The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has initiated the blocking of unregistered VPNs across the country, citing security concerns and the need for better regulation of VPN usage.

According to PTA sources, this action is being enforced through a firewall system designed to identify and temporarily block VPNs that have not been officially registered with the authority. “VPNs are being temporarily blocked for whitelisting,” PTA sources confirmed.

PTA officials emphasized that unregistered VPNs pose a security risk by potentially granting unauthorized access to sensitive data and enabling the use of illegal or objectionable content. To address these concerns, the PTA has been working to streamline the VPN registration process, which began in 2010. Since then, approximately 20,500 VPNs have been registered, representing over 1,422 companies.

As part of the ongoing effort to improve security and transparency, the PTA is accelerating the VPN registration and whitelisting process. The authority also pointed out that several countries, including China, Russia, Iran, Turkey, the UAE, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia, have implemented similar measures, with some nations allowing VPNs exclusively for business purposes.

In Pakistan, there are no restrictions on using VPNs for legitimate business needs, according to PTA officials. However, users relying on free VPN services, particularly to access platforms like X (formerly Twitter), have reported disruptions in service. Many free VPNs have been impacted by the recent blocking measures.

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