during the PTA’s review meeting. Officials will crack down hard on VPN users who haven’t registered their services starting December 1.
The PTA has announced the successful completion of a trial barring VPNs and aims to launch a second trial soon. Since unregistered VPNs may gain access to sensitive data and offer pathways to unacceptable content, the regulator stated that the move is an attempt to reduce security concerns. Additionally, officials claim that the PTA is responsible for blocking such content.
Crackdown on Unregistered VPNs
According to PTA officials, unregistered VPNs pose a serious threat to security since criminals can use them to access sensitive data and carry out other illegal actions.
The usage of unauthorized VPNs by terrorists and other criminal actors was cited by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), which is representing the Ministry of Interior, in their recent appeal for harsher actions against these networks.
Unregistered VPNs offer risks such as enabling terrorist financial transactions, viewing sexual or blasphemous content, and hiding conversations, according to a ministry letter.
The letter highlighted that Pakistan is one of the leading countries that access such sites over VPNs, which raises ethical and national security concerns.
Additionally, the Interior Ministry brought attention to the fact that VPNs are being used more and more by terrorists to hide their communications and enable deadly acts. The administration has demanded swift action to block illegal VPNs and verify that all legal users have registered with the PTA in response to these threats.
PTA Simplifies VPN Registration Process Ahead of November 30 Deadline
By the deadline of November 30, the Ministry of the Interior hoped that the PTA would have blocked all illicit VPNs across the country while letting genuine users register their services.
According to Saturday’s PTA statement, the body has simplified the VPN registration process for businesses and independent contractors.
The PTA’s official website, www.pta.gov.pk, now makes it easy for entities including software houses, contact centers, banks, embassies, and freelancers to register their VPNs online.
Members of the Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB) are also eligible to use this service.
When you want to register, you have to fill out an online form with some basic information like your CNIC, facts about your company’s registration, and whether or not you are a taxpayer.
Independent contractors are required to provide written confirmation of their affiliation with the project or business in the form of an email or letter.
The applicant’s IP address for VPN access is also required. Internet Service Providers (ISPs) are a good resource for obtaining permanent IP addresses.
No payment is required to register, and you should expect a response time of 8-10 hours at the latest. More than 20,000 businesses and independent contractors have used this procedure to register their VPNs.
Anyone in need of a VPN for work-related reasons can submit an application under the ‘Freelancer’ category, along with all the necessary details and proof from their company.
Using a virtual private network (VPN) is a common way to unblock wide content and protect personal information online. Despite official restrictions, reports indicate that Pakistanis seek to access restricted explicit content via unregistered VPNs at a rate of up to 20 million each day.
